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!

Lelystad (NL): Freespace De Waaghaals unjustly and illegally evicted

Quick translation from indymedia

The police came to tell the people that they had to pack their belongings and the property had to be empty before 14:00 in the afternoon.

Two days previously we were suddenly cut off from our electricity without notice while we busy putting our name on a bill. The same afternoon we actually had the appointment for a reconnection.
[Read More]

Turin: ExMoi occupation – the story so far

The story of ExMoi begins with two open wounds: the countless empty buildings in Turin, and the countless refugees living on Italian streets and in Italian train stations.

Back in 2006, the Turin municipality and the national government spent over 140 million euros in building a new neighbourhood to host athletes for the Winter Olympic Games. This was in an area that once held the city’s biggest wholesale market (MOI – Mercato Ortofrutticolo all’Ingrosso). Designed by international architects and built according to the latest ecological and sustainable design criteria, the Olympic Village was finished in 20 months. It was used for around 16 days and left mostly empty after the Games ended.
[Read More]

Barcelona: El Banc Expropiat de Gràcia resists!

After the botched eviction of Can Vies in late May, squatters have been preparing for the new offensive of the Catalan state. The riots that now taking place show how the new forms of occupation that are emerging in Barcelona in response to the austerity crisis have managed to gather massive popular support.
[Read More]

Marseille: Food & film in solidarity with those implicated in Operation Pandora

Thursday 12th February, at 18:30:
Film screening of the documentary “Caso Bombas” on anarchists in Chile
(the film is in Spanish but the subtitles are in English)

Vegan food, liberated price
For the address: blancarde2015 [at] riseup [dot] net

International solidarity with those implicated in Operation Pandora [Read More]