Athens: Steki Ano Kato Patission resquatted

[Update: During the resquat, 11 arrests were made on misdemeanor charges. The trial of the comrades has been postponed until February 13. The legal costs to be collected are many, your financial support is welcome.]

On saturday december 9, 2023, the Steki Ano Kato Patission was resquatted by 80 comrades. Then 250 people gathered in front to support the reoccupation. This gathering was attacked by cops and people were trapped in apartment buildings, in the adjacent dormitories and in the Steki itself. At the same time, teargas was thrown into cars, cops shouted at people that they would burn them alive, arrests were made, and people were beaten up. The cops also surrounded the Steki, teargas was thrown inside. People defended the Steki and kept it. There are seriously injured comrades, they are taken to the hospital. Around 19 people were arrested. On sunday 10, solidarity rally for those arrested during the Steki Ano-Kato Patission resquat at 11:00, Dikastiria (Evelpidon).
The Ano-Kato resquat took place on the nationwide day of action in solidarity with the squats, with a demonstration at Monastiraki in Athens. The attacks on our squats confirm once again that solidarity, self-organization and unmediated struggle are a formidable enemy for the state. The call out was made by Ano Kato Patission, ASP (Autonomous Polytechnic Steki), Evagelismos and Zizania.
STRUGGLES ARE NOT EMPTIED, IDEAS ARE NOT SEALED
SOLIDARITY WITH SQUATS

Statement from Steki Ano-Kato Patission:

We said that we are not leaving and we mean it [Read More]

Heraklion: Evagelismos resquatted

Today December 1, 2023, we resquatted Evagelismos, giving our final response to the repression and militarization of our neighborhood and the wider city center.

We are here, in the place where two months ago our comrade A. was almost found dead at the hands of bastards in uniforms when armed forces of ECM and OPKE invaded the building. In the same spot, where for two months all kinds of cops have been harassing passers-by and neighbors, afraid of sitting on the steps of the building. At the same point, which by order of the Senate of the University of Cyprus, the historic building of of Evagelismos was sealed and suffered numerous damages by the tons of cement they poured. All the above were considered “collateral” damage, according to the Rector, in order to return the building to its rightful owner, at the same time, of course, returning to its previous state, devastated and abandoned and far away from being a public space. Today -all together- we validate in practice, what the whole city knows: THE EVAGELISMOS SQUAT WILL STAY. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Nieuwe Leliestraat 70 squatted

Some time ago we squatted Nieuwe Leliestraat 70. We stayed there silently until 23.09.2023 after which we revealed our new home to the neighborhood. The building is owned by the social housing company Ymere, which has left it to rot unused for more than six years. It was previously squatted in 2020, but was quickly evicted, after which Ymere left it unoccupied again. We believe it is a disgrace to leave such a beautiful big house empty in the midst of a housing crisis, so we moved in.

Our new neighbors told us that the building next door used to also be social housing owned by Ymere until they renovated it and sold it privately. We suspect that they would have liked to do the same with our new home. This is something that happens often; there are 53,000 fewer social houses in Amsterdam now than there were in 2003. Meanwhile the demand for affordable housing grows every year. [Read More]

Berlin: Køpiplatz resquatted. We are here to reclaim what is ours

This was not just a piece of land to us. It was our home, it was family, it was a our place to welcome people from all over the world, to learn and support each other, where we could grow and connect. In the most simple and wonderful way, it was our community and our life. But now our family have been split up; and more than anything we want to be back together.

6 months have passed since the bullshit eviction of Køpiplatz and some things still haven’t changed; the ground still stays empty, except a couple of hired goons to watch over it, but now it is filled with the wreckage of what was once our homes and lives.

The offer we received from the state and Howoge was not designed to support us, but rather a ‘Catch 22′ that would split us up in a variety of unacceptable ways, including an offer to remove 70 percent and leave a slither of land only able to accommodate a couple of trailers. These offers were refused. As a wagenplatz we are all or nothing and we are still a family despite now being forced apart and scattered across Berlin, and we are still searching for a place to be back together. [Read More]

Florence: a week of resistance on the roof of the Corsica 81 squat, “lift the siege of our neighborhood”

The occupation of the building of Viale Corsica 81 in Florence continues and resists. After the eviction on 15 March, on 5 April, the social centre in Rifredi was reoccupied, with some people now on the roof for 7 days.
There is a permanent solidarity gathering in the street, but also a constant presence of the police. However, the neighborhood responded with solidarity for the occupiers, despite the militarization of the streets. Some residents of Viale Corsica also passed on a message in which they explained that they welcomed the return of the occupants. “They came back and we are happy. They returned to the abandoned building of Viale Corsica 81, after the eviction that had left us with enormous sadness, they returned and left us alone, we left them alone. We used to see this building full of life. Lift the siege of our neighborhood. » [Read More]

Florence: resquatted… the building of Viale Corsica 81 was again evicted

The new occupation of the building of Viale Corsica 81 in the Rifredi district of Florence lasted less than 24 hours. After almost ten years, the building was evicted in mid-March 2022 and then occupied again this morning.

Statement of the activists on their networks: “Today we reopened the squat of Viale Corsica 81″… “We have freed the building from its chains that have hampered him for the past three weeks.”

But hours after the police sealed on March 15, police arrived at the scene, pushing back those present and closing off the area. Inside, three comrades resisted and managed to climb onto the roof where a banner was unfurled with the words “Not for us but for everyone, occupy and resist”. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Waldeck Pyrmontlaan 8 resquatted and a second time evicted

On Saturday 5 March, three houses, Waldeck Pyrmontlaan 8 (WP8) in Amsterdam, JC van Hattumweg 3 in Amstelveen, and the Red Door in Utrecht were announced as resquatted. WP8 was evicted a second time the same evening, with 9 arrests. Monday morning, JC van Hattumweg was back in the hands of the owner.
The 9 people arrested at WP8 will be taken to court on Wednesday. The public prosecutor wants their further detention for 14 days and the examining magistrate has to decide whether that’s appropriate. The hearings will not be public and no time is known. Autonomous soli actions are highly appreciated!

