London: Frestonia Squatters Who Declared Independence from the UK in 1977

By: dolph-l - November 1st, 2014  Filed under: essay, Interviews

From Vice Magazine by Harry Sword

In 1977, squatters on Freston Road, Notting Hill, in London, declared independence from the British state. Facing eviction by the Greater London Council (GLC), the community figured the best way to evade the constraints imposed on them was to just free themselves of those constraints altogether. So they lobbied the UN and established a 1.8-acre microstate-“The Free and Independent Republic of Frestonia”-complete with its own postage stamps, visas, and passports. [Read More]

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Madrid: Anarchist squat La Gatonera evicted

By: dolph-l - November 1st, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

In the early morning of October 27th, 2014, the squatted social centre La Gatonera in Madrid was evicted. We send strength to the comrades; nothing is finished.

Below is their communiqué (translation from Contra Info) from the day of eviction:

The State orders, the Press targets and the police evicts La Gatonera: this is how this story begins once again, that far from being a novelty, ends up being a suspicious routine. A disgusting routine that, by force of repression and fear, gradually makes an entire movement and a whole history of anarchist struggle get accustomed to having this sensation, which has become way too normalized, in its interior. The importance of so many generations that have striven, each one for years, to demonstrate that another life is possible, that there is an option outside the system in which we live, that they target us because we no longer want to be part of their miseries and because we seek to be able to manage our lives. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Understanding and resisting the corporatisation of the university

By: fawda - November 1st, 2014  Filed under: News

Two months ago the former Common Room of the Spinhuis was squatted. We see our action and presence in the Spinhuis as an act of resistance against the top-down run university. A university that is increasingly run by managers in a corporate manner, focusing on efficiency and output. Anything that does not directly lead to diplomas or a higher spot on the international rankings, is seen as a waste of time and money. We want to have an evening of discussion in our space, the day before the verdict of the university’s court-case against us.

We will first have several speakers providing a bit of background behind the neoliberalisation of higher education in the last decades. For instance, the financialization of the university (in particular the UvA) after the university took over the management of real estate from the Dutch state. Afterwards there will be space for discussion on what we can do about it. [Read More]

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Berlin: The squatted school by refugees in danger of eviction

By: sisulscz - October 31st, 2014  Filed under: News

Comrades, companer@s y companer@s,

In december 2012 refugees occupied an empty old school in Berlin-Kreuzberg.

Now the green government of Berlin- Kreuzberg want to evict the 50 still remaining refugees.The ultimatum to leave the school voluntarily ends on october 31 friday, 2014.

A violent eviction now is very much possible.

REsist Now
[Read More]

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Hamburg: Nazis threaten to destroy Rote Flora; Antifascists call for mobilization – 15th November

By: dolph-l - October 30th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

After the Nazis’ show of force last Sunday in Cologne, largely tolerated by the police’s repression of antifascists’ counter-demonstration, the Nazis and their football hooligans are planning “a revolution” on November 9 in Berlin, and attacks against Rote Flora autonomous social center in Hamburg during another demonstration on November 15. They plan similar demo in Wuppertal this weekend. [Read More]

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France: Protester killed in clashes with police at the ZAD of Testet

By: dolph-l - October 27th, 2014  Filed under: News

Background info on the struggle against the dam in Testet: 1, 2

According to a statement from squatters in the ZAD of Notre-Dame-des-Landes, during the night between Saturday and Sunday the 26th of October 2014 a protester named Remi was killed in clashes that broke out after a rally against the construction of a dam along the Sivens forest in the wetland of Testet in the Tarn department (southern France).

Around 7000 people gathered in the ZAD (zone to be defended) of Testet, after months of police attacks and destruction of the wetland and habitations of those who defend the area. In the late evening and overnight, dozens of people attacked the forces of order that were protecting the dam construction site. Activists expressed their anger trying to delay the resumption of works, originally scheduled for Monday the 27th of October.

[Read More]

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Paris-suburbs: Eviction of le Transfo

By: xxx - October 23rd, 2014  Filed under: News

Le Transfo has been opened in November 2012 as a big squatted social centre, with four buildings (one for inhabitation and three for activities). It was an autonomous and anarchist space. More info, here, in French.

