We are a collective of community activists, who successfully helped to save the Friern Barnet Community Library.
We have occupied the closed Bohemia Pub Building (762-764 High Rd, Finchley, N12 9QH, Nearest tube: Woodside Park).
We are setting up a community centre project to boost the campaign aimed at reopening it as a community centre/pub.
Videos:
Bohemia occupied community centre pub 1
Good news Bohemia occupied community centre pub 2
Bohemia cabaret: 1, 2, piano and band
What started as a squatted empty building in the autumn of 1995, has turned into an 18 year (and counting) experimental project putting anarchist ideas and practices into action on a daily basis. Much to the disgust of Kebele’s many detractors over the years, who wont be coming to the 18th birthday bash! (Update – Kebele’s big birthday bash benefit gig on 5th October raised over £2000 for the social centre, thanx to all who came!)
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This morning the police were at the door of a squat in Zuilen. As always, they hadn’t heard of housepeace. Read on and shiver.
Half a year ago a house was squatted on the Boelesteinlaan in Utrecht.
One day the police came to search the house for a criminal (also called a “squatter”). They started asking people for their identity cards. Because you aren’t legally required to identify yourself in your own home this was rejected by the occupants. The police were friendly and accepting to this decision as always… They told the occupants that “we will see what we will do with your house”. Some days later the eviction letter arrived. [Read More]
Today at approximately 10:05 a.m. as two of us were returning from scavenging fruit and vegetables a group of about a dozen builders forced entry into the social center. They then proceeded to affix a notice board to the wall declaring that the building was a construction site. We notified them that the property was legally occupied in accordance with the 1977 Criminal Law Act and that they had committed an offence by breaking into the building while it so occupied. Apparently unconcerned that their conduct was illegal, they proceeded to begin gutting the building while we were inside it. They also proceeded to disconnect the buildings water, by cutting the pipe connecting to the water main.
The builders were employed by CS Solutions and their supervisor was Jim Casey, the same man who had similarly threatened us weeks ago. No planning permission has been granted for any work to be done on the building; despite this and despite the building’s listed status they proceeded in doing significant damage to the downstairs. [Read More]
As a squatted social center, how do we communicate to the outside world? Where do you find us on-line and where do you NOT find us? We are not here to provide passive intelligence to state intelligence agencies, or to make their task easier. Making ourselves visible on a website hosted by a radical and political server is a first necessary step. Being able to reach other activists and squatters, not only the ones based in the Netherlands, is something we would not want to miss. In the will to be an open space for political initiatives, we want to reach further than the neighbourhood, further than a city and its squatting scene.
Being a squat and having a squat scene active and visible on decent platforms may have some importance in these times of repression. Reading about houses being squatted and evicted is one thing, being able to find each other, not only on-line, knowing which are our public events has its importance to strengthen us all. [Read More]
The bohemian pub on Finchley High road has been squatted and is on its way to becoming a thriving community centre. It was opened by the same crew from that reopened Friern Barnet Library last year library last year.
They want to open it up as a ‘community hub’ and there going to use the space for games nights, cinema nights and other things. I’m really excited to see the space get going. It looks like a fantastic building that they can start hosting events and workshops in straight away.
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Nqobile Nzuza a 17 year old girl, a grade 9 learner at Bonella High School and an Abahlali baseMjondolo supporter was gunned down at around 5:00 a.m. this morning. Nqobile was shot twice from behind with live ammunition. Luleka Makhwenkwana was also shot in her arm with live ammunition and she in King Edward Hospital. Thulisile Zide fainted and went unconscious, she is also in hospital.
This is shoot to kill policing. This is the crackdown that the police and politicians promised on protests. This is policing that is willing to murder to suppress the struggle for real justice and real freedom. This is policing that is used to oppress the people in the interests of the ruling party and the tenderpreurs and gangsters that have seized control of it in Durban.
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On Sunday morning, September 29th there was a solidarity gathering at Thessaloniki courts, where the 30 arrestees from the attempted reoccupation of Orfanotrofio squat were brought before prosecutor. They were charged with disturbing the domestic peace, and illegal occupation of public land (the latter accusation is based on a royal decree).
All comrades have been released. Their trial was scheduled for the 16th of December 2013.
Gathering in solidarity with the prosecuted comrades of Delta squat
Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013 at 9am, Thessaloniki courts
Demonstration in solidarity with squats
Saturday, October 5th, 2013 at 12pm, Kamara, Thessaloniki [Read More]
On Saturday morning, September 28th, 2013 a group of comrades reoccupied the evicted Orfanotrofio squat in the district of Toumba, Thessaloniki. Shortly afterwards, they released a collective communiqué about their action, and went out on the rooftop of the building unfolding a banner reading “RESQUATTED.” In the meantime, solidarians on the street were kettled by heavy police force. The squat was eventually raided at midday. All squatters were detained chanting “The passion for freedom is stronger than all prisons!” [Read More]
So far the month of September has seen:
Eviction of the Beer House squat where around one to two-hundreed Africans and Syrians had been living for the last year.
Three immediate evictions of the big squats where those people had been seeking shelter in the nights following the eviction.
Complete destruction of the Sudanese jungle with around twenty arrests.
Police and city workers destroyed all the tents they could find, while taking the blankets and personal things to the to city dump. There they were mixed together with what rotting materials were left inside the Beer House. Everything would have been immediately destroyed if it weren’t for people going to the dump to take them back that day. [Read More]
Well yesterday went really well. We finally had the front gate and door open to allow people into 195 Mare Street. Visitors were treated to our free shop (some local fashionistas probably had a bit too much fun), all day long food (salad, veggies, curry, barley…yum yum!), a Chilean film and then later live performances on kazoo and guitar.
Dozens came in – mostly just off of the street – and it was lovely having people stop as walking by, taking a look at our boards by the gate and then coming in for more. Plenty of folks came in with their children and this including a beautiful moment when one of our all-in-one baby outfits from the free shop found a new home. We attracted friends, of course, but also a lot of people we had never met before. People gave us gifts, told us about what they wanted from the social centre, how the could contribute and a good few told us about housing struggles. Others sat in our pretty cafe area, eating and enjoying the surroundings and watching those exploring the free shop or sneaking a quick peak at other parts of the building. [Read More]
In the last week several Traveller communities as well as Traveller rights campaigners have been subjected to police raids. The police claim the “Operation Elven” series of raids, including one at Smithy Fen Traveller site in Cambridge, supposedly concern thefts of Chinese artefacts and rhinoceros horn from museums and auction houses across England and Ireland. However, police have been accused of serial heavy-handedness and faulty intelligence.
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