Athens (Greece): Police raid in Skaramanga squat

By: fawda - January 9th, 2013  Filed under: News

Following the eviction and arrests in Villa Amalias squat during the morning of January 9th, a police raid in the Patission 61 & Skaramaga squat is underway. At about 15.00pm, anti-riot squadrons smashed the door and stormed in the building.

Short announcement by the collective of Skaramaga squat about the raid:

15.56pm: A police raid took place today (9/1) at 15.00pm in the Patission 61 & Skaramaga squat. Seven comrades are inside the building (currently witnessing the police search in the squat). The repressive operation came vindictively few hours after the re-occupation of Villa Amalias and the occupation of DIMAR headquarters, which resulted in their eviction as well as the arrest and detention of approximately 150 comrades.

The tripartite government, the police and the ΝΑΤ (Merchant Seamen’s Pension Fund that claims ownership of the building) are mainly responsible for this attack. They will find us against them.

Hands off the squats! Immediate release of all arrestees/detainees! [Read More]

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Greece: Villa Amalias re-squatted and re-evicted – biggest number of anarchists detained in 15 years

By: fawda - January 9th, 2013  Filed under: News

At approximately 07:30 on January 9, dozens of people re-squatted Villa Amalias this morning, hanging a banner writing: “Squat for Ever – Villa Amalias”. Almost immediately, riot police that encircled the building threw tear gas inside. At approximately 09:20, the police’s special forces (EKAM) smashed the building’s windows and raided it anew, detaining 101 people who was inside.
Meanwhile – at approximately the same time – around 40 anarchists in solidarity occupied the HQ of DIMAR (Democratic Left Party),  which participates in the governmental coalition. Police raided this building as well, detaining the occupiers.

UPDATE, 04.00 am “We will do it again, as many times as it takes”: statement by the 93 arrested from inside the police HQ

UPDATE, 00.45 am It has just been confirmed that the charges for all 92 anarchists inside Villa Amalias have been raised to felonies (instead of misdemeanors) as they now include the so-called “hoodlum law” enhancement. All of today’s detainees will appear before a prosecutor in the afternoon – from 1pm and throughout the day. A solidarity gathering has been called at the Euelpidon courthouse from 1pm onward.

UPDATE, 19.45 pm Another three anarchists have been detained at the corner of Patision and Alexandras ave, bringing today’s total up to 152. [Read More]

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Greece: Major crackdown in Thessaloniki

By: fawda - July 2nd, 2012  Filed under: News

On July 2nd, 2012, an extensive police operation was launched across the city of Thessaloniki, with raids in two squats, house searches and massive preemptive detentions (people were caught even in their private residences, and on several streets, and after few hours were released from police departments), as well as arrests. There are reportedly 25 arrestees, and it is possible that they will be charged with felonies.

Specifically, police forces stormed the anarchist hangout Nadir at approximately 6.30am, detaining people from inside the building. Cops then also stormed the Orfanotrofio squat, also detaining people there. [Read More]

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Netherlands: Conversation with filmmaker João Romão on Dutch squats

By: sisulscz - June 11th, 2012  Filed under: Interviews

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]

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Toulouse: about the November 15th raids and arrests

By: fawda - November 20th, 2011  Filed under: News
2011-11-17 perquisitions Toulouse

On July 5th 2011, Labège PJJ (Legal Protection of Youth) offices were visited, turned upside down and tagged as a protest against its participation in jailing young people. While the PJJ cried over its work conditions, at the Lavaur EPM (Youth Jail), which is coordinated by the PJJ and the prison administration, kids considered as lost were smashed up by the infamous ERIS unit (Regional Team of Intervention and Safety).

On tuesday November 15th, in Toulouse, seven homes, some of them squats, were raided and searched by a hundred policeman. Computers, telephones, books, posters and personal effects were seized. [Read More]

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