Today, Sunday, September 18th, We Are Here (Wij Zijn Hier) squatted two buildings on Burgemeester Röellstraat 70 (for women) and Rijswijkstraat 2 (for men). We squatted these buildings cracked because the Vluchtgemeente squat, where many of us stay, will be evicted on Monday.
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Amsterdam: We Are Here squat two new places
The Hague: Mayor wants to close Autonomous Center
Last week, the Autonomous Center (AC) in The Hague received a letter from the mayor demanding that we close the property at Harstenhoekweg 4, where a social center has been established since February. The warrant was served because a so-called ‘illegal cafe’ is being operated in the building. The AC was already in discussion with the municipality to find a solution for the so-called ‘illegal situation’ but the mayor doesn’t want to wait for this.
The mayor has given an order that the building can be closed from 12:00 on September 22. The AC collective is looking into its legal options to avoid closure of the social center. All activities have been temporarily suspended until the situation is more certain. It should be clear that we are not giving up and that we are, together with our lawyers, looking into the steps that we can take against the mayor’s decision
The order to shut down is the latest step that Hague mayor Jozias van Aartsen has taken in a series of repressive measures against anarchists and autonomous spaces. Several Hague anarchists wrote a text about these measures: ‘The area ban against anarchists in a broader context of repression in The Hague‘. It is clear that the current situation is not an isolated incident but part of a bigger picture. The mayor is trying yet again to close places where space is made for extra-parliamentary politics. Keep an eye on the Autonoom Centrum website for updates. [Read More]
Warsaw: Judge accepted bail release. Collecting funds NOW!
Today, 14th September, during a court sitting concerning the complaint for prolonging the arrest of the 3 anarchists, a decision was made to release them on bail. A fee of 20 thousand PLN (4600 euro) was set for each of them. If the money is transferred in a week’s time (7 days from today), the arrested will be released and kept under police surveillance instead.
[Read More]
Warsaw, Poland: Free the Anarchists Three, Fanzine
About the three anarchists arrested in Warsaw:
On the night of May 23rd, the police in Warsaw arrested three anarchists on charges of an alleged arson attempt of a police vehicle. The three were transferred to a remand prison where they are to be held in custody for three months, awaiting trial. They face up to 8 years in prison.
Download the fanzine.
Agrinio (Greece): Solidarity with the struggle against slavery in US prisons
[Agrinio, Western Greece] Apertus squat: Solidarity with the struggle against slavery in US prisons
The US prison operation relies heavily on the work of the prisoners themselves, while many prisons have now been privatized. Also, prison labor is being exploited by multinational companies (Honda, McDonald’s, Victoria’s Secret, Starbucks, etc.). Payment that prisoner-workers receive for their labor varies from minimal to nonexistent. Furthermore, surveillance, inhumane conditions of detention, discipline, various methods of torture, etc., are traditionally the first choices for the smooth operation of these prisons.
Finland: Kumma, new squat in helsinki
Squat Kumma is a squatted house in Malminkartano, Helsinki.
Week program: Wednesday 7.9: Coffee and hanging out at 17.00 and at 19.00 we are going to watch documentaries, also some squatting documentaries!
Thursday 8.9: House renovating and coffee. You can bring your surplus: furniture, dishes, kettles, chairs, bikes etc!
Contact info: Address: Piianpolku 7, the white house in Piianpuisto.
House phone: 046 954 6154
You can call if you are coming when there’s no scheduled stuff going on, if you want to organize something etc. (Please notice quiet hours 23-09)
There are safer space rules in the house – let’s respect everyone’s private space. Sexism, racism, transphobia, homophobia or othe discriminating behavior won’t be accepted. [Read More]
Koper (Slovenia): In Anticipation of an Indean Summer…
While most of us turned our brains off and connected ourselves to solar charging, the second issue of the community Inde’s newspaper Počasnik was very quietly released into the world. It outed in mid-August, and you can grab your copy at the premises of The Creative Platform Inde, as well as around town … at different places – in libraries, at faculties and other educational houses, and if you ask nicely, maybe even your neighbour can lend it to you…
In it you can find a range of articles that were written by co-workers and colleagues of our newsroom. The topics discussed in Počasnik# 2 are among others: a presentation of the (Istrian) game pandolo, a biography of the life of the coastal skater community, reflection on the events from the time of the defence of the autonomous space Rog Factory, an interview with Mladen Jovičič from the Union of Crane Operators in Luka Koper, an illumination of what is hapenening with the Trieste’s polluting giant Ferriera, a presentation of the practice of urban gardening, a column, which is not that, and much more …
The media platform Inde is slowly getting its shape. Contractions before the birth of the second baby were at times jerky and painful, but we heard that this is always the case. Because things that are too easy, do not settle in the heart. We hope we have weighed well the weight of our words; when we haven’t, let’s not forget – we are all learning. [Read More]
Notre-Dame-des-Landes (France): Defend the ZAD – a call for international solidarity
–> October 8th-9th, 2016
For over 50 years, farmers and locals have resisted the building of a new airport for the French city of Nantes (which by the way already has one). Now in these rich fields, forests and wetlands, which multinational Vinci want to cover in concrete, an experiment in reinventing everyday life in struggle is blossoming. Radicals from around the world, local farmers and villagers, citizen groups, trade unionists and naturalists, refugees and runaways, squatters and climate justice activists and many others, are organising to protect the 4000 acres of land against the airport and its world. Government officials have coined this place “a territory lost to the republic”. Its occupants have named it: la ZAD (Zone À Défendre), zone to defend. [Read More]
Slovenia: Autonomous spaces will be defended
During the night between 27th and 28th of August 2016 another one of a series of attacks organized by neo-Nazi groups took place in the autonomous area of Metelkova City in Ljubljana. The Nazis attacked by throwing bottles, pyrotechnics, stones, and shouting fascist slogans which resulted in a few people being hurt, one of them seriously. The police came to the scene and sadly even tried to treat the hurt people as criminals. We stand in solidarity with all the injured and join them in a clearly handed down: “They shall not pass!”
