London: Euston We Have A Problem – Where Are The Political Voices?

By: sisulscz - February 23rd, 2021  Filed under: Communique

As we face the climate emergency, one of the most disappointing aspects of the last 3 weeks at Euston Square Gardens has been the wall of silence from MPs and Peers, save the very few (thank you Caroline Lucas, Zarah Sultana and Baroness Jenny Jones) who have spoken up in support of the protesters and their aims. We know many more are opposed to HS2, for environmental, finance and governance reasons, but where have they been?

On the converse, we haven’t been short of those speaking out against the protesters.

Public school educated investment banker and now MP for Sutton Coldfield, Andrew Mitchell commented to the Sun Newspaper[1] that Dan / Swampy was being ‘reckless & irresponsible’ to take his 16-year-old son into the tunnels. This seems highly hypocritical, coming from an MP who’s voting record shows he has consistently voted to send British teenagers to fight in wars overseas, and for profits over measures to save the planet,
[Read More]

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London: Latest update from tunnels at Euston Square Gardens

By: sisulscz - February 23rd, 2021  Filed under: Communique

Yesterday, Monday 22 Feb, Larch voluntarily left the tunnels under Euston Square Gardens after 27 days underground!! [Previously on S!N] The tunnels resisting the construction of HS2 have been occupied for almost a month now but strangely (and coincidentally) HS2 only got a possession order yesterday. There are still four people underground and they need our total support! Coverage has been a bit shit and mainly fbook based, perhaps because of mixed feelings about XR, perhaps because UK altmedia sucks nowadays (RiP indymedia).

Like the previous tunnellers who left voluntarily, Larch was arrested and taken to hospital for a checkup. He had court today at Highbury Corner Magistrates and was charged with criminal damage and two counts of obstructing / disrupting a person engaged in lawful activity. He also had other Hs2-related charges added but seemingly nothing related to the injunction on Euston Square. He was bailed and curfewed to an address in London. The trial is set for the same court, 14 July, see you there!

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Villeurbanne: trial of the Ile égalité squat, call for support

By: fawda - February 23rd, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

Friday 26 february 2021, gathering and breakfast at 8:30 in front of the court house in Villeurbanne.

The île égalité squat, a place for housing and solidarity of the Collectif Solidarités Cusset, is in danger. After 3 months of existence, renovation, activities and meetings, the survival of the place is threatened by a court decision. Call for support!

After a first postponement, our trial will take place on Friday, February 26th following the lawsuit filed by the Richard Foundation, owner of the building, which demands the immediate eviction of the inhabitants. In a period of extreme cold and in the midst of a health crisis, the Richard Foundation is going so far as to ask that they be deprived of the protection guaranteed by the winter truce!

Since the first confinement, a neighborhood group of residents of Cusset decided to organize themselves collectively to deal with the health and social situation in order to offer concrete solidarity with the most vulnerable: students, the unemployed, undocumented workers, workers, large families, retirees, etc. For four months, they made their contribution in the face of the food and health emergency. They set up distributions of food and hygiene products in the form of a free market, with the support of several city organizations. [Read More]

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Philadelphia (USA): Squatting, Rebellion, Movement… An Interview with Philadelphia Housing Action

By: xxx - February 21st, 2021  Filed under: Audio, Interviews, News

Podcast to download here (mp3).

On this episode of the It’s Going Down podcast, we speak with two members of Philadelphia Housing Action, about the ups and downs of 2020 that has been outlined in the recent piece, Occupy, Takeover: How Philadelphia Housing Action Turned Vacant Buildings Into Homes. It details how throughout 2020, members of the group moved unsheltered individuals and families into livable, unused homes owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. [Read More]

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Montreuil: Graffitis in solidarity to the endangered occupations

By: fawda - February 20th, 2021  Filed under: News

From the 15th to the 18th of february, we carried out a tagging offensive on the walls of Montreuil! Hoping that these walls will carry for a long time to come our solidarity with the threatened places, the ZAD du Carnet, our friends in Toulouse and Rigaerstrasse 94 in Berlin.

Love, courage and support to the ZAD du Carnet, to the friends of Toulouse, to Rigaerstrasse 94 and to all the projects and houses threatened with eviction.
Long live the squats, for anarchy. [Read More]

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Berlin: Rigaer94 – A thunderstorm is coming

By: fawda - February 17th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

As already explained in our last text from Friday (1), we expect from now on a bigger operation against our house. The initially ridiculous fire safety issue has led to developments that put the continued existence of Rigaer94 as a (partially) occupied space in the highest danger. We would like to explain what happened legally, what we expect concretely and what we can do now to defend this place and the idea behind it.

New judgment regarding the legal representation and the house management

During the last attack on our house in the summer of 2020, the duo of Luschnat and Bernau gathered extensive information about the house. Despite court orders in force at the time, which had unanimously declared their powers of representation for Lafone Ltd. invalid, the police task force had given the two access to large parts of the house. Pretext of the whole action were search warrants for two dwellings because of alleged social fraud and the search for a laser pointer. Luschnat and Bernau, who were involved in the operation, used the information they had obtained to compile a list of alleged fire safety deficiencies. Police also documented the house with this in mind. [Read More]

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Berlin: Køpi Wagenplatz – Legal proceeding of eviction have started

By: fawda - February 15th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

It is almost our 31st birthday and we would love to celebrate with all of you but instead we have difficult news to share: Køpi Wagenplatz has received a legal document starting the eviction process from the current owner Startezia GmbH.
Startezia`s letter demands they will take vacant possession of Køpi Wagenplatz by the end of February 2021. After this date the owner will continue legal proceedings for eviction.
Obviously this news hits us hard but this is just the beginning of a long fight. We will update you regularly and we count on international solidarity.