Statement from Autonomous Student Struggle – Waldeck Pyrmontlaan resquatted! 5 March 2022

3 days ago, we re-squatted the building on the Waldeck Pyrmontlaan in Amsterdam. Today we announce it publicly. We have been living here again since last Thursday. Today 3 buildings have been re-squatted. We stand in solidarity with our comrades from Elektra Flinta who re-squatted a building in Utrecht and our comrades from the Anarcha Feminist Group Amsterdam who re-squatted the squat in Amstelveen [1]. This action is a response to the evictions done by the police and to create a broader housing struggle. In the past we stated the importance of creating a culture of resistance, today we show that repression will be met with a collective response. For every eviction, new places will be squatted, evictions will be resisted. [Read More]

Ghent: Will the Pand be sold to the highest bidder?

Once…
Twice…
Three times squatted against privatisation!

On 19 December 2021, two weeks after the last eviction, we resquatted the heart of Ghent (Belgium)! Out of political necessity, because once again the voice of the people is ignored and the city and its puppets want to sell the Caermersklooster to the highest bidder.

For more than forty years, the building has symbolised the struggle of ordinary inhabitants of Ghent for the preservation of their public property and right to live in dignity. Opposite them is the interest of private investors and speculators, mainly interested in buying up heritage in order to make a profit. Even more than that, the building embodies the power of the people if they make their voices heard loud enough. In 1980, thousands of inhabitants of Ghent, squatters and sympathisers, took to the streets against the sale of the Pand to the private tourist sector. They won the battle and for more than 25 years the Caermersklooster was used for social housing. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Ringdijk 8 resquatted

Since some days now we, the Anarcha Feminist Group Amsterdam, have been residing at Ringdijk 8. We have decided to expropriate this building because we think it is disgusting that houses are being kept empty for years while we are in a housing crisis, many people are living in precarity and homelessness has doubled in the last 10 years.

In previous actions we have targeted big speculators such as Blackstone, squatted buildings in solidarity with sexworkers being pushed out of our city and against the greenwashing and promition colonialsers and gentrification done by NV Zeedijk in the red light district.

Today we take an autonomous action as part of the ongoing housing demonstrations. Just marching and hoping the government will listen to us is not enough, actually the government listened to the demands made by the housing movement and their answer has been loud and clear: no measure taken to solve the problem, but instead they sent cops to silent us, mutilating our bodies, making blacklists and arresting us.

We need to confront injustices directly whenever and wherever we see them. Today we target the housing cooperation Eigen Haard. This building, owned by Eigen Haard, has been squatted before and has now been empty and left to rot again for a long time. [Read More]

Utrecht: Building on the Archimedeslaan resquatted

On October 1, 2021, exactly 11 years after the Kraken en Leegstand (squatting and vacancy) law came into force, the buildings on the Archimedeslaan 16 were resquatted. The squatters protested against the continuing vacancy of the former student housing. Although the law should prevent vacancy, the vacancy rate has only increased since then. This while squatting and the squatting movement have been criminalized and prosecuted.

The squatters want to show that squatting is still a legitimate option in addressing and fighting the housing crisis and homelessness. Indeed, squatting still serves as an effective tool against speculators and housing corporations who use houses as tools to make a profit. The squatters wonder why, in times of a real housing crisis, the development of houses is delegated to profit-oriented organizations. [Read More]

Gros-de-Vaud: armed offensive of the owners against the resquatted Auberge d’Etagnières

Since Saturday, a collective has been occupying the old hostel and pizzeria in Etagnières in the Gros-de-Vaud region. The owner and his henchmen came, armed, in order to evict us.

“We will kill you”.

This Thursday 8 july at 15:00, the owner accompanied by a dozen acolytes armed with pickaxes, sledgehammers, a giant bolt cutter and a grinder attacked the Auberge d’Etagnières, which we have been occupying since Saturday, with the firm intention of evicting us and doing us harm. “We are going to kill you” they repeated several times. The owner and his men broke some of the windows on the first floor and broke down the front door. Barricaded urgently on the top floor, we repeatedly reminded them of the numerous violations of Swiss law they were committing, encouraged them to file a complaint and to go through legal channels. The police had already noticed our presence on Monday evening and warned the owner of the squatting procedures. Instead of complying with the legal framework by filing a complaint, he decided to take justice into his own hands. In this country, the minority of landlords think they are above the law, since it is of course forbidden for the landlord to take justice into his own hands, although we are protected by the law of the lease. [Read More]

Athens: Theater Embros resquatted

A very large and enthusiastic meeting of Embros on Sunday 23 May decided to continue the defense of the Free Self-Managed Theater. The attempt of the police and the Public Property Company to reseal the Embros on the morning of Monday 24 May was met by the lawyers of the movement and the people of the struggle, the united solidarity forces and the works were stopped. We start today Monday 24 May and every day from 5 pm a week of Art and Freedom in front of the building and collective works to repair the damages caused by the eviction.
On Saturday 29 May, we call for a nationwide Day of Action of artists, neighbourhood assemblies and social centers in every corner of the country to defend not only Embros but all liberated spaces. The power of self-organization can stop the destruction of our neighborhoods and nature threatened by the tide of exploitation and the insolence of obscenity.
The weekly program of events starts now! It will be enriched daily with new entries. We invite art groups to present their ideas and work during the day outside the building. [Read More]