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]

Tags: , , , ,

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]

Tags: , ,

Greifswald (Germany): Community supported squatting

By: sisulscz - October 5th, 2014  Filed under: Communique

On the 30th of september 2014 a diverse group of people has squatted a historically important builiding near the center of Greifswald, north-east Germany.
A citizens’ initiative is fighting an ongoing struggle against the demolition of the builiding for 1 ½ years. The houses „Brinke 16/17“ became a meeting point for the neighboorhood since there are several initiatives like a „community supported agriculutre“ group, an organic food shop, a café and some empty flats. The complex is 158 years old and art historicans describe it as a good example for the suburbian homes of the 19th century. The idyllic charming two-leveled building adds to the character of the street, which is changing at the moment with newly build concrete ugly high-price architecture. [Read More]

Tags: , , ,

London: Victory to Focus E15 Occupation

By: dolph-l - October 3rd, 2014  Filed under: News, Press release

The fight for council housing in Newham and London continues

Despite Newham Council’s attempt to evict us, we can today confirm that the E15 Open House occupation will continue until 7th October as planned. 
[Read More]

Tags: , , , , ,

Amsterdam: Response to UvA board threats to legal action

By: fawda - October 2nd, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

As many of you have probably noticed, the media have reported that we’ve received a letter from the UvA in which they threaten to take judicial action against our use of the Spinhuis. Firstly, we want to take away any fears by declaring that we will stay open for at least the next few weeks. If the board of directors of the UvA do indeed decide to follow up on their threat it will take a while before we will be evicted from the Spinhuis. In the meantime we we will continue offering a full programme (to be found below), especially because more and more people and groups come to us to organize events. [Read More]

Tags: , ,

London: The E15 Mums

By: sisulscz - September 30th, 2014  Filed under: News

“Did you hear the water’s been cut off?”
“No”
“Newham Council say it wasn’t them, but they were photographed out there with their van. They have broken the water mains”

This was the news I was met with when I arrived yesterday to visit the E15 Mums in a squatted social centre in the Carpenters Estate, Newham. Sprawling onto the streets is a hive of activities: kids painting, a free shop, free food and banners that read ‘social housing not social cleansing’. People are chatting, planning meetings, attending workshops, playing guitars and discussing community issues. Why would the local council try to sabotage a property occupied by a community of vulnerable single mothers?
[Read More]

Tags: , , , , ,

San Francisco (USA): Police clear 16 squatters from building

By: pinkxedge - September 29th, 2014  Filed under: News

People that had squatted a house that was allegedly worth $2,610,000 were evicted on September 27th. The house was located near the corner of Fulton St and Masonic Ave, close to Golden Gate Park. Here is a report from the mainstream media:

[Read More]

Tags: , ,

London: Enough is enough, #stopMIPIM, deliver the housing we need

By: fawda - September 24th, 2014  Filed under: News

Diverse housing action groups in London have called for protests against the real estate fair “MIPIM UK”. Hashtag for the campaign is #stopMIPIM. Here is a flyer from the the “radical housing network“.

MIPIM, the world’s biggest property fair, is coming to London, October 15-17th.

MIPIM proudly describes itself as the world’s largest property fair, attracting around 20,000 investors, developers, local authorities, and banks each year.

It usually takes place annually in Cannes, France. This year will see the first MIPIM UK, to be held at London’s Olympia 15-17 October. Billed as ‘the 1st UK property trade show gathering all professionals looking to close deals in the UK property market’ – a gathering of professionals and elites looking to profiteer from UK land and property.

Join affected communities, the Radical Housing Network, the European Action Coalition for the Right to Housing and the City, Defend Council Housing, trade unions and a range of other groups to demand a City for People, not for Profit. [Read More]

Tags: , , , , ,

London: East End mums occupy empty council homes in protest over housing policy

By: dolph-l - September 24th, 2014  Filed under: News

A group of housing campaigners and local residents occupied a four-flat block on a largely empty east end estate yesterday in protest over the sell-off of council housing to private developers while former tenants are priced out of the city.

The action on Stratford’s Carpenters Estate marked the anniversary of local campaign group E15Focus Mothers being set-up to fight for the right to stay in the borough after Newham Council proposed housing the group of single mums outside of London. They had previously being living in a hostel that was to be closed by the housing association that ran it. [Read More]

Tags: , , , , , ,

London: Grow Heathrow, another legal challenge

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

201409_London_Grow_HeathrowIn the four and a half years since Grow Heathrow project started it has significantly grown in size and scope. The original abandoned plant nursery site where the project began is right next to another piece of derelict Green Belt land, that contains the ruins of several more glasshouse frames.

In the spirit of the original occupation, these have been gradually occupied and incorporated into Grow Heathrow, providing additional venues for activities, including the straw bale house that was built with the help of many willing volunteers and has been a prominent feature of the project since it was finished.

The occupiers of the Grow Heathrow site have been fighting a legal battle to retain the use of the land that the project is situated on, but that has so far been limited to the boundaries of the original site. The land bordering this, known in our community as the “Backlands”, is owned seperately by Lewdown Holdings Limited, a faceless company registered in Guernsey. After years of peaceful occupation, they have now decided to begin legal proceedings to remove anyone associated with Grow Heathrow from their land. [Read More]

Tags: , , ,

Sydney: Squatters evicted from Millers Point

By: sisulscz - September 20th, 2014  Filed under: News

They had stocked the kitchen with food, hauled in crate-loads of belongings and even brought their tortoiseshell cat.

But the two-month long rent-free bliss enjoyed by a group of squatters at Millers Point ended abruptly on Tuesday, as the state government pushed ahead with its plan to empty the harbourside suburb of vulnerable residents.
[Read More]

Tags: , , ,

London: Among the property guardians

By: sisulscz - September 18th, 2014  Filed under: News

Pic from protest at Rectory Gardens in 2012.

Rectory Gardens, a residential mews in Clapham Old Town, is being emptied, one household at a time. Henry, who has lived in the street since 1985, is among those waiting to be rehoused. When he leaves, Lambeth Council will probably hire Camelot, a ‘vacant property management’ company, to install ‘guardians’: people who pay the company for the privilege of staying in disused buildings and keeping out squatters. There are several property guardians already living on the street.
[Read More]

Tags: , , , ,