Serbia: Update from Šid

In Šid, Serbia, we are currently experiencing the gradual return of migrants after the recent eviction of squats throughout town. Police had forcibly brought people living inside the squats to far away camps close to the Romanian and Bulgarian borders. This resulted in a major set back for them on their way to the EU. However, there also are new faces among those coming to Šid.

During the eviction, many of the guys had their telephones, money and other personal belongings taken away by police. Tents that were sheltering over a hundred people prior to the eviction were destroyed, as well as all the blankets keeping these same people warm at night.
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Northern Serbia: Large-scale police operation sweeps refugee squats

The largest eviction of people was carried out at the settlement in the former Grafosrem industrial facility, but was accompanied by the clearance of multiple other smaller squats throughout the city of Šid / The Deputy Head of the Municipality of Šid, Mr Zoran Semenović was also in attendance, declaring the abandoned factory site to be his property, loudly insulting NNK volunteers that were present and — together with police — removing these witnesses from the area
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Belgrade: Refugees evicted from the squatted warehouses

20170511_eviction_belgrade_8Serbian authorities evicted the barracks behind the main train station of Belgrade today. During the eviction officials of the commissariat sprayed insecticides in the barracks at a time as many refugees were still inside.

The eviction of the barracks behind the main train station started at 07:30am this morning. The ministry of Labor, Social and Veteran Affairs announced the “relocation” of refugees from the barracks on May the 5th. According to Nenad Ivansevic, State Secretary of this Ministry, the plan was to complete the eviction within 20 days. Authorities were misleading reporters by saying that they would not use force to “transfer” the refugees. An eviction is always forced when people don”t leave voluntarily but because of an eviction order.

Yesterday it already became clear that Serbian authorities would evict much faster as Ivansevic said. Several kitchen collectives were told by Serbian authorities to stop providing food to refugees by the weekend and yesterday authorities announced that they will start to demolish the barracks at 07:00am. [Read More]

New squat in Belgrade!

The comrades write:

Hi !

After we got kicked by junkies from the last squat in Dobracina street, we squatted a new building in Kralja milutina 18. The website is http://www.kudruc.co.sr/

The new squat is better then the old one, and we have electricity, water, and some program. Although most ppl come to drink and get high. So i think its a gathering place of a new activism here in Serbia. We are next to caffe called Dzkc, in the centre of the city, and next to us live some roma pple they squatted the building next to us too. So if u wish to come to sleep,to do the workshop or eat for free you are welcome, just send an email before u come, that would be nice at :
kudruc [at] yahoogroups [dot] com [Read More]

Repression against Gypsies in Belgrade and protests

Message from Mon, 2 Sep 2002 : Gypsies exiled from squated land

These days Roms (gypsies) in Belgrade experienced that they don’t have rights to live. Many of them live in one piece of land which ‘is property’ of the factory called IMT (Industry of Motors and Tractors) 15 years already. After crisis in Yugoslavia, many factories are ruined, this one also. Director decided to sell that piece of land where they are living so many years, so they don’t have anywhere to go. Director stopped electricity and water for them & he put cages around them and private security guard, so when somebody go out that person can not come in back.

So, they decided to make protest and today 2.sept.’02 they came in front of town-hall of Belgrade. 200 of them & they told me that exists many more gipsy’s colonies in Belgrade, but they are still not united in protest. I met them when they came in front of town-hall and after one hour some spokesman of authority come to speak with them. They said to him about director’s behavior so he went with them to find him and to move bodyguards. It passed 2 hours and they didn’t come back, so I had to go. Tomorrow, protest will continue…

Spokesman of authority said them that they’ll try to find tomorrow solution for them, on the level of government, so tomorrow after 15 o’clock delegation of gipsies can come to government to hear what they decided and to choose one of solutions (first solution is to find some destroyed caserne, second is to put them in places for refugees, third is to wait that government build some colony for them). All three solutions are bad. Gypsies doesn’t have jobs so they live from shrinking of cartoons and selling it so casernes are far away from town. Places for refugees are bad also and building of colony is long job. So, tomorrow we will see what Gypsies will (not) accept.

Message from Thu, 5 Sep 2002
Continuing of Gipsy’s protest in Belgrade

Gipsies started with their protest at afternoon 2.9.’02 & still they were in front of town-hall (3.sept.’02). This afternoon somebody from Government should come to speak with them, but nobody came.

First day of protest, Gipsies refused idea of authority: to find land for people who are more that 10 years in Belgrade, but others, who arrived ’cause of wars, could go in camps where are refugees. Gipsies didn’t accept this ’cause it would be separating of their community (and protest) – so authority doesn’t want to speak with them. Caserne is bad solution also, ’cause it is far away from town & they must collect cartoons in order to sell it and survive.

In any case, nobody came to speak with them, cops told them that they are lucky ’cause children are with them so they can’t beat them, 5 babies finished in hospital ’cause nobody came to help them with food, they slept in the park with babies… and result of it was that many people started to go back in their colony, where director said (after pressure from authority) that they can stay on that land one month yet. So, protest was ruined about 17 p.m. on 3.sept.’02.

Rebel Mouse <rebelmouse [at] hushmail [dot] com>