It all started on Monday 24 February inside the grounds of Athens University of Economics, when an off duty cop in plain clothes got off his bike and began harassing an immigrant street vendor outside the front gate. The policeman was spotted by anarchist students due to his boots and his helmet that bore the police insignia and was immediately confronted. In his panic, he began running inside the university grounds and managed to trap himself in a dead end corridor, pulled a gun on students and with his finger on the trigger threatened to shoot them while pointing the gun at them for at least 5 minutes, while desperately calling his colleagues on the phone to come and rescue him. The students, not losing their cool, but at the same time not taking a step back demanded he puts the gun down and exits the university grounds. Few minutes later scores of riot policemen stormed the university and attacked students during school hours with flash bang grenades and asphyxiating gas creating chaos because of one imbecile cop that thought he was a cowboy. [Read More]
Athens: Cops inside the University of Economics. Vancouver squat symbolically reoccupied
Madrid: La Ingobernable, we are still in the heart of Madrid
For our friends.
For the ones who fight every day.
For those who are gone.
In this month of feminist revolt, of organized rage, of joy and of struggle, we, the neighbors of Madrid, make public the recovery of the building in Calle Alberto Bosch 4, as a new common and open space in the heart of Madrid. Now, in this week more than ever, we must remember the role that social centers have had, have and will have for the feminist movement, as a space for convergence, construction and self-organisation. The attack on social centers is undoubtedly a direct attack on feminism, which we are not prepared to tolerate.
In recent years we have witnessed a lamentable spectacle in which a few people share out the city, selling it to the highest bidder or handing it over to friends while others are thrown out of our neighbourhoods. Recently we learned that the building of La Ingobernable (Paseo del Prado 30) was once again being given, in the style of the PP, to a foundation directed by the former mayor Gallardón to build a museum instead of the so promised endowments for the neighborhood that the current mayor, Martínez-Almeida, was advocating during the electoral campaign. This story is very familiar to us because some years ago the also ex-mayor Botella already gave it, for 1 euro and at 75 years old, to a foundation friend of the PP. [Read More]
Porto (Portugal): Call for April of Action
APRIL OF ACTION Porto, Portugal 2020
International call for action
This call is born out of the refusal to conform and stand passively watching as States and Governments turn the world into an machine of oppression imposed by rulers that don’t even hide the disrespect they have towards whole populations.
We have been witnessing an escalation of events which demand that we re-think our posture in the world and the way we want to lead our lives and the future of the planet.
Low salaries, unreasonable rents, gentrification that purposely pushes the lower classes out of the cities, out of their local communities to give space to the rich, not only alienating them from their roots and history but also not providing alternative resources for a dignified life. A consequence of real estate speculation and only in benefit of the upper class and capitalist economic interests. The exploitation of resources like Shale Gas, and Lithium without respect for the will and well being of the citizens living nearby. Illegal toll systems. New constructions that destroy entire ecosystems, like the project of a new airport in Montijo, or fracking extraction platforms that pollute soil layers and contaminates water plaques (same contaminated water that goes into the houses of nearby citizens).
Human exploitation, the mass destruction of nature, the killing of indigenous peoples and their habitats, wars…
And the list goes on and on…
All this scenario of insecurity also gives space for neo-fascist political ideologies which are now trying to sneak softly into our lives with the promise of “saving the interests of the nations”
It’s necessary to say ‘’enough’’!!
It’s necessary to take control of our own lives and by our own hands.
We feel its urgent to create structures of collective organization, horizontal, self managed, anti-capitalist, sovereign, that will help us depend less on a State and more on each other, our neighbors, our communities.
We invite @ll for the creation of a squatted autonomous zone on an urban/rural area of Porto starting on the 1st of April. Created by and for @ll.
From the 19th to the 25th of April there will be an international “Gathering of The Struggles”. It will be a meeting point for activism, art and struggles with the theme: Sovereignty. Throughout this period there will be a series of practical actions taking place at the city center related with housing and gentrification issues. This escalation of actions will lead to a final, bigger action on the 25th of April (anniversary date of the Portuguese peaceful revolution that ended dictatorship in the country)
If you have any ideas or proposals for activities/ lectures/ workshops/ concerts/ exhibitions/ workshops/etc for this meeting or if you wish to be involved in the organization, get in touch.
