“Les 400 couverts” was a five houses squatted street in grenoble, france. It was a place i used to enjoy a lot, and i felt like interviewing its squatters in order to make people know about it. When we actually made this interview, they were about to be evicted so it was a bit particular : barricades in the whole street and houses, dozens of people around waiting for the cops to come, but in a relaxed atmosphere and while having daily plans such has building a hut in a tree, learning how to climb on a house, collective readings of the Road Protest movement in the UK. In a pub, xavier and I asked questions to julie and alain, and to aude the day after. The three of them used to live or organize activities in Les 400 couverts. The interview is very long as the discussion was very long and interesting, i already cut large parts, didn’t feel like cutting more. Thanx loads to nico and his friends who helped for the translation. Les 400 Couverts, and another squat that was very close, “La Kanaille”, have been kicked out one week after we made this interview, on august, 2nd, 2005, with at least 250 cops, who needed about 4 hours to evict everyone from the roofs and other places… Then there was a spontaneous demo into town. This was a moving and angry end… but it’s not finished and there are still squats and many plans in grenoble. [Read More]
No eviction of the Ex-Steffi!
The countdown is running, the city administration persists with their notice of eviction, which can be executed from February 1. on. We recieved the actual eviction lawsuit in January 2004, but we were able to delay the eviction by means of a settlement in court.
We are against the neoliberal insanity of the city Karlsruhe!!! For the preservation of the Ex-Steffi!!!
The city has been trying to sell the premises to the south of the central train station since 1988, but presently there is neither a development plan nor an investor. The city intends to invest 1 million Euros in tearing down our project to make the premises more “attractive”, so that yet more office space and commercial premises that nobody needs can be generated, and this will probably take 20 more years.
Artist’s ateliers are located on the same premises, wich are tolerated up to 3 months before the construction starts. The answer to the question of why we cannot recieve a similiar status is unnecessary.
Because, just like everywhere else, we are hoped to simply disappear- alternative culture, noncommercialism,dissent and criticism of the status quo. For the simple reason that we prove that alternatives work.
We are fucking sick of it! 15 years ago the Steffi/Ex-Steffi developed due to the neccesity for free eftist space, and for 15 years we have been fighting for our right to +exist! Let’s show those in power what they do not want to see! We are reality, our culture and our resistance cannot be forbidden. Participate in our actions with creativity and noise!
>From now on squatters’ breakfast every Sunday at 11 o’clock Sunday, January 8. 14:00 supporters’meeting Saturday,January 28. demonstration against nazi march, and since we’re there +anyways… Wednesday,2/8- Sunday, 2/12 and longer action days Saturday, 2/11 intranational demonstration
more infos at www.exsteffi.de
[squat!net]
London: Eviction of St-Agnes Place
The eviction of St Agnes Place in Kennington (South London) by Lambeth Council finally took place on Tuesday 29th, after years of court battles and previous eviction attempts [Report]. The oldest squatted street in London was swarmed with hundreds of riot police the whole day, as residents were resisting the bailiffs and specialist climbers that were emptying the street of its 150 strong community set up 30 years ago [Photos 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 and Video]. [Read More]
The hidden history of squatting in Ireland (1976-1996)
TWENTY YEARS ago Dublin Corporation was forced to give tenancies of hundreds of squatters. Those people got themselves housed, not by pleading with politicians, but through direct action. Alan MacSimoin, who was one of the organisers of Dublin Squatters Association, remembers how they did it.
In 1976 there were several hundred families squatting in local authority flats in the Corporation area. Waiting lists were long and increasing numbers were housing themselves in flats which had become vacant or were due for rehabilitation work.
Evictions were common, with most being put out within a few months of squatting. Nobody was jailed or even prosecuted under the Forcible Entry and Occupation Act as this would have been politically embarrassing for local councillors. In the private sector, however, there had been jailings. So what usually happened was that after being evicted families would squat another flat. And this process would repeat itself again and again.
The Williams family in Dolphin House, a large south inner city complex, were served with an eviction order. The offer made by the Housing Department was the Legion of Mary hostel for the wife and child, nothing for the husband. They decided to resist.
An information picket was held outside the local rent office and we also went door-to-door in Dolphin House, where there are 400 flats, asking people to help. On the morning of the eviction we went around with a megaphone asking the locals to stand with the Williams family. By the time the sheriff, his bailiffs and the cops turned up we had 400 locals blocking the landing, stairwell and courtyard. It was amazing.
Budapest: FISH exhibition project
Hello good afternoon.
