Last week, the Autonomous Center (AC) in The Hague received a letter from the mayor demanding that we close the property at Harstenhoekweg 4, where a social center has been established since February. The warrant was served because a so-called ‘illegal cafe’ is being operated in the building. The AC was already in discussion with the municipality to find a solution for the so-called ‘illegal situation’ but the mayor doesn’t want to wait for this.
The mayor has given an order that the building can be closed from 12:00 on September 22. The AC collective is looking into its legal options to avoid closure of the social center. All activities have been temporarily suspended until the situation is more certain. It should be clear that we are not giving up and that we are, together with our lawyers, looking into the steps that we can take against the mayor’s decision
The order to shut down is the latest step that Hague mayor Jozias van Aartsen has taken in a series of repressive measures against anarchists and autonomous spaces. Several Hague anarchists wrote a text about these measures: ‘The area ban against anarchists in a broader context of repression in The Hague‘. It is clear that the current situation is not an isolated incident but part of a bigger picture. The mayor is trying yet again to close places where space is made for extra-parliamentary politics. Keep an eye on the Autonoom Centrum website for updates. [Read More]
The Hague: Mayor wants to close Autonomous Center
Mexico: Members of Okupa Che Beaten, Hospitalized, and Arrested
To our fellow compañerxs, to those in the struggle, to the independent media and the community in general:
On Sunday, July 31, at midday, four compañeros who are members of Okupa Che were near the university pool when they were surrounded by National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Security, who in an excessive operation began to attack them.
Warsaw: Open letter in connection with the arrest of three anarchists
On the night of May 23rd, the police in Warsaw arrested three anarchists on charges of an alleged arson attempt of a police vehicle. The three were transferred to a remand prison where they are to be held in custody for three months, awaiting trial. They face up to 8 years in prison. Media frenzy broke out over the arrest in the past few days, with high-ranking politicians and experts on terrorism discussing the matter on TV. Photos and video reruns of the arrested walking with chains around their feet and hands are broadcast on public transportation. The text below is a translation of the statement that was sent out by various groups from the anarchist and wider social justice community in Poland, in response to these arrests.
Open letter in connection with the arrest of three anarchists in Warsaw
The mass media in Poland are releasing increasingly more absurd, one-sided reports about the arrest of three anarchists on Monday, May 23rd. We interpret this as an attempt to intimidate and criminalize social justice movements in Poland.
[Read More]
Prague: Repressions against social center Klinika
For the second time in less than a week the Czech police has invaded the autonomous social centre Klinika in Prague under the pretext of looking for explosive devices after receiving an anonymous email claiming to have planted bombs in the building.
After the first invasion on Friday 20, few activists managed to stay on the roof of the building while the police evicted everybody and handed the building to the representative of the state, the owner of the building. However, later in the evening Klinika was successfully occupied again.
Today’s invasion under the same pretext of looking for a bomb has led to arrests, activists on the roof and again, to an eviction from the building, occupied in late 2014. Paradoxically, today was the day when activists gathered in front of the office responsible for managing state property to pay the fine of approx. 40 € per day for each day of occupation after the one year contract expired early this year, amounting to a total of 40000 Czech crowns (over 1500 €).
In February Klinika was the target of a neonazi attack motivated mainly by the significant role Klinika has played in collecting and delivering aid to refugees on the Balkan route (mainly in Hungary and Serbia) as well as helping collectives assisting refugees in transit through the Czech Republic. [Read More]
Marseille: Message from friends that were in custody following the Manba squat eviction, rue Bel Air
Without repeating here and right now everything that happened, a short recap, we’ll start by informing you that all 3 people have been freed yesterday [April 14th]. Two amongst us have been summoned to the criminal court on June 10th at 2pm for: destruction/criminal damage/defacement of a building intended for worship, as a group, and refusing DNA.
We narrowly avoided having to sign on at the police station, but regardless are under bail conditions. Another friend received a summons to the police station. The driving license of a mate is still in the hands of the cops… [Read More]
Liverpool: Love Activists imprisoned for Bank of England occupation – Free the Love Bank 5!
Five Activists who had occupied Liverpool’s old Bank of England building to provide shelter and feed the city’s homeless people have been jailed for almost 3 months each [see prisoner details at bottom of article].
The Love Activists moved into the unoccupied building in the middle of April to set up a support centre for Liverpool’s homeless people, incorporating places to sleep, an advice centre and a street kitchen, from where they were evicted in the early hours of 12 May and the homeless activists arrested.
The defendants were charged in relation to the occupation of the old bank building in Castle Street, Liverpool city centre, as part of a protest over lack of support for the homeless and government austerity. [Read More]
Toulouse, France: Summary of repression from recent ZAD demos & solidarity with IAATA.info
About the arrestees, convictions and those locked-up from the November and February ZAD demonstrations in Toulouse. A call for solidarity.
Whilst there is currently a campaign of international solidarity and also against the conviction of a single demonstrator from November, it seems important to us to sum up the verdicts and bring forward our modest point of view about the situation. And call widely for solidarity from all.
To recall, the November demonstrations started with the death of a young man [Rémi Fraisse, October 25th 2014]. On the ZAD of Testet there were people saying that one day or another the wild, legal and determined action from the state forces will finish badly. For many the emotion was strong, as we could have been in his place. The identification with him was not the same, when some days earlier, in the centre of Toulouse, a BAC cop [anti-crime brigade] killed a youth during a robbery. [Read More]
Oakland: La Idea squatted social center served eviction order
On May 29th, 2015, an eviction order was served to La Idea, a squatted social center near the Dimond District of Oakland. In two weeks, the Alameda County Sheriff will put the house on its list of upcoming evictions and will dispatch an armored personnel carrier and several armed men to the house to clear everyone out at gunpoint. In this regard, La Idea is not exceptional and thousands of people have been evicted in the same manner all over Oakland. It is simply the normal functioning of capitalism.
Bristol: Operation Rhone and the Badger hunt
Note: Since this article was published Bristol anarchist Emma Sheppard was sentenced to 2 years in prison in relation to criminal damage of police cars, as part of Operation Rhone. See letter from Em for more info.
When Bristol anarchist Huw ‘Badger’ Norfolk legged it somewhere in late-August 2011, word spread fast across Bristol’s anarchist & radical communities. His decision to absent himself from all and any police investigations was immediately apparent to the many friends he’d had no time to say good-bye to. No doubt many suspected this escape to somewhere would be short-lived. Instead nothing, just the one shout-out from online anonymity(1) two months later, in which he stated his non-compliance bluntly.
Fast-forwards to December 2014 and Badger’s face is staring at us from every national and many local media outlets. Crimestoppers and Avon & Somerset Police’s Operation Rhone announce a £10k reward for information, whilst forcing his parents in north-west Bristol into the media spotlight too(2). Badger is wanted for two specific actions, although no evidence is cited for either. It’s made clear the Badger hunt, and the two actions, are just a part of their investigation into over 100 actions by ‘persons unknown’(3) over the last four years. [Read More]