[Posted on their website Feb 20]
*We wondered where our wages went*
*We wasted most by paying rent*
*Since, we’ve learnt to change our lot*
*So now we’re living in a squat*
[Read More]
Hamburg: Solidarity paint attack against housing cooperative office
Every eviction has its price! Attack with paint against the office of the ‘Bauverein Reiherstieg’ housing cooperative in Wilhelmsburg, Hamburg:
On January 26th, 2015, Heiko was evicted from his home at 10 Otterhaken in the Wilhelmsburg district of Hamburg. For a long-time he was an obstacle against the ‘Bauverein Reiherstieg’ housing cooperative because of his organising against rising rents and due to more involvement from tenants. Since Heiko paid his rent late several times, he had to be thrown out this time.
Nearly 200 people in solidarity tried to prevent this happening. The eviction was delayed by a good 90 minutes. Unfortunately, the cops then succeeded to get through a door at the rear of the building with the help of the BFEs [special units of the German police]. The stairwell was blocked by supporters, but was then violently evicted. All this in the name of the ‘Bauverein Reiherstieg’. [Read More]
Spain: Firefighters refuse to be ‘puppets of the banks’
Spanish firefighters are refusing orders to participate in evictions because their duty is to “serve the public ” and intervene in “emergencies” and not to be “puppets of the bank or its servants in the government”.
Firefighters in Galicia, Catalonia and the Madrid region have rejected any action that “contributes to inequalities and miseries suffered by the working class,” said the CCOO union.
[Read More]
Dublin: Housing Activists’ Cases Dismissed From Court
Today 8 housing activists from An Spreach Housing Action Committee and from D8HAC were up in court. All 8 were charged with trespassing on the 29th of July 2014 in a vacant flat in Charlemount Street in Dublin’s south inner city. All charges were dismissed by the court. This is a small victory for the housing groups, but the struggle continues it is not the end of the campaign to highlight the homeless and housing crisis.
An Spreach was formed to help highlight the homeless and housing crisis by methods of direct action. In the sort time of An Spreach’s existence it has been involved in helping stop house evictions; banner drops around the city; removed homeless spikes that were erected outside the Department of Social Protection (homeless people were sleeping in the Department’s doorway to try get some protection from the elements (these spikes were made from cement and bolted to the ground to prevent homeless people sleeping there); and An Spreach liberated a vacant flat in the Tom Kelly flat complex in Charlemount Street in Dublin’s south inner city. An Spreach was created by housing activists that were sick and tired of the lack of action and change from politicians and community representatives in trying to combat the problems of the homelessness and the housing crisis. [Read More]
Toulouse: February 21st demonstration in support of the ZADs and against the world of concreters
On the 25th of October 2014, the death of a man by the police on the ZAD of Testet marked the beginning of two months of struggle in Toulouse, that continued with demonstrations, public actions and occupations. This movement echoes those of Notre-Dame-des-Landes, Testet, and elsewhere where an occupation was set up to confront detrimental State projects. The different ways of organising and communal life practiced on the ZADs have been put in practice in Toulouse, in spaces momentarily snatched away from the control of the Metropol.
By the Metropole, we are speaking about the authoritarian and destructive organisation of territory, put in place by the State and the multinationals that determine our lives. A real steamroller; reducing environments to their ability to be converted and economically managed, modeling spaces and practices for the market imperatives, and extending in all directions their infrastructural tentacles of steel and concrete. Here an airport, there a fast lane, a dam or a touristic park. [Read More]
London: Guinness Estate Occupation
Yesterday, an empty flat in Elveden House on the Guinness Trust estate in Brixton was occupied by local residents and supporters protesting at the threatened eviction of dozens of Guinness tenants from the estate.
More people have joined the action today and they plan to keep the occupation running until Guinness agree to halt all evictions and rehouse all the tenants in local social housing.
[Read More]
South Africa: Abahlali baseMjondolo Statement
An Old Snake in a New Skin – From Raymond Masondo to Heinrich Bohmke and Bandile Mdlalose
In 2006, when we made it clear that we would not give up our autonomy to the NGOs and walked out of a meeting at the Centre for Civil Society (CCS) at UKZN, some NGO workers, such as Mondli Hlatswayo, rushed to call us criminals on emails and in the press.
[Read More]
Calais (France): Upcoming Evictions, expected March 2015
In April 2015 the municipality of Calais in collaboration with the socialist state government intends to open the Day Centre Jules Ferry for all migrants living in and around the city. This centre is sold by the government and its media as a humanitarian gesture. This is bullshit! This is a poor attempt to alleviate the catastrophic situation of the migrants here. A situation that is created by the very policies the government have put in place. The opening of the day centre will go along with the mass eviction of 2000 people and the destruction of their homes: the squats and jungles of Calais. [Read More]
Amsterdam: Prins Hendrikkade 138-139 squatted
The building has been empty for several years. The owner wants to turn the building into yet another hotel. However, according to the city council, there is a hotel stop in this neighborhood since 2004. The neighbors are also actively resisting the hotel plans.
While in Amsterdam thousands of people are in need of housing, speculants and investors with the support of the city council keep on turning the city into a place only suitable for tourists and commercial activities, while sweeping off everything that does not suit their profit. [Read More]
London: Southwark Council smashing up homes
This is a video someone made on Thursday evening (5 February) when the police and Southwark Council came and smashed up 8 homes and welded them up to prevent the occupation spreading.
You can hear loud banging and breaking of glass inside the flats that are blocked off by police. This is them smashing the toilets and sinks, and the windows, to make the homes uninhabitable. Here is a picture of a bathroom after being smashed by the council.
There are around 18,000 people on the Southwark council housing waiting list. [Read More]
Defenders of Can Vies Squat Center sentenced in Barcelona
CanVies (pronounced ‘vias’) is an Occupied assembly-run Social center, set by the railwaytracks in what was once a CNT Union Center 80 years ago. The occupation has lasted 17 years, surviving multiple eviction attempts due to strong local support. [Read More]
Utrecht (NL): New Squat
Translated from the Dutch article at indymedia.
As of today (6/2/15) there is a new place added to the squat register of the city of Utrecht.
Our research showed that the building on the Ravellaan number 7 was over a year no longer used according to the original permissions. This year someone applied for an environmental permit for the realization of a temporary event location. There would be three events held this year but at the behest of the residents association and Welgelegen, there was an objection after the first event. The neighborhood has indicated there was too much disturbance from the week long event.
We want to make clear that we will not be a nuisance. In fact, we want to provide for the area a social and cultural meeting place . We will involve both the residents, as the association Welgelegen .
We are a small group which is willing to sit down to make any agreements with the owner regarding the use of the property.
The police officeris coming tomorrow on Feb 7 to drink coffee.
The squatting peace is so respected, but for how long we don’t know….
Oh yeah and everyone is always welcome, so come round!
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