Charing Cross, London: Police and council officials evict Love HQ street kitchen for New Years Eve

[Videos: eviction, as well as attempted eviction]

Following the Christmas Day eviction from the central London Royal Bank of Scotland premises the Love Activists set up a soup kitchen outside, giving out food, tea and coffee to the homeless. On the night before New Years Eve police and council officials forcibly evicted the soup kitchen in order to clear the streets for the end of year party revellers

[Note: It was confirmed yesterday that Love Activists have now squatted a new building] [Read More]

Barcelona: Reportback from demonstration in solidarity with those detained in Operation Pandora

[Other recent solidarity actions in Lisbon, Paris and San Francisco]

On Saturday, December 27th, 2014, at 5pm, demonstrators took to the streets in the city centre of Barcelona in solidarity with anarchists detained in the context of Operation Pandora at the request of Judge-executioner Javier Gómez Bermúdez.

Protesters started to march on broad streets, shouting slogans in solidarity with the detainees, and against the police, prisons and the State. The demonstration ended up in the Gracia area. Upon entering this neighbourhood, hooded comrades uninhibitedly attacked many bank branches, several multinational shops, as well as the 5-star Casa Fuster hotel (which was the Nazi Germany’s consulate in Barcelona in 1936, prior to being the headquarters of the revolution’s defense committee in the spring of 1937, until it was taken by the Falange in 1939, and became a luxury hotel during the Transition, after the associative neighbourhood movement attempted to turn it into social facilities). [Read More]

Charing Cross, London: Police retreat after attempted eviction of Love HQ street kitchen

Updates at midnight (see here for videos):

4 hrs ago: Police have retreated for now but our protest will continue. Still need more numbers here in solidarity.

5hrs ago: Police reinforcements have arrived

“If you are free NOW we urge you to get to 2a Charing Cross NOW as Westminster Council are attempting to close down the ongoing 24 hr. Streets Kitchen facilitated by Love Activists, many homeless groups and activists. Hundreds of homeless people have found assistance over the Christmas period there and we will resist any attempts to prevent us undertaking this essential service on the streets of London.”Street Kitchen [Read More]

Charing Cross, London: Food and clothes distribution continues everyday at Love HQ

Update 29/12, 1:20pm: The hearing this morning at the Royal Courts of Justice concerning the Possession Order of 2a Charing Cross Road on behalf of Greencap has been adjourned.

Last several days have been amazing, thanks to everyone who have shown their support in whatever form. Special shoutout to the awesome people who have volunteered to man the stalls day and night. Needless to say many thanks to everyone who have donated to the cause, your help has made this Christmas a great experience for those who otherwise would be swept out of view. [Read More]

Kenya: Six people hacked to death during failed attempt to evict Mengo farm in Trans-Nzoia County

(See video from the settlement here)

Tension ran high on Saturday after six people were killed following an attempt to evict squatters from Mengo Farm in Trans-Nzoia County.

The six were among a group of 40 who had been hired to evict the squatters from the parcel of land which has been marred in ownership wrangles.

Trans-Nzoia County Commissioner Stephen Ikua confirmed that four youths were in police custody in connection with the incident which also left seven homesteads razed to the ground. [Read More]

Spanish State – Operation Pandora: Democracy imprisons 7 more anarchists

On December 16, Operation Pandora was unleashed. The State’s security forces burst into different houses and squats in Barcelona and Madrid, and eleven anarchist comrades were kidnapped.

This kidnapping—and it couldn’t have been done any other way—was coordinated with the media, who helped justify and legitimate it with heart and soul, spreading the news that the police had carried out an operation against international anarchist terrorism. This kidnapping of eleven comrades set off a multitude of rallies and demonstrations that same day in different cities—Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Zaragoza, for example—thousands of people coming out in solidarity with the kidnapped comrades and showing rage and hatred towards the State’s new repressive operation against the libertarian movement. [Read More]

Kent: Chicago Rock Cafe in Maidstone occupied

Welfare workers have been liaising with squatters who have moved into a now defunct nightclub in the centre of Maidstone.

The group of rough sleepers now occupy the former Chicago Rock Cafe in the lower High Street, although it doesn’t look as if anyone’s living there from the street.

Maidstone Borough Council confirmed it had been working with the squatters as part of its project to support the town’s street population. [Read More]

Pandora’s box and the hotchpotch of Spanish anti-terrorism – about the recent raids

Text written a week ago about Pandora’s police operation in Spain against anarchists

The morning of Tuesday the 16th of December has surprised us with a wave of house raids and arrests. Surprised us? We are not going to lie. Let’s start again. The morning of the 16th of December has NOT surprised us. The autonomous Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, and the Guardia Civil and judiciary powers of the Audiencia Nacional stormed more than ten houses and a few anarchist spaces in Barcelona, Sabadell, Manresa and Madrid, with house raids, arrests, confiscation of propaganda material and information, to also use the occasion to enter and plunder, with the entire riot police team of the Mossos d’Esquadra, Kasa de la Muntanya, a squatted place that has existed for 25 years. [Read More]

Charing Cross, London: Free food and clothes distribution outside evicted Love HQ

Updates from 3:20pm:

1 hr ago: We have now officially set up outside love HQ, 2a charing Cross Road. Everyone please come on down and invite any homeless people you see for free food and clothes

2 hrs ago: Due to a lack of cooking facilities we will be incapable of serving warm food despite having a lot of raw ingredients. [Read More]

London: Love Activists Press Release


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: The Thin Scrooge Line — How police, bailiffs, the high court and a mysterious shell company conspired to steal Christmas Dinner from the homeless.

--- PRESS RELEASE on behalf of autonomous solidarity for Love Activists, London. BEGINS ---

‘Twas the night before Christmas, in the High Court of the land,
Where Justice was guided by the invisible hand…
While some with full bellies were nestled in bed;
The homeless and hungry had hopes to be fed….

[Read More]

Charing Cross, London: Love Activists Christmas project evicted by bailiffs with injunction

Updates from Love Activists facebook page (from 12:30pm), see video from Occupy London:

5o mins: Police are threatening to seize residents’ belongings if they do not leave the premises
1 hr: Police Are intimidating residents and dragging them out,
1 hr : Come make as much noise as possible, police have taped off the street as bailiffs illegally evict love activists from 2a charring cross road
1 hr: HELP!! We are being illegally evicted!
2 hrs: Baliffs have forced entry and are illegally evicted the squat as we speak. They can not produce any paperwork or identification. Please help if you can! 1a charing cross road, london [Read More]

Bedford: The Phoenix pub evicted with new ASBO order after weekend rave

Police have evicted a group of squatters from a derelict pub in Bedford after they held a rave there earlier this month.

Bedfordshire Police were granted a three month closure order on the empty building, formerly the Phoenix pub in St Johns Street, Bedford.

This follows a rave event on Saturday, December 13 which was closed down by police under the New Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2014. This had been organised by squatters who had recently taken over the empty building. [Read More]