Comrades from the Kasa Invisível squat in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, are now touring all around Europe to present the book Casa Encantada, the Enchanted House, “A Portrait of the Fight for Housing in Belo Horizonte Going Through the Pandemic”. The book brings together illustrations by Renato Baruq and photographs by Cadu Passos. During 2022 and 2023, two Brazilian artists and organizers documents almost 20 old abandoned houses in the central region of Belo Horizonte that became living social and cultural spaces for people in vulnerable situations during the pandemic. The work is accompanied by interviews conducted between 2022 and 2023, which tell the story of these properties and their inhabitants in their own voices. [Read More]
Belo Horizonte: european tour for the book Casa Encantada
Belo Horizonte (Brazil): “Casa Encantada” book project
Hello comrades! We, from the Kasa Invisível squat in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, wish everyone a happy new year of struggle, solidarity, and revolutionary construction.
We’re writing to friends and accomplices from various parts of the globe, those we’ve met on the road, corresponded with, who we’ve visited, or whom visited us at our squat, to announce the campaign we are organizing on the FireFund platform to launch the book “Casa Encantada” (Enchanted House). The book documents 20 autonomous occupations in Belo Horizonte, most of which emerged during the pandemic. We hope through this campaign to be able to translate it into four languages and conduct a tour and launch in cities in Brazil and Europe in 2024 and debate the great differences and similarities of these two contexts of struggle for housing, and how to build solidarity. [Read More]
Brazil: New Houses for Solano Trindade I Novas
Support to build houses for families affected by COVID-19 pandemic!
In 2019, inhabitants of the Solano Trindade squat – located in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and organized by the National Movement for Housing Struggle (MNLM) – with technical assistance from research groups of Federal University of Rio de Janeiro began the renovation works on one of the existing buildings (abandoned for over 20 years). These renovation aimed at building 12 new houses for families living in precarious conditions in the region.
The project foresaw sustainable construction techniques, such as the ecological bricks (BTC) and a sanitation system based on Evapotranspiration Basins, which promote not only other ways of thinking about the relationship between social housing and the environment, but also provide a training and education process for dwellers, students and technicians involved.
This construction was possible from the budget of a Parliamentary Amendment (by federal deputy Chico Alencar, approved in 2017 for the project: “Education and the City: The collective construction of a popular neighborhood” to be implemented by UFRJ through the José Bonifácio University Foundation) and the objective was that they could be completed in 2020.
[Read More]
Belo Horizonte: Kasa Invisível, Solidarity, Direct Action, and Self-Determination
An Occupied Social Center Becomes a Hub of Mutual Aid in Belo Horizonte, Brazi.
Through interviews with the founders and participants, we explore how an occupied social center and housing collective in Brazil has continued to function as a hub for mutual aid through the pandemic. This is the third installment in a series exploring mutual aid projects around the world in the era of covid-19.
The Zapatistas have said the best solidarity anyone can offer is to start their own social centers, projects, movements, and revolutions wherever they are based. In Belo Horizonte, the capital city of the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil, a collective called Kasa Invisível (Portuguese for “Invisible House”) has heeded that proposal, and hopes to inspire you to do the same.
The three formerly abandoned houses now occupied by this autonomous, anti-capitalist collective serve as a home for people in need, a social and cultural center for the community, and a meeting and organizing space for anti-authoritarian resistance and mutual aid. While there are hundreds of building and land occupations in Minas Gerais alone, Kasa is one of only a few squats in the region that explicitly exist to support struggles against the state and capitalism. [Read More]
Belo Horizonte (Brazil): For Squat Kasa Invisível, keep your support, we’re almost there!
First of all, we want to thank every one, every collective, union, and groups supporting us! We already reached almost 2,000 dolars to fix the entire roof of our squat. Keep sharing the message to those which are in a position to help us keep our work and our house! Stay safe and healthy!
Video Campaign:
Porto Alegre: Okupa Pandemia is born!
In times of global pandemic with a virus spreading around, an outbreak of resistance appears in the extreme south of Porto Alegre: the Okupa Pandemia. We have been occupying a snack bar, abandoned since 2007 (as far as we know), on the shores of the Guaíba, in the Lami neighborhood.
Moved by the immediate need for housing and the desire to confront the system that increasingly intensifies its control and repression in a subtle way, we decided to make the move even with few people willing to live in the place… Aware of the difficulties that implies, we have counted on the support of a few people since the occupation, but who cannot be physically present all the time.
The arrival on the site (on sunday May 25th 2020) was calm, given the conditions of easy access and without obstacles. There were no gates, chains, locks etc.!!
After almost three days of apparent disinterest, the owner appeared accompanied by a goon claiming to be a sergeant (Wednesday, 27) … The first contact gave the impression that they were buyers and were already negotiating the property, giving an ultimatum to leave. However, we stayed.
