At the 23rd of april in 2011, 200 people squatted the former ministry of finance in altona, a district in hamburg and declared the Autonomous Center of Altona (AZ Altona). The action was dedicated to the rise of selforganised spaces, against the ongoing housing misery in hamburg and the parallel existance of massive vacancy of office buildings in the city. After seven hours, the police evicted the building and later started penalty against the 40 squatters. Some weeks ago, the first penalty-letters were sent by prosecutors to demand more than 20000 euro in total!
Surprisingly, the building, which was empty for years, was given a few months after the squatting to be used from artist and economic initiatives again. We see this as our sucess that tenants got the building. Eventhough there is no new selforganised, uncommercial center, at least the building is used again at all. But nontheless it is strange and not acceptable that the people who rised the topic of this misery with this vacancy should now be punished by the states repression! [Read More]
