London: E15 re-occupy evicted tenant’s home, cops come in hard

By: dolph-l - April 17th, 2015  Filed under: News

Jane from Stratford, East London, and her daughter were evicted from their home last month by scumbag social-cleansing landlords Newham Council. Last Saturday (11 April) she took direct action and re-occupied her flat with support from friends from the local housing action group Focus E15 group. [Read More]

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Peterborough: Police say squatters of residential will not be charged as thought they were tenants…

By: dolph-l - November 8th, 2014  Filed under: News

Intruders smashed their way into the home of 101-year-old Peterborough woman – just hours after police had evicted a group of migrant squatters. A rear door had been kicked in and the intruders had switched on the heating, food had been cooked and a window opened at the detached house in Granville Street. [Read More]

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Camden, London: Two charged with Section 144 after council house occupied in protest of sell-offs and then evicted

By: midnight - February 25th, 2014  Filed under: News, Press release

Update 25-02 11pm: Both people charged with Section 144 and bailed for plea hearing next month in Highbury Corner Magistrates Court.

Update 25/02 12pm: Police broke in to arrest two people on suspicion of Section 144 LASPO (see  video).

Update 24/02 5pm: Police have showed up and said “Oh it’s a protest, happy days” and within two minutes all four cop cars left.

Article from 23-02 12pm: Camden Housing Action Group is occupying council property on Southampton road to protest against its selling off to private developers.

[Read More]

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London: Protest occupation camp against Section 144 squatting law at Finchley Tory Office of Mike Freer MP

By: dolph-l - November 24th, 2013  Filed under: News

Mike Freer MP is a co-architect of the controversial ‘Section 144′ law that criminalises squatting in domestic properties.

On 22nd November 2013, campaigners arrived to protest and camp outside his constituency office (the Finchley building that used to be Margaret Thatcher’s office).

At first, in a PR move, he invited them off the pavement and onto the forecourt, but as many local people showed their support, and others arrived to protest, towards the end of the day he changed his mind. However, the squatters pointed out to the police that he would now need to put that in writing and to apply to a court, which he would be unable to do now before Monday morning, so the camp remains over the weekend at least. [Read More]

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Brighton: Fuck s144! Some quick analysis

By: sisulscz - November 8th, 2013  Filed under: News

Our three friends who were accused of the “offence” of occupying an unused allegedly residential building have all now been cleared of any “crime.” The three were arrested in Brighton last year, just two days after the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO 2012) had become law. When they came to trial, two had charges dropped, the other one was convicted purely on the word of a copper. On appeal, this conviction was quashed on October 31, over a year later. So finally we can celebrate!

Now at last we can talk about the case and what it means for squatting. Basically, the news is good. Very good in fact. This new law is unenforceable, just as groups such as Squatters Action for Secure Housing (SQUASH) and the Squatters Network of Brighton and Hove always maintained.
[Read More]

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Mold (Wales): Another squatting case collapses on appeal at Crown Court

By: sisulscz - November 8th, 2013  Filed under: News

Resistance to s.144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) 2012 that outlaws squatting in residential buildings is growing. Ultimately, the law may prove unworkable and unenforceable.

Ten days ago, squatters occupied a residential council property in Southwark in protest at the sell-off of council houses and the criminalisation of squatting under s.144. Last week, a Brighton squatter was acquitted on appeal as the prosecution failed to prove he was living at the property. His two co-defendants had previously been acquitted on the same charge.

Yesterday, another case collapsed when the Crown Prosecution Service presented no evidence at Mold Crown Court against Tristan Dixon who was appealing his conviction under s.144.
[Read More]

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Southwark, London: Interview with occupiers of the residential building on Park Street

By: dolph-l - November 2nd, 2013  Filed under: Interviews

Nestled in a quiet street between the river and Borough Market, surrounded by expensive butchers, wine bars and offices for start-up PR companies and various institutional offshoots of the Globe Theatre sits 21-23 Park Street. The nearly 200 year old building originally housed managers at the nearby Anchor Brewery, but was sold to Southwark Council who used it as part of their housing stock.

