The Land Is Yours.. What’s it worth to you?
For those currently occupying Yorkley Court Community Farm in the Forest of Dean, it is their life blood, it is their home, it is where they get their water, where they get their fuel for cooking and warmth, it’s where they grow food and forage from natures bounty, it is where they meet each other and do tasks together, it’s where they learn from one another and it’s where they celebrate and laugh together.
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The squatter crew Autonomous Nation of Anarchist Libertarians (A.N.A.L.) have occupied a number of high profile buildings in central London in recent weeks. These have included the former Institute of Directors (corporate fatcat club) HQ, Admiralty Arch (state power icon due to be turned into hotel), and now 24 St James’ Square, a flash office building on one of London’s most expensive squares, empty for ten years. They have been getting big picture splashes in corporate media rags like the Evening Standard and Daily Mail.
On Friday evening (10 April) the St James’ Sq squat came under siege by a mini-army of security guards. The heavies used similar tactics to those seen recently on the Aylesbury Estate and other squat clashes recently: unable to retake the building, they forcibly block entrances and exits to lock down the occupation, keeping out supporters and supplies. [Read More]
So, far now the security thugs have stepped down after a 15hour siege. The security guards woke us up at 5am and they illegally entered our home. We swiftly acted and informed them about the law and legislation that they should have been following. After we ushered them out they maintained their presence and blocked the front and back doors, denying people access all day. By this time our friends and comrades were on their way to help and together we successfully made them stand down after an intense stand off. Today highlighted that unity is strength and when people stand together we can overcome intimidation and win important victories. We are still here, in this huge building, that before us, sat here dormant collecting dust in the middle of a supposed “housing crisis”. Bollocks to that! The building now is an activist hub and a free home. Free from bailiffs, landlords and the ruling class. We one day hope that all of society will be arranged like this, free from all hierarchy and domination. [Read More]
The Leeds Community Project has occupied experimental gardens owned by Leeds University and due to be sold for private investment and housing
RESISTANCE IS FERTILE
Background
The text that follows was published by the residents of the squatted complex at Grangegorman on 24 March to describe the day long eviction attempt they successfully resisted on the previous day. It was initially published and handed out in leaflet form to people walking by the complex. The words are there own.
On Monday 23rd March, the squatted buildings at Grangegorman, where a community has been living for a year-and-a-half, was the subject of a violent attempted eviction by a large force of contractors and Gardaí. Here is a summary of the situation. [Read More]
Some bailiffs arrived this morning [March 26] as promised.. they hung around a bit and then trundled around the edge of the part of the farm we are occupying, accompanied by police and trailed by some of our fantastic team of legal observers. They were unable to gain access anywhere, presumably got a bit bored and eventually left.
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Barnet Housing Action Group are a group campaigning around housing issues in The Borough of Barnet, North London. We have been working with the Our West Hendon campaign for the past year and have recently joined the Focus E15 Mums in occupying a house on the Sweets Way Estate in the North of the borough in protest against the evictions which have taken place there by Annington Homes Ltd, the owners of the houses and land.
West Hendon is a council estate alongside a reservoir and conservation area known as ‘the Welsh Harp’. The estate comprises of a mix of 650 properties some secure tenancies, some private, some temporary non-secure tenants and also leaseholders. All of these homes are going to be bulldozed and replaced with 2000 luxury apartments – 214 of which – the non luxury of course – will be council flats.
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Interview with a Grangegorman resident shortly after their successful resistance to the attempt to evict them yesterday. Details what happened from when the bailiffs started attacking the defenders with poles, knocked them off the gate and then drove a van into them.
This level of escalation turned out to be too much even for the Garda who finally intervened to bring the non court mandated eviction to a halt. A deal was negotiated by which all the bailiffs, their vehicles and the construction workers would leave the site.
The resident also talks about how uplifting all the solidarity they received from other people living in the area was, which even included small businesses and social justice organisations that help the homeless.
The Snakehouse/de Slang in Amsterdam, squatted for over 30 years, voluntarily handed over the keys yesterday. The building was then resquatted and an eviction is currently in progress. Updates on indymedia
The Grangegorman squats in Dublin, occupied since 2013, experienced an illegal eviction attack yesterday but managed to repel the thugs (see indymedia.ie for updates and fotos). It appears the next attack will be a legal eviction attempt.
The squatters released this message today: [Read More]
“Our photographer was woken this morning by a text message telling him friends were getting evicted. So he grabbed his cameras, got down to the eviction and recorded this shocking footage and interviews that show a complete disregard for the people whose homes were under attack by both the Garda and private security.
The people living here mostly have low paid insecure jobs. They don’t have friends in high places. Contrast what you are about to see and hear with the very different treatment of the ‘bog standard house’ at Gorse Hill. And what you will see was recorded with the Garda and security knowing they were being recorded, imagine their behaviour if the cameras were not there. [Read More]
The Tabakspanden on Spuistraat in central Amsterdam today repelled an eviction attempt with paintbombs.
The buildings (opposite Vrankrijk) include the Slangenpand (squatted for over 30 years) and Middle East.
The latter sent out a call-out last week.
There’s also a new call for solidarity today.
Some pix in the linx on indymedia or below.
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