Last weeks, in Budapest, a group of people has established a community to organize the exhibition called FISH. This exhibition is going to take place in many cities and villages all over the world in the same time. We have already got in contact with squats and art communities in Scotland, Greek, Germany, Spain, Poland, Denmark, Slovakia and Italy.It is something like an underground movement. This exhibition is going to be organized everywhere from the energy of the local people. We would like to clearly disintegrate every destructive and nihilist elements. We do not like the consequences of the materialist capitalist world either. But instead of destroying we would like to create (sorry for being demagogue). [Read More]
Cape Town, South Africa: Western Cape communities uniting against lack of service delivery and housing
Khayelitsha, Cape Town, 17 September 2005 – Decent Housing For All – Now!
The mass rally to demand housing for all that kicked off on the 17 September revealed mainly two things: the amount of anger and frustration over present housing policies, and the need to seriously start planning a concrete way forward.
Around 1 000 people from townships and squatter camps from around Cape Town came to the Oliver Tambo Hall in Khayelitsha to discuss the local elections, the problems they face in their communities, and to adopt a way forward. The Anti-Eviction Campaign from several communities where there, as were the Anti-Privatisation Forum, the Treatment Action Campaign, the Vrygrond Action Committee and many others. [Read More]
London: 56a Infoshop Gentrification Exhibition
SANTIAGO, Chile + WALWORTH, London
A Photographic Exhibition held with the South London Social Centre 56a Infoshop. Now up and showing… all welcome…
Walworth in South London disappearing fast…
The process of erasure and closure is at work in both Santiago, Chile and Walworth in London (and everywhere else too it seems?) Decay, psychic anchors, historical ruins and the sense of community life in local space is demolished overnight. What buildings, grafitti, secrets, shops, dark alleys keep life in your neighbourhood bearable? [Read More]
Call for solidarity from Amsterdam / Holland
On Friday July 14th 2005, ten people had to appear in the court of Amsterdam. They were prosecuted because of their participation in actions against the eviction of six squats in Amsterdam. Eight of them were already locked up since the evictions on Tuesday May 31st. That day around 70 people gathered in front of the Rokin squat in the center of Amsterdam. They made barricades on the street, set them on fire and blocked all traffic for hours. When the riotpolice arrived people started to attack them with stones, bottles and paintbombs. The clash on the streets went on for an hour, the eviction for five hours.
Two of the ten people that had to appear in court, were declared innocent ; seven people were convicted for 6 weeks prison (exactly the time they had spend inside already, so they were released the next day) ; and one woman got sentenced for 5 months, so she still has to spend 3 ½ months in prison ! When arrested a molotov cocktail was found on her body. Though nobody threw a molotov and there is no film or photograph footage from the police, she is convicted of throwing a molotov cocktail. All the accusations are based on the article of “public violence from a organised group”, with variations in : walking between the barricades, throwing water on police officers, throwing with objects like speaker boxes, empty beer cans, bread, molotov cocktails, fruit, a red coffee cup, bricks and pillows. During the court case the judge and the officer of justice made some remarkable political statements, that are very uncommon in dutch court. They compared the situation with “city guerrilla” because there were actions in a organised way that crossed the boundaries of violence.
Cape Town, South Africa: No land! No house! No vote!
Cape Town, July 2005 – The Cape Town collective of Indymedia South Africa has made a ‘video newsletter’ about recent housing struggles in the city. This 35 minute production features footage of recent housing protests and interviews with community activists from Vrygrond, Delft, QQ section and Kwezi Park talking about housing issues and current issues. It is produced in order to give activists from elsewhere insight into the current struggles in Cape Town. [Read More]
Warsaw: Police attack on Fabryka squat
About 8pm, in front of our building appeared police patrol car. It’s not an extraordinary situation, so apart from informing my mates I didn’t care about it at all. After 20 minutes prisoner van came and the policemen started breaking into the building. They even didn’t try to talk to us. We usually don’t let police in, and they are aware of it. When we noticed what was going on we started informing our mates and press. We live on the first floor. [Read More]
Berlin: Yorckstrasse 59 evicted
07.06.2005
The project Yorckstrasse 59 in Berlin was evicted on June 6th 2005, at 4.30 in the morning. 60 people aged from 0 to 43, among them 11 children, lived in this former factory building and the Anti-racist Initiative (ARI), the radio Onda, the Latin American information service Poonal, and other groups had their office there. It was a space for many more emancipatory activities. The people from Yorckstrasse and many others in Berlin and elsewhere fought for the project that was founded 17 years ago, demanding a political solution instead of an eviction.
Many groups and people carried out solidarity events before and protests after the eviction, for instance in Uruguay, Poland and Austria.
On the morning of the eviction, about 250 activists sat in front of the entrance to the Yorckstr. 59 courtyard and building. The police removed the blockade with unnecessary violence. They dragged 150 people out of the house. In the evening after the eviction, there was a huge protest joined by about 2500 people or more. Another building was squatted but several hundred policemen fenced off the building.
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