Ljubljana: Zadruga Urbana, little urban-agrarian platform

Zadruga Urbana (Urban Cooperative in English) embodies the idea of an urban-agrarian platform that aims to connect collectives and individuals in order to improve self-sufficiency through direct action. It is based on shared principles of horizontality, autonomy and self-organization. Our vision is to bring together individuals and collectives regardless of previous experience, in a non-hierarchical way, to promote autonomy in local food production and freer access to public land.

We are not satisfied with the current system of food production and therefore try to raise people’s awareness of options for producing their own food, consuming locally and being autonomous – all through collective gardening. Our venture enables individuals with no land of their own to produce food. It gives them a better overview of some of the possible ways to self-organize, coupled with sensitivity for their local environment. Furthermore we believe it is necessary for a collective movement to take that process into their own hands. [Read More]

Ljubljana: What is Zadruga Urbana?

Zadruga Urbana” is a group of people who came together with the shared dissatisfaction for the current system of food production, who believe in the necessity for a collective movement to take the process into their own hands. We believe that collective gardens raise people’s awareness of producing their own food, consuming locally and being autonomous/productive, enabling individuals without land of their own to produce food with a sensitivity for their local natural environment.

Our group wants to bring people together to learn and promote the ideas to find solutions for change towards a more sustainable life regardless of previous experience. Everyone is welcome to participate in our gardens and network, to learn and share the skills of producing our own food. We aim to use local seeds and to fertilize our crop naturally.

Our vision is to connect individuals and collectives in a horizontal, non-hierarchical way, to promote autonomy in local food production and freer access to public land. We also plan to reclaim/collectivize more locations in urban spaces and organise guerilla gardening. We hold regular lectures and talks on a range of permacultural and environmental topics such as beekeeping, composting and germination which are free to attend. We have a plans to create vegetable and seed bank/market as well as social kitchen with produce which is in line our aims. [Read More]

Slovenia: Ljubljana Community Gardens & Seed Swap

On the second day of our stay in Ljubljana PEDAL jumped on bikes with spades and forks and trowels for a working tour of four community gardens in the city. The group organising and looking after these gardens ‘Zadruga Urbana Collective Vrt’ have just started another garden in the autonomous free space Metelkova where together we built a bike fence and a compost system, and began work on a permaculture design for the land.

As we went in the sunshine to build more beds on an community allotment, our new friends explained that the growing spaces are on land set to be developed in to park space. The people who grow here have not gone through a council to gain a small plot but effectively have squatted the land- choosing an area and simply starting to work the land with little or no problem from authorities. This contrasts our restricted growing spaces in the UK where in some parts of London you are put on a 20-30 year waiting list. [Read More]

Ljubljana: “We are temporary”, documentary about the Autonomous Factory Rog

Saturday 25th of March 2006 marked the start of the initiative to open the abandoned bicycle factory Rog for temporary use, with the intent to carry out non-profit, non-established activities on its premises. It is not a classic occupation of space, but a temporary alteration of its purposes. The 7000 square meter large factory – owned by the City of Ljubljana (MOL) – has already been left to decay for 15 years. As long as MOL doesn’t develop and begin implementing a clear strategy to solve the problem of these empty premises, we self-initiatively wish to open it to all individuals and groups engaged in the non-profit sector, for the realization of independent production of cultural and social content.
Rog – Smo zacasni / We are temporary is a documentary made by the temporary users of the factory Rog premises. [Read More]

Ljubljana: collective statement about opening Rog to the public

Saturday 25th of March 2006 marked the start of the initiative to open the abandoned bicycle factory Rog for temporary use, with the intent to carry out non-profit, non-established activities on its premises.

It is not a classic occupation of space, but a temporary alteration of its purposes. The 7000 square meter large factory – owned by the City of Ljubljana (hereafter MOL) – has already been left to decay for 15 years. As long as MOL doesn’t develop and begin implementing a clear strategy to solve the problem of these empty premises, we self-initiatively wish to open it to all individuals and groups engaged in the non-profit sector, for the realization of independent production of cultural and social content.