Then they returned in their true social figures, trying to intimidate and threaten us and, given the refusal to leave, calling the repressive apparatus of the State. The thugs arrived, with blood in their eyes and the typical desire to break something or someone. With the intervention of two neighbors, we managed to avoid the stick and were given a deadline of one week to leave. The first match won, we went on squatting the space. [Read More]
Brazil: Olive Garden urban occupation under threat of eviction
Activists from the Black Flag anarchist collective report that the squatted site, which houses more than 200 families in the southern Brazilian city of Araquari, is fighting back against threats from the City Hall to send the dogs in.
Jardim das Oliveiras (The Olive Garden) is a self-organised squatted zone near the center of the city which has existed on the site for more than a decade, but received a court repossession order just before Christmas giving them 30 days to leave.
[Read More]
Brazil: Operation Erebo – The hunt against anarchists in Porto Alegre continues
Today, November 30, 2017, Operation Erebo attacked anarchists once again. They invaded some houses, stealing things and destroying everything in their path. At this stage we don’t know whether any other homes were invaded. Communication is precarious since we don’t know the levels of police intervention. And this time nothing was broadcast in the media.
Even when the storm seemed to have calmed without any arrests or information about the operation, we are sure they are looking for us. Unlike other incursions, Operation Erebo appears to move slowly but surely.
We remain strong, determined and still during these persecutions, certain that the love of freedom cries stronger.
The shows of support and solidarity are not lacking and the different positions of anarchism have remained firm in their rejection of authority and with their arms extended to their comrades. It strengthens us.
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Arms extended to our comrades, clenched fists for our enemies!
Let us live anarchy! [Read More]
Porto Alegre (Brazil): “When anarchy disturbs” Library Kaos statement about the prosecution against anarchists
There are many things to say, but we will start with the most urgent. In the 25 of October began an anti-anarchist persecution against FAG [Federação Anarquista Gaúcha] Parhesia institute, Pandorga squat and some individuals who had their spaces and houses raided by cops. If not all, probably a good part of the anarchist diversity was reached and several of them spoke firmly from their agreement against repression. And this is a fresh air that strengthens every one who feels sedition.
It is evident that the aim of the agents of repression also points against us, against the publications we have made or in which we participate. And that is what we are going to say. “The chronology of the Anarchic Confrontation”, the one that collects information from 2000 to 2015, and the one that collects the anarchic trigger of 2016, both are the books that are being exhibited as “evidence” of vandalism, attacks, and criminal acts. Among the many ways anarchism has to search for freedom, these books speak of anarchic informality as an option according to the current domination’s face. Further, we clarify that these books speak of actions but not only anarchists ones. The focus of the books is the diffusion of anarchic actions. To be more precise, it spread actions in which we feel the aroma of anarchy. And between anarchism and anarchy there are differences that may be delicate but which are important. [Read More]
Porto Alegre (Brazil): New space for Biblioteca Kaos
Let’s occupy again! Biblioteca Kaos (Kaos Library) has a new space.
On Sunday, March 12, we entered the house at 641 Coronel João Manoel street, near the start of the hill. The house was abandoned three years ago and it is in the middle of the historical center of Porto Alegre, it forms part of the inheritances of two of the most bourgeois families and owners of the city for centuries: Chaves Barcellos and Wallig.
We are absolutely certain that we are irritating the powerful who have already appeared to threaten us and very ludicrously invite us to be part of their alternative capitalism projects. Our answer is unanimous: we are anarchists and squatters, and we will not have any conversation with the bourgeoisie at all.
To our surprise and joy, the neighborhood fully supports the occupation because they can see that a few people have set up a space that has been unused for years. The interactions with them have had a clear attitude of solidarity and initiative not only in words but above all in action, they participated bit by bit in the cleaning of the space and supported us with their presence during some of the visits by the owners.
After the threats by the owners to throw us out with their henchmen and pit bulls, the other squatters of the city arrived to show us their solidarity and support.
At the moment we are still fighting for the space but our decision from the start is still to remain without either legal or verbal negotiation with the owners. Occupation is a subversive practice that can’t be swallowed up by real estate rules, it is an effective response to the absurd accumulation of land into the hands of a privileged few. Our determination in the face of this is clear: abandoned house, occupied house. [Read More]
São Paulo (Brazil): Dozens of buildings are squatted against the backdrop of social movement against austerity
During the night between Sunday 30 October and Monday 31, dozens of buildings were squatted in São Paulo. The action was coordinated by several homeless movements, including the FLM (Frente de Luta por Moradia) and the MMPT (Movimento de Moradia Para Todos).
Beyond the struggle for housing, the action was also made in solidarity with the current social movement against austerity measures taken by the government.
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