Things to bring:
Tent/sleeping bag/blankets/knives, forks, plates, cups/candles/food donations/all kinds of materials/trust and self esteem.
The meeting on the 1st of April will be at (Jardim de S. Lazaro at 14 o’clock) from where we’ll go together to the place in question.
Follow the white rabbit … abrilaccao [at] protonmail [dot] ch
Rotterdam: Illegal eviction of Tweebosstraat 120
On the 26th of February, employees of Vestia came to the door of a squat on Tweebosstraat 120. They knocked at the door, introducing themselves as the police. Obviously the squatters didn’t believe them, and refused to open the door anyway. Vestia threatened them to call the police, so they gave them the following documents proving they were living here for more than a week. Those documents were stamped by the OM on the 19th of February to prove the authenticity of the date.
According to Dutch law, those documents mean that Vestia is supposed to do a court case against the squatters in order to get an eviction order. After 48 hours of occupancy it’s illegal to evict a squat without an order from a judge. [Read More]
London: Paddington Green police station squat evicted
The Paddington Green police station squat was evicted. The operation saw more than 60 bailiffs, private security and, of course, the cops themselves, storming the building just after 7am. The residents have managed to resist for long enough to secure the time needed to gather their belongings.
The notorious high-security cop shop, best known as a place where people suspected of terrorism were held and questioned, had been squatted since the night of 7th February. That’s when the Green Anticapitalist Front, alongside squatters and other activists, took the decomissioned and abondoned in 2018 building, intending to turn it to a community centre.
The next day, the cops, whose egos must have clearly been bruised, unsuccessfully attempted to evict the space. They claimed it is a residential building (and therefore illegal to squat) and, reportedly, that not allowing them to come in and use a toilet is a breach of their human rights. [Read More]
Rotterdam: Tweebosbuurt callout for solidarity
For the freedom to occupy abandoned places, an eviction, 10 occupations!
In a few days from now, next Wednesday March 4th, 6 squats (3 of which officially and the rest very likely) are facing eviction, 6 homes people have been transforming and living in for months, whilst also fighting against the demolition and gentrification of the neighborhood. 6 houses whose residents will be thrown out onto the street with all their possessions by the police. The date of 4 March is decisive, both for the future of these homes and for the continuation of the battle here in Tweebosbuurt. We are therefore launching a call out to come and support us and to be present in solidarity during the evictions. [Read More]
Dublin: New social centre
Ashes to Ashes, Crust to Crust – A revival in the Dublin squatter scene
So here we are, in our very own, “Her Lady Margaret Thatcher Memorial Library,” drinking a can and celebrating that the cunt’s still dead.
We’re writing this article as we are happy to finally announce ‘Sandwitch Gaff’ to the world! (squat.net). After resisting an illegal eviction attempt when a digger came crashing through our walls in the early hours of the morning we have decided to come out from underground and tell others that Sandwitch Gaff is here to stay.
If your familiar with the Dublin squatting scene and you liked Grangegorman or the Barricade Inn then you’ll hate us! We’ve got a warehouse full of trampolines, tall bikes, zip lines, a whole bunch of dogs, our own bar and a bunch of other mad shit. We’ve had a few events; cabaret, ceilí, scum dine with me, comedy nights, and were ready and open to host more. If you’re a cool band or traveling weirdo looking for a venue for whatever you do, send us an email and keep your eyes out for upcoming events posted on radar.squat.net. (hippies and oogles need not apply.)
Brexit got you down? Don’t move to Berlin! We’re calling for all talented immigrant squatters to come here and help internationalise this scene. Give us a shout if you’re travelers passing through or locals that wanna get involved.
Our kru email is antifaffhooligans [at] riseup [dot] net
Sandwitch https://squ.at/r/7rz7
Rotterdam: Squatted house evicted within a day. Nocturnal dialogue with Vestia
Police and Vestia think they can do anything with impunity again!