As a non-formal network of individuals we believe that our actions are completely legitimate and well-grounded, although, at the moment, lacking official permission. Our action was stimulated by the City Council with their profit-based mentality, bad management, and incorrect reaction to our initiative. At first, MOL agreed to lend these premises for a series of debates, lectures and exhibitions about the temporarily useless building and its future, but later changed its mind and cancelled the verbal contract half an hour before signing the official agreement. [Read More]

Ljubljana: AC Molotov evicted, AC Galicija opened!

Avtonomna Cona Molotov, squat in Ljubljana, was evicted on 11.7. due to the contract between squatters and it’s owner Railway Company. After last summer’s oppression and attempt of eviction, we had no other choice than leave the house. Other possibility was to fight on the court for which we would need lots of money. So, we sadly left the house some days before 11.7. and had found new location some weeks before eviction. Molotov is being destroyed. About 15 people from AC Molotov collective with some new people squatted a nice house in the district called Prule, about 20 minutes walking from the centre. In Molotov we had lots of inner problems with alcohol, that’s why we started with new collective and new plans. In Molotov, we were making mostly gigs and was not possible to make any other activities.

New house, which we temporary named AC Galicija, will be living squat for 15-20 people with info-shop (anarchist library), place for video projections, juggling practicing, meetings and other activities (name Galicija comes from the illegal printing house used by partisans, which was operating in the cellar of the house in the 2nd world war; the house was also the biggest chair factory in Yugoslavia). AC Galicija has 6 owners, who are fighting on the court for the house. When we squatted the house, police came with one of the owners and said we can stay there until we get demand from the court. [Read More]

Ljubljana: End of court process between AC Molotov and its owner

Autonomna Cona Molotov is a squat in Ljubljana, which it’s owner – Slovenian Railway Company (SRC) wanted to illegally evict at 7.11.02. They used private security company and we were kept 2 weeks in the house. The place itself is very easy to evict, because it’s one floor house, so we took the legal way – court. We got the lawyer from NGO Mirovni Institut and PIC. They also covered the expenses on the court. The goal was to charge the police, G7 (security company) and SRC. But as we all know, court takes lots of money. As we lost media popularity, we also lost our financial supporters. They decided to pay only until new year. This would mean, we would have to defend ourselves alone on the court and would have to pay enormous expenses of the court. And better not to mention that the lawyer was working only for money, he didn’t even answer the phone for us.

So, we decided to stop the court process and to make an agreement with SRC. We signed the contract which says we have to go out until 7.11.03 and have permission to connect water and electricity again. We demanded they cover the expenses of water connection, because they cut off the pipes during the eviction, but they refused. [Read More]

Ljubljana: AC Molotov squat update, first trial

Here’s a message from an inhabitant of the squat :

Salud!

Yesterday, 6.9., we had a first trial in the case: AC Molotov (a squat in Ljubljana, Slovenia, which they want to evict since 11.7.) against its owner Slovenske Zeleznice (SZ; Slovenian Railway Company). All together was very funny and dumb. There were 9 of us, representer of SZ; lawyers and the judge, who were the only-one speaking. The first question of SZ’s lawyer was if we think to go out. Our answer was NO. Then she said there was unformal agreement between us and persons from the Museum, than we have to respect it and go out. Later, she said she doesn’t know about the agreement, because it was said by us. Ofcourse, in reality, no-one informed us about going out at that time. Their lawyer coludn’t say more than her meaning that this is a private property and if Slovenia is a state of law then there is no question who is right. The real question of this trial was if the Company knew the fact that we live there. If they did, then their accusation of disturbing the property has no meaning, because they set up a law suit too late (according to the law, the owner can put an accusation of disturbing the property to 30 days after s/he founds out that the person is using his/her property). On the question of the judge if they knew about the fact that we live there, their lawyer said she doesn’t know and they must ask the witnesses – the workers of Railway Museum. She claimed she has never been in Molotov and later that they couldn’t indentify the persons because there are about 60 people going in and out and lots of them under 18. When we applied as witnesses in the next trial, she asked if we can tell also the year of our birth, because we don’t look so old. [Read More]

Ljubljana: News from AC Molotov squat

Molotov is still standing! After we got a lot of support from media, the owner (Slovenian Railway Company) had to evict us on legal way – court. They still insist that nobody was living there for 6 moths and that we were breaking in the house and destroying it. We are charging them because they are violating basic human rights – right to live in living conditions and right to cultural and political activities. If we prove we were living there, which I think is not so hard, they were the first ones who were breaknig the law.