The building made headlines last week as news that the council was auctioning off the property with a reserve of  £2.25 million earned it the title of “the most expensive council house in Britain”. On Monday, just as news that the property had been sold for  £2.96 million began circulating, it also became clear that the building had been occupied by local residents, some of whom are part of a new mutual support group called Housing Action Southwark & Lambeth, in an attempt to prevent the sale of yet more public housing. Having attempted to identify a number of possible offences, it became clear that police had no legal recourse to arrest the occupants, and they left. [Read More]

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Brighton: Section 144 appeal successful! Calling Mike Weatherley MP a coward case continues

By: dolph-l - November 1st, 2013  Filed under: News

We won the appeal!!

A squatter convicted under s144 had the conviction unanimously overturned for lack of ANY evidence. Our barrister was ninja and the judge laid down some stringent guidelines on what the police must do to establish proof that someone lives in a squat. Unfortunately he refused to define what constitutes residential…

A deeper analysis will follow, for now we can only say if you are accused of squatting a residential building, don’t talk to police at all (no comment interview) and plead not guilty. This law is fucked and unenforceable.

Also, the #mikeweatherleyisacoward case continues so our @housingwar twitter will continue with court updates. Continue reading for tweets from court today:

[Read More]

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Southwark, London: Residential occupation in protest of council housing sell-off and Section 144

By: dolph-l - October 28th, 2013  Filed under: News, Press release

Housing activists have occupied a property owned by Southwark council which was due to be auctioned today at a starting price of £2.3 million.

They have occupied the building to stop the sell-off of yet more public housing stock when the borough faces a severe housing crisis with almost 25,000 people on the housing waiting list and increasing numbers of people forced to sleep rough on London’s streets.

The occupation is also a challenge to section 114 of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) introduced last September which criminalised squatting in residential properties. This law has meant that homeless people seeking shelter in empty buildings can find themselves with a prison sentence. [Read More]

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London, UK: Made Possible by Squatting Call-out for Submissions

By: Rosa - July 4th, 2013  Filed under: News

Made Possible by Squatting seeks submissions for an exhibition in September 2013 and an on-line archive that celebrate how squatting has positively affected the lives of individuals & communities in London.

Against the back-drop of the criminalisation of squatting Made Possible by Squatting is looking for work that depicts or embodies a particular chosen experience, movement, space or place in relation to squatting.

The story you choose to tell could be your own, or a history you want to investigate and share.

It could be current or historic – a huge chapter in the life of a community, or a tiny forgotten moment in time, extraordinary or quite ordinary.

The format is completely open – works can be sculptural, photographic, print based, archive materials, workshops, performance, digital, video, audio, temporary or permanent…

[Read More]
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UK: Damned Lies and No Useful Statistics – The Criminalisation of Squatting in England and Wales

By: Rosa - April 22nd, 2013  Filed under: News

To tie in with the courtcase starting Monday in Brighton, when three squatters are going on trial under s144 and will not be pleading guilty, here’s some analysis of the criminalisation of squatting in England and Wales..

In 2012, as we all know, new offence of squatting in a residential building was created by the Government, following a moral panic in the media whipped up by a few right-wing politicians. After a rushed consultation, a last-minute clause was added to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (LASPO) which meant that it was never properly discussed in the House of Commons. The bill was then pushed through the House of Lords at midnight. Section144 criminalises trespass in a residential building with up to 6 months in prison and/or £5000 fine. Previous campaigns to criminalise squatting in the late 1970s and mid 1990s had failed, unfortunately this time it partially succeeded.

[Read More]

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UK: “The Case Against Section 144″ Press Release

By: Rosa - March 5th, 2013  Filed under: Press release

Press Release

For immediate release

Campaign to repeal new squatting law launched in Parliament

Entitled ‘The Case Against Section 144’, SQUASH (Squatters Action for Secure Homes) are launching a new report and campaign in Parliament today. The report’s findings suggest the major concerns regarding criminalisation that arose during the government’s consultation process have been proven right, with homeless and vulnerable people disproportionately affected. No arrests so far have been for squatters displacing anyone from their home, which does suggest that the Criminal Law Act 1977 was sufficient for dealing with squatters – as predicted by many legal experts.

[Read More]

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