Come to the Wagenplatz demonstration and support our fight against displacement and for self-determined housing! On the 20th of February at 2pm sharp we will start from KØPI by bike and join the the truck convoy in Scheffelstrasse at 3pm.

Køpi bleibt Risikokapital! [Read More]

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France: Zad du Carnet, eviction risk confirmed

By: fawda - February 15th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

This morning, February 10th, we had the pleasure to be woken up by the bailiff accompanied by the cops. We were given the eviction order.

On February 4, the local elected officials and the harbour manager gave formal notice to the prefecture to demand the eviction of the ZAD du Carnet, during a hearing in summary proceedings at the administrative court of Nantes. We expect to learn the court’s decision any day.

After 5 months of pressure from the cops, the fascists, the mayors who are waiting for their checks, and the media smearing us, this time they think they can finally subdue us.
We have strong reason to believe that the decision will be to our disadvantage and will order our eviction. We expect the cops taking action within the next few days. So we need moral, human and material support!

Let’s not wait for their deliberation to organize ourselves! If you want to defend the ZAD du Carnet: it’s now or never! [Read More]

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Berlin: Rigaer94 calls for international solidarity – destruction of our space expected

By: fawda - February 15th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

After the eviction of the anarcha-queer-feminist house project Liebig34 on 9th of october 2020, the offensive of state and capital against self-organized structures in the northern area of Friedrichshain and other parts of the city did not cease. The Liebig34 is since then under the control of the owner and the presence of his gang had also an affect on the local life. The so called Dorfplatz (“village square”) lying directly in front of the house was during the last months less used by residents and visitors as a common space and saw some minor confrontations with the invaders. With having taken one of the strategic points in the area and in the same time removing a political obstacle, state and capital could focus on the Rigaer94, which lies just some meters away from the Dorfplatz and has been a constant topic in the medias over the last year.

A few days ago, cops and diggers destroyed a settlement of homeless people in Rummels Bay, a few kilometers from us. The pretext here was the extreme frost, in reality it is also there to serve the profit of investors. Also expected in the next few weeks is the eviction of the Potse Youth Center – the city is in the process of removing any rebellious site. [Read More]

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London: Harvil Road Protection Camp eviction alert

By: sisulscz - February 13th, 2021  Filed under: Communique

Urgent update: Harvil Road Protection Camp, Colne valley, Greater London (StopHS2) being evicted now. [13 Feb 11:00] As the anti-HS2 protestors dig in for a 17th night in tunnels Euston, central London… 25 miles west, Harvil Road protection camp in the Colne valley, Greater London is under siege. Harvil road where the on ground opposition to HS2 all began 3.5 years ago, for long the only outpost of resistance to HS2, might breath its last breath tonight.
The National Eviction Team arrived en masse at midnight threatening arrests if protestors high up in the trees in hammocks did not immediately get down. Protestors at the protection camp have said the NET’s forceful and aggressive arrival in the dead of night has put the physical safety of the protestors in jeapordy. Some have been forcefully removed and thrown into the freezing subzero night, others have had police chase them through fields for over a mile.
The camp, once situated in a green and verdant landscape is now surrounded by mile after mile of building site and endless floodlights at night. Protestors currently on the ground at the camp are expecting much more to come especially in the early hours of the morning and have put a call out for support.

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Brussels: Update from the Solidarity Requisition Campaign

By: fawda - February 12th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

On December 18, 2020, L’Hospitalière was open! Since then, the Solidarity Requisition Campaign continues! Here the news from the different buildings.

L’Hospitalière:
A precarious occupancy agreement has been signed: 80 places of decent housing have been opened, in a building that was otherwise doomed to remain unoccupied. This occupation will also allow the collectives to organize their struggles for the regularization of undocumented migrants and for dignity!

Citydev building:
Negotiations are underway, we hope to be able to conclude a one-year agreement (at least until the end of March 2022). About 30 people are already living in the building. We are waiting for the heating to be turned on again and for the fire department to visit us so that we can complete the move of the Jette occupancy. In all, 200 people will be able to live there. [Read More]

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Toulouse: call-out for solidarity with the squat on Fronton Avenue

By: fawda - February 11th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

In September, an unoccupied house in Toulouse‘s Minimes district is squatted and, following legal proceedings, the occupants benefit from the winter truce (recently extended from March 31 to June 1 as part of the health crisis). These two months of extension alone trigger an update of the anti-squat media and political wave of recent months.

On February 7, the newspaper La Dépêche, published a miserable article on the “so-called” situation of Roland, a former employee of the same newspaper… The affair invaded social networks and media in the days that followed, leading to the massive presence of journalists, always there to defend the owners, possessors and other dominants.

Each time, it’s the same rhetoric, the same bogus story: old people who would be put out on the street by squatters. For them, the fable is attractive: it is the landlords who would be in misery and it is the squatters who would be at the origin of the evils of old age. Behind this fable, which plays on pathos, are clear objectives: to support the intensification of repression against squats by promoting new laws reinforcing the rights of landlords (ASAP law and other proposals to parliament). But no one is fooled: if some elderly people cannot afford the EPHAD (housing establishments for dependent elderly people) and others occupy empty houses, it is because the states and capitalism organize and maintain the misery of billions of people, elderly or not. [Read More]

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