This morning, Thursday October 23rd, 2014, at 6am, the eviction of le Transfo has begun.

– 6:00am : The cops enter the squat destroying a barricaded window on the ground floor with an excavator !
– 6:10 : The inhabitants get controlled by the police.
– 6:20 : Hundreds of policemen control the neighbourhood, blocking the street on both sides. Lots of police vans are parked in the street.
– 7:00 : Inside the squat, the cops want to arrest the people who have no identity documents to present. The inhabitants refuse that situation and say “or you arrest all of us, or you don’t arrest anyone”. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Spinhuis update

By: fawda - October 22nd, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

Spinhuis Newsletter Week 7
Dear all,

It’s been some time since the last email. Quite a lot of things have happened in the last week that require an update, but lets start with this week’s program. At this moment a group of people participating in the workshop Situationist psychogeography are confusing themselves and the tourists around them through the rain in central Amsterdam. This Thursday 20.00 we have an exciting storytelling evening with stories that you do not hear from the news or the papers, stories from people who occupied places and tried to change things for the better. Besides stories there will also be great klezmer music from Caspian Scratch! On Friday evening there will be music in the Spinhuis as well, with To Twelve (and maybe more) playing some funky tunes [Read More]

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Warsaw (Poland): Syrena means struggle!

By: xxx - October 15th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

On September 17th 2014 our house in Wilcza Street 30 in Warsaw will be put on auction. On September 15th the court bailiff planned a viewing of the premises for potential buyers. Subject to auction are half the shares of the reprivatised estate, which the bailiff obtained from its former indebted owners, Krzysztof and Joanna Podsiadło. These persons simply did not pay after formally purchasing the house, however in the period of their ownership years-longed tennants were evicted and the condition of the house deteriorated. It is a case typical of the history of reprivatisation – the procedure of transferring of community-owned houses to private cleaners. Though investors promise ‚revitalisation’, their part is most often limited to speculation, eviction of the inhabitants, and selling off to further investors. [Read More]

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Manila (Philippines): Feral Crust Autonomous Space

By: dolph-l - October 13th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, Press release

HOW WE STARTED

Friend and anarchist community organizer who runs Balay Tuklasan Likhaan Infoshop generously offered his other space (previously vacant and unused) to establish a community-based autonomous center called Feral Crust. The Feral Crust space is located in Mabato Road Brgy. Ibayo, Tipas Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines in a squatted public road near industrial factories (cement, steel, livestock etc.). About 33 families squat Mabato Road to become a residential area since 1989. Feral Crust came to Mabato road last March 2014. [Read More]

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The Hague (Netherlands): Call-out for international solidarity with social centre De Vloek

By: xxx - October 12th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

The city government of The Hague wants to evict social center De Vloek on January 5, 2015 to make room for a sailing center. Located in the harbor of Scheveningen, De Vloek was squatted 12.5 years ago and meanwhile has grown to be an essential social space in the harbor. There is already enough space for sport sailing in the harbor, but De Vloek must nevertheless move aside for the latest prestigious real estate project which nobody is looking forward to.

On Thursday October 16, the city council will make a final decision about whether or not De Vloek must disappear. [Read More]

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Poznan: Od:zysk under threat – police prepare for illegal eviction

By: sisulscz - October 12th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

In the last few days we have seen increased police activity around Od:zysk squat in Poznan, Poland. Plain-clothed officers have been watching the people entering and leaving the building, taking pictures, ID-ing people and harassing our guests and inhabitants of the squat. We have also heard about police preparing to enter the building by force and performing an illegal eviction. What is important to say is that it’s all happening while we’re still negotiating with the owner of the building. Przemyslaw Wozny, the president of Paderewski Ltd. company, who bought the building with its tenants in March 2014, has been talking about a peaceful solution to this conflict, and on the other hand, he’s been preparing to enter the building with the bailiff and the police. Therefore, he breaks off the negotiations and aims at confrontation. We would like to state that if anyone tries to enter the building without our permission, they will not be let in. [Read More]

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