The city offered us a new house, but we refused it, because it’s too small. We would have to do a lot of work and the house would be just for a year or two. We think they offered us the house because they want to get rid of us and to show to the public how good they are (votings are coming soon). We will insist on our demants – we want the house that has the same conditions as A.C.Molotov. If they don’t give us, we will take it by ourselves and stay in Molotov untill we find a new squat. What we want and will try to do is also to put a law to defend squatters, because there are only in Ljubljana (400.000 inhabitants) at least 30 people who want to squat. That means, we need more squats and we need them also in other parts of Slovenia! [Read More]

Ljubljana: eviction of AC Molotov?

Salud! it’s maja here from ljubljana, slovenia. I finally found time to go to internet. I will write this in english, because i don’t have time to make croatian versions. it was (and it is still) very tuff situation for us in Avtonomna Cona Molotov, a squat which the owner (Slovenian Railway Company) wanted to illegaly evict. You can find more detail info on www.acmolotov.tk.

At 11.7. at the morning (5.30) came the private security company G7 with no explanation and papers and tried to kick us out. I came at about 7.30, because I was at the sea in Croatia. First reaction was anger – why I am not allowed to go into our house, why do I have to talk with my friends through the window bars? Fortunately, there were people everywhere – around the house, on the roof and media was presented all the time. The workers were there also with no papers and “no leader”. no-one is responsible in this fucking state – every answer you get is the same: “I got the orders from my boss. Ask him. I don’t know where he is, I don’t have his telephone number, I don’t give my name…” they came with excavator and other equipment to destroy the house and the Company’s answer was: “we wanted to chech the house to deceide or to destroy it or to repare it”. Then, the only person from the Company, who was speaking, said: “nobody is living there, they violently at! tacked the workers, that’s why we brought the Security etc.” When I read his statment, I was on the roof for all day, my head was boiling and I got very angry. I talked with this person S.Salkic before & told him me and other 14 persons are living there. I got his mobile phone and called him. I told him that the only thing I want is true and he put down the phone. He did this the same to Tine, who later wanted to talk to him an Salkic run away. [Read More]

Slovenia: Urgent action, activist squat eviction in process!

Dear friends,

we want to inform you that an activist squat in Slovenia called “AC Molotov” is in state of permanent fight with security guards of private security company called “G7” which is trying to evict activist living in side of squat. There was a lot of talk about evicting of a squat in last months, which is inside of an old building of Slovenian Railway company, but on Thursday at 5:30am security guards showed up in front of squat and blocked it. Now there is more than 10 people inside who are stopping destruction of the squat.Company does not have court order to evict the squat and it is oblivious that this action is mainly pointed to the anarchist politics that is finding its grounds in side of this squat.

More than 15 security officers are in front of squat, and are not letting anybody to bring water or food inside the squat. That is not the problem for the time being because there is large quantity of food and water inside of squat. Problem is that security is not letting anybody who leaves the squat to come back in. [Read More]

Slovenia: AC Molotov needs you!

Squatted place named Autonomus zone Molotov (Avtonomna cona Molotov – ACM) in Ljubljana, which provides pace for living, cultural and political activities is in big trouble…

The first larger action against squatters took place on Sunday, 7. 7., when around 30 policemen came in the building. They came with dogs and criminalists. The action was illegal and violent. Police put severe pressure and repression against squatters and activists. Supporters form outside ? students, activist, even people from media came in 5 minutes and documented with cameras all the happening in Molotov. We asked police to show us some document, and we asked for the head of this police action. Our friends and media prevent physical violence from police. Police action lasted since 23.30 ? 1.20, and then policemen left without any explanation on their arrival and their action and left AC Molotov. [Read More]