London: The Met shows its true nature…yet again

By: fawda - June 26th, 2023  Filed under: News

The Metropolitan Police deployed its riot cops recently in a disturbing show of force. A group of homeless people calling themselves the Autonomous Winter Shelter (AWS) occupied the disused Sisters of Mercy convent in Shadwell, Tower Hamlets, London in November 2022.

The owner sent a complaint to the Met in December. They subsequently carried out an investigation. In April 2023 they sent a letter to the squatters requesting that they leave the building.

They then visited the site on many occasions but were denied entry. Forty people were living at the ex-convent.

On June 1st they showed up in force with a large number of cops in riot gear. 29 people were dragged out of the building, with no time to collect their belongings, whilst others fled when they saw the riot cops. A crowd which gathered in support were threatened with raised batons by the riot thugs. [Read More]

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London: Violent eviction of Autonomous Winter Shelter

By: fawda - June 10th, 2023  Filed under: Communique, News

Statement from the Autonomous Winter Shelter crew:

Following the violent eviction on 1st June 2023 by the Metropolitan Police, the Autonomous Winter Shelter collective, based in Shadwell, is taking a break from its public-facing activities after an incredibly busy seven months. We are all dealing with the consequences of this eviction differently, and some of us need time to recover both physically and mentally.

We are enormously grateful to everyone who was also a part of the project, supporting and defending it. There will be new, unseen opportunities to continue our work, and at the very least, to support people close to us, who we’ve met along the way. Everybody evicted has already been rehoused or found alternative accommodation. We need to keep showing up for each other when faced with the devastating consequences of inequality and injustice. As long as buildings lie empty and people require shelter, the need for all of us to take autonomy over our living situation will remain. [Read More]

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London: The Autonomous Cafe & Bookshop returns

By: sisulscz - December 16th, 2022  Filed under: Communique

The Autonomous Cafe & Bookshop is re-opening this Wednesday [Dec 14] at 88 Hardinge Street, Shadwell. It will continue to provide liberated coffee and food on a pay-what-you-can basis, and serve as a warm bank for the increasing numbers of people unable to access heating. Doors will open from 2pm, and there will be an open mic from 6pm onward, with all funds raised shared among those working at the cafe, and used to contribute to the project.

“People are fucking dying. In times of crisis, environmental, economic or otherwise, there’s a choice to be made. We reject the servile passivity which brought us to this point. We hope you’ll join us in doing the same, in expressing your own solidarity and resilience.
[Read More]

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London: autonomous bookshop & cafe to open on Westminster Bridge Road

By: fawda - November 9th, 2022  Filed under: News

[update: court case Autonomous Cafe & Bookshop on november 25th]

Winter is coming, and that means the autonomous shelter season is upon us once again. Last year a St. Mungo’s hostel in Gray’s Inn Road was occupied from December to April, before exploding into a small network of interlinked shelters across Central and East London. The Autonomous Shelters Network is already back in action in solidarity with the houseless community at an undisclosed number of locations across the city.

This Wednesday will see the opening of the Autonomous Cafe & Bookshop in a former ‘necropolis station’ at 121 Westminster Bridge Road as part of the Autonomous Winter Shelter Network. It will be serving liberated coffee for pay-what-you-can from 2pm, with an open mike from 6 till 8pm. All money raised will be profitshared amongst people working in the cafe, or donated to helping finance the project. [Read More]

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London: “Fuck the bosses:” evictions exceeded by new occupations by Autonomous Shelter Network

By: fawda - April 15th, 2022  Filed under: Communique, News

The eviction of the winter shelter on Gray’s Inn Road on April 7th and 2 other longer-lasting squats in London have lead to approximately 5 more locations being opened and brought back into use by houseless and precarious persons to provide food, clothes and shelter within our community. The disused buildings were occupied and activated by mixed collectives of former rough sleepers, anarchists from the NFA Queer Punx, Amsterdam-based Anarcha-Feminist Group, and members of Resist Anti-Trespass.

The buildings form part of the Autonomous Shelter Network – a mutual aid, mutual respect association dedicated to direct housing and the provision of food and necessities. It is an affiliation of non-hierarchical, horizontally organised groups that are self-organised by community members without the state, business or charities. The locations and exact number of residences has not been disclosed to protect the residents privacy. The shelters are self-organised by residents who determine set and organisational style amongst themselves, with one shelter’s motto being “fuck the bosses”. [Read More]

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London: “Don’t worry, we’re autonomous”. Winter shelter evicted

By: fawda - April 7th, 2022  Filed under: Communique, News

Around 30 people have been evicted from an autonomously organised shelter in North London. At 9am on Thursday 7th April agents of the National Eviction Team and notorious eviction magnate Andrew Marsh, smashed their way through barricades to enforce a High Court writ despite repeated attempts by the occupiers to enter into dialogue with the property’s owners, OneHousing, to negotiate a peaceful and orderly handover.

The former St. Mungo’s hostel on Grey’s Inn Road has housed a community of vulnerable adults since it was squatted in December last year, including a woman six months pregnant with twins and many people who the care system has categorically failed to support through the winter. The eviction comes only days after the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol for London was activated, with freezing temperatures predicted for later in the week. There are no planning permission requests logged with Camden council for the property, and it will now most likely remain empty until its inevitable conversion into unaffordable housing. [Read More]

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London: Autonomous Winter Shelter evicted

By: sisulscz - April 7th, 2022  Filed under: Announcement

The Autonomous Winter Shelter [previously on S!N] was evicted April 7.

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London: Update from Autonomous Winter Shelter

By: sisulscz - December 20th, 2021  Filed under: News

Good morning everyone, I hope you’re all well. 115 Grays Inn road (an old stmungos hostel, now taken over by one housing and the Riverside group) has been taken over by a group of people looking out for others safety and well-being, in protest to the housing crisis and opened it to the homeless. We have loads of rooms that need furnishing, as well as kitchen equipment of all sorts. Can anyone help please by dropping down any donations? If any groups want to send your guests here for a shower and a bite to eat, a clean change of clothes, then please feel free as that’s why we’re here. Operating on a first come first served basis to keep it fair to all from 10pm to 10am. If no rooms are available, there will ALWAYS be food and a hot drink,clothes and bedding. Thank you any help would be fantastic and greatly appreciated. The work we do is only possible with YOUR help and assistance.

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London: Autonomous Winter Shelter opened in former St. Mungo’s hostel

By: xxx - December 13th, 2021  Filed under: News

Freedom has received the following communique:

There were over 2688 people recorded to be sleeping rough in London on any one night in 2020.

The temperature at night will be cold enough to cause hypothermia for 23 days this month. That’s 23 days where there’s a real possibility that someone sleeping on the street may not wake up.

It doesn’t have to be like this. [Read More]

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