The antimigration discourses that have recently escalated through sensational reporting of the profit-oriented media apparatus, and which are constantly also the agenda of political elites to achieve their populist goals, are creating fertile ground for seemingly isolated and sporadic attacks on autonomous spaces. From our analysis and experience from the field we understand that states as institutions through their antimigration policies, systematic discrimination and racism do not allow to breathe neither to the autonomous spaces nor to people seeking refuge. So it is obvious that we cannot place our trust and hope in these and similar formations. We are aware that in order to fight the ideologies of exclusion the responsability rests in all community members, always and everywhere. [Read More]
Athens: Announcement of Squat Notara 26 about the attack of August 24th
On Wednesday August 24th at 3:45 a.m. the Housing Squat for Refugees and Migrants Notara 26 received an incendiary attack. The acting method of the arsonists we consider to be a clear murderous act, organised with the goal to cause – apart from the serious material damage – also loss of human lives. The timing of this cowardly act was chosen during August, when as the arsonists believed the reflexes of the solidarity movement would be sluggish. In vain though…
After the attack with molotov and gas-bottle bombs the safeguard of the refugees and the assistance of the solidarity acted immediately, using the fire extinguishers of the squat. The over 130 lives that where seriously endangered where saved solely by the immediate reaction of the total of the residents, of the solidarity and the neighbours of the squat, as well as with the participation of the fire department – although it derogatively characterised the Notara 26 squat as a storage in its press release, implying that no people where resident at the location.
This particular event is one link in the long chain of attacks against the migrant squats, refugees, as well as the free social spaces, which consists of a cooperation of state and parastate – where the first acts using the law (Orphanage, Nikis squat, Hurriya) and the second with the usual mafia practices (Vancouver, Avtonomo Steki, Zaimi, Analipsi, Kaniggos) – targeting the solidarity movement. [Read More]
Dublin: Huge Grangegorman squat complex evicted for second time
The massive complex of squatted buildings at Grangegorman was evicted for a second time in early August, this time its likely to be permanent at the plan is to build a huge number of expensive to rent student apartments on the site.
The eviction was anticipated and a lot of material was moved over the days around August 11th when ‘heavies’ broke through the gates but were told to back off and allow time for material to be moved out when the Garda arrived. The squatters were quietly moving to another large abandoned building nearby that had been squatted recently, the Debtors Prison on Halston street. Central Dublin is full of such abandoned buildings despite the worst housing crisis in the history of the state. Welcome to Ireland 2016 where protecting the rights of vulture funds to make millions come far, far ahead of needs of those without secure accommodation.
Parts of the Grangegorman site had been abandoned for 20 years as they were assembled into a speculative land package. The total site included 3 very large warehouses, 3 houses and 2 office buildings and a shop as well as one enormous central courtyard and a number of smaller ones. With the 2009 crisis the original developer ended up in NAMA who evicted the site a little over a year ago and then sold it to more property speculators, details below. This new group then abandoned the site so was occupied once more a few months ago and has provided housing to up to 30 people since then as well as being the site of art performances and solidarity fundraisers. [Read More]
Narrm / Melbourne (Australia): Attempt to evict homeless family successfully resisted
August 2nd, 2016: For the second time in as many days victoria police have attempted to illegally enter the home of a formally homeless family now residing in one of over a dozen formally empty state government owned houses acquired for the East-West link.
Twice police arrived unannounced at the home, applying physical force to the door, drilling the door lock and threatening to release “dogs and gas” into the family’s home. Neighbors, passers by and supporters surrounded police, forcing them to back down. [Read More]