With hours left before squatting in a residential property became illegal; a Territorial support group backing up enforcement officers smashed their way into a residential property in Dalston yesterday and unlawfully evicted the building of its many residents.
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London: Yet another unlawful eviction
UK: Legal challenge to new squatting law
This post is by Leigh Day & Co legal firm who are coordinating the legal challenge and was originally posted on their blog here…
A mother of four from Wales is taking legal action challenging the new anti-squatting legislation, coming into force today (1 September 2012), in a bid to stay in the house she has lived in for 11 years with her children.
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England & Wales: Fuck the fucking fuckers
It looks like the squatban will come in on September1 (here’s pretty incontrovertible evidence).
This is .. surprising since there was a silence for a while.
This is … exciting because now there’s going to be some action.
This is … sad because people are probably going to lose their homes and derelict buildings reclaimed for housing are now going to be returned to emptiness.
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Brighton: Mass Squatting Action, October 13th
We will resist the squatting ban by any means necessary.
The Squatter’s Network of Brighton is calling for a Mass Squatting Action on October 13th to resist the new anti-squatting laws. This act is draconian, unworkable, an attack on our way of living and some of the most vulnerable in our society. We will not take it lying down.
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Jamaica: New law coming to ban squatting
Mainstream media reports – The government has signalled that it will be moving to ban squatting.
Minister without Portfolio in the Housing Ministry, Dr. Morais Guy, in his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Parliament yesterday said the ministry is looking at implementing a modern Trespass Act which will address the issue of squatting.
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Netherlands: Conversation with filmmaker João Romão on Dutch squats
By Our man in Amsterdam
A new documentary on the squatters’ movement by João Romão, a Portuguese economist and activist living in Amsterdam, has just been released. Squatted Freedom, a one-hour limited-budget film, combines archival footage and interviews with current and former squatters to examine the history and politics of the movement as well as the wave of recent, violent evictions of squats in Amsterdam.
Squatted Freedom is a fascinating film. The story of the squatters’ movement, past and present, is both captivating and inspiring. Violent confrontations between police and squatters have been taking place since the 1980s and continue into the present. Squatted Freedom reaches its climax during an intense standoff and eventual confrontation between squatters and riot police attempting to evict a prominent Amsterdam squat, a scene which Romão and his colleagues were lucky enough to capture on film. [Read More]
UK: Demonstrations in support of squatting
As the move towards the criminalisation of squatting continues in the UK with the House of Lords waving through the legislation, there have been demonstrations in support of squatting and autonomous spaces.
See below for reports from Brighton (today) and Bristol (yesterday).
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UK: Squatting in residential properties to be criminalised in months
What a joke! All of it, the whole process. Last night the House of Lords passed a clause hidden in the legal aid bill to criminalise squatting in residential properties essentially making thousands of homeless people criminals overnight. A whole section of the very poorest and most vulnerable in society have been made criminals and again the debate took place extremely late in the day.
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UK: Lords knock coalition squat plan
On Wednesday night the proposed new law to criminalise squatting in residential properties (clause 130 of the LASPO Bill) was debated in the House of Lords. This was, in fact, the first time the clause has been properly debated since it was proposed. Or rather, the first time since the 1st November when the government slipped the clause into a bill which was in its last stage in the House of Commons.
UK: House of Lords vote on squatting clause soon
LOBBY A LORD, GET INVOLVED!! As you may know, the bill to criminalise squatting in residential properties was rushed through the House of Commons and is already in the House of Lords despite a 96% pro-squatting majority in the consultation. Over the past few months Squash (Squatters Action for Secure Homes) has been busy lobbying the Lords to oppose the squatting clause and have had some successes. They have produced a briefing for Lords, and have contacted as many sympathetic Lords as possible. [Read More]
Brighton: Facing Up To Mike Weatherley’s Fearsome Gauntlet
In his usual dim-witted way, ‘Mad Mike’ Weatherley has been making fatuous comments regarding (unnamed) homelessness charities endorsing his campaign to criminalise squatters, all squatters being lifestylists or how Brighton police have never convicted squatters in eighteen years. All these remarks are ill-informed, for example the last – there haven’t been any convictions because it’s not a criminal offence (although the police do often make sure to frame squatters for other alleged crimes).
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UK: Letter from a squatter to a member of parliament
Mike Weatherly MP for Hove & Portslade has been making lots of noise lately with regards to squatting. Basically he’s keen to make an impact in his first term and sees the victimization of squatters as a vote winner. Much of what he says on the issue consists of misrepresentations, exaggerations and lies. I wrote this letter to him last Wednesday (26th October) taking him to task for some of what he has said, he promised to reply, but he hasn’t as yet.
I’ve never had much time for politicians, but this one stands out as a particularly nasty prick even compared to the rest of them.
Keep fighting, keep squatting.
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