The police evicted a squat in the Tweebosstraat in Rotterdam-Zuid on Wednesday evening. Squatters had entrenched themselves on the balcony and the roof. Four arrests were made. A group of squatters entered the empty building earlier in the day. The police were present with many officers to remove the group. The houses in the Tweebosstraat are on the nomination to be demolished. Earlier, there were also houses squatted for a short period of time in the neighbourhood to protest against the current vacancy.
The Hague: A nocturnal dialogue with Vestia.
In the night of February 25th a nightly visit was made to the Vestia office at the Loevesteinlaan in The Hague. Several windows were smashed and paint bombs were thrown on the building. Vestia is a mafia embraced by the state. The housing corporation is well known for its malpractices and its total disregard for tenants. After the 2008 crisis, the company continued to cheerfully raise rents, sell out social housing and postpone crucial maintenance of social housing. People were struggling with leakage, moisture and mold problems, and Vestia didn’t seem to care.
Now Vestia is once again demolishing more than 500 social housing units in the Tweebosbuurt in Rotterdam. The corporation will only rebuild 130 social housing units, the rest will be business premises and owner-occupied houses. Vestia’s project in the Tweebosbuurt is one of brutal gentrification. [Read More]
London: Living in the cracks. How housing has fallen into crisis
The causes of the housing crisis are, in a nutshell, the unchecked power of landlords, the 40-year attack on social housing and stagnant wages. The consequences are people sleeping in tents and doorways and under bridges, children in A&E with constant chest infections, poverty, debt, mental distress, and endless moving.
One of the major causes of the housing crisis is the undermining and running down of social housing. Since the introduction of Right to Buy in 1980, 1.5 million council houses have been sold, 40% of which are now rented out by private landlords. Alongside Right to Buy there has been a campaign of slurs by media and politicians against people in social housing, with other people encouraged to despise or resent them for the high rent other tenants pay.
As well as Right to Buy, many councils are knocking down large estates and redeveloping the land as high-density private housing, often purchased as an investment not a home. Tenants are usually rehoused locally but there is a loss of social housing in the area which increases the length of the waiting list. On many council bidding pages now the number of flats on offer is in the single figures, while 1.1 million households are on waiting lists. [Read More]
London: New week of action venue. Welcome to GRASS!
While Green London is still holding strong in the former Paddington Green Police Station, we felt it was unfair to bring members of the public into a situation where they could be exposed to the aggressive and threatening behaviour of the police and bailiffs. We have therefore, while continuing our occupation of Green London, decided to open a new social space for our week of action: the Green Revolutionary Anticapitalist Social Space. GRASS!
GRASS is located in the former George Pub near Holloway Road tube station. It is a warm and welcoming building which we are very happy to be using, and look forward to welcoming you in.
Our new address is 9 Eden Grove, Islington N7 8EE. Just a stone’s throw from Holloway Station!
We will be opening this Tuesday. Our openings hours will be 12.00-10.00 each day for the week of action. We have a full programme planned so check it out. [Read More]
Groningen: Solidarity with 10 squatters
Call for solidarity with the 10 people who were arrested during the eviction of the Heykens-building in the Akerkstraat in Groningen in October 2019. They all are convicted for article 138a.
The judge agreed with the demand of the prosecutor and all have to pay a fine of 300 euro. With legal costs of 150 euro per person op top of that, this amounts to high costs and they could use some support.
Please donate if you can
Solidariteitsfonds Het Zwarte Gat, NL41 TRIO 0391 0365 64, and mention “heykenspand”
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Berlin: Reflection of the occupation of the Greek consulate in December 2019
We entered the building at 11 a.m. with 17 people and calmly asked the staff to stop working for the day. The aim was to disturb the smooth running of the procedure, but without causing further damage. The consulate is located on the 4th floor of an apartment building in Möhrenstraße 17 in Berlin-Mitte. As soon as we entered the rooms, we covered the cameras, explained our reason of the occupation to the staff, hung a banner with the words “Solidarity with the Squats” out of the window and threw out flyers. We made no demands whatsoever, but took the room to spread our ideas and show our solidarity.
The supporters down the street distributed flyers and our statement to the pedestrians. As soon as the rooms were occupied, we sent our text to all ministries in Greece via fax and e-mail and also to some of the mass-media, because we discussed beforehand if we want to use the media to propagate our action and decided to send the text to some of them. [Read More]
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