UK: 40 top lawyers sign Guardian anti-squatting law repeal letter

By: Rosa - March 28th, 2013  Filed under: News

The letter reads:

It is just over six months since the offence of squatting in a residential building came into force. At the time the offence was proposed, government sources claimed it was necessary as the law “does not support police acting when there are squatters in someone’s home” and that “there are no powers to throw them out”. The signatories to this letter include many of the 160 lawyers who wrote to the Guardian (26 September 2011) pointing out that, as a matter of law, those statements were wrong, as such powers did exist and had done so since the enactment of the Criminal Law Act 1977.

[Read More]

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London, UK: Self-Organised London buzzing with activity

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

The Self-Organised London (SOL) squatted social centre continues to resist eviction at Elephant and Castle despite a court of their Order awarding its corrupt owners a possession order three weeks ago. In truth, the current occupiers never held any hope in the current State-Capital system to yield any justice to the local community, as the social elite push for more luxury homes for their own in the heart of London. To expect justice from a partnership which projects only to degrade everything public by converting it into a means for profit, which is the inherent desire of the ruling class in a world where the heads of the multinationals are the heads of State, is foolhardy indeed. And, like in Argentina, the majority of the population in the UK continues to live within the consumerist bubble without protesting, while people are being duped into the poverty of slavery by a lying Press which lives by the same axiom as the economists themselves.

[Read More]

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Self Organised London still alive and kicking!

By: dolph-l - March 16th, 2013  Filed under: News

A brief update on our situation and upcoming events…

As Self-Organised London Social Space, we have now been squatting Eileen House at 80-94 Newington Causeway in Elephant & Castle for three weeks against welfare cuts, gentrification and the privatisation of space.

In response, we aim to provide space for community self-organisation, and have so far hosted events such as; People’s Kitchen, housing action meetings, talks, film screenings, theatre, music, workshops and discussions. It’s now been over two weeks since we lost possession in High Court with bailiffs due at any time, but we are continuing to run the social space from Wednesday to Sunday from 2-10pm.

Coming up this weekend in our event listings we have Spanish-English language exchange nearby and a local ‘workfare sleuth‘ to support on Saturday, with on Sunday the weekly political theatre and tango lessons from Library St London, as well as the new Queer Cinema from London Queer Social Centre. [Read More]

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London: Feminists Evicted from Women’s Library

By: Rosa - March 12th, 2013  Filed under: News

At 3.30pm on 9 March feminist protestors were evicted from their two-day occupation of The Women’s Library [1]. Defiant to the end, women had to be dragged from the soon-to-be-closed building by High Court Bailiffs and Police. Outside they were met with cheers from a one hundred-strong crowd of supporters.

[Read More]

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UK: Is Mike Weatherley Dead Yet (a brief interview)

By: sisulscz - March 10th, 2013  Filed under: Interviews, News

Some stories enrage you because there shouldn’t have to be anything more to say: no National Debate or serious frowny faces on Question Time. The HIV-positive asylum seeker and her 10-month-old child who starved to death in a Westminster flat last March. The teenager who set himself on fire in a council office in December after they refused to find him a home.

And now there’s 35-year-old homeless man Daniel Gauntlett, who died of hypothermia in Aylesford last week on the porch of an empty bungalow that he could not enter without facing arrest and a criminal record.
[Read More]

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London: We have successfully occupied the Women’s Library

By: sisulscz - March 9th, 2013  Filed under: News

Seventy activists from feminist groups, Occupy, UK Uncut, Solidarity Federation and Disabled People Against Cuts have today occupied London’s historic Women’s Library in a daring bid to save it from closure.
In a secret action, a small group of women from the specially-formed Reclaim It! group led the take-over of the library in central London at 1.30pm. Within minutes they were joined by a larger crowd of protestors who had been led to the location by the organisers from two meeting points.
[Read More]

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Bristol (UK): Overnight rooftop protest averts eviction of Braggs Lane squat

By: dolph-l - March 7th, 2013  Filed under: News

The squat at Bragg’s Lane / West Street in Old Market, Bristol, was on the night of Monday 4th besieged by cops as part of an illegal aviction attempt. After an overnight rooftop protest and negoitation, possession was then regained by 6pm the following day.

See below the updates from ‘braggs lane rooftop climbing club’ from Tuesday 5th for more information on their inspiring eviction resistance:

1pm: thank you for the warm food an drinks, tent and blankets, we wouldn’t have made it through the night without them.
we’re still on roof, have had sporadic visits from police but they wont approach as they deem our position too dangerous.

first chance they get the police will arrest us, probably on suspicion of criminal damage. we have the building though and would like people to occupy it. [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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London (UK): S.O.L. lost in Court….PEOPLE’S KITCHEN (&…) AS USUAL !!!

By: Rosa - March 2nd, 2013  Filed under: News

Yet again, the law has served the interests of corporate business: The High Court issued an order of possession for Eileen House. It might result in bailiffs turning up anytime from today afternoon: we’ll have a legal update then.

But we insist: at a time when welfare and benefits are cut by the government, thousands of properties stand empty, and community and public spaces are sold off for private profit, squatting is more than legitimate!

[Read More]

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UK: Homeless Man Prevented From Squatting Dies

By: Rosa - March 1st, 2013  Filed under: News

We are gutted to bring the extremely sad news that media reports suggest that homeless man Daniel Gauntlett is the first known person to die because of the new squatting law brought in last September which criminalised squatting in residential properties.

There may be more people who have been affected in this way but he is the only person we know of for sure. He passed away last Saturday. The news comes exactly 6 months after the introduction of the new law.

[Read More]

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UK: Criminalising squatting, empty homes and property guardianship

By: Rosa - February 23rd, 2013  Filed under: News

‘Property guardianship’ or ‘anti-squatting’ is a phenomenon which started in the Netherlands in the 1990s and has now spread to five other European countries, including the UK. Property guardians are essentially unofficial security guards, who pay to inhabit a building as their home, under the tenure of ‘license’.

Crucially, this is not a tenancy, and has none of the corresponding automatic rights of security of tenure. ‘Guardians’ usually pay £15-100 a week to do this, depending on the company involved, and the area they are in – the cost is always below market rent.

[Read More]

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London (UK): Eileen House opened by Self-Organised London as new social space

By: dolph-l - February 21st, 2013  Filed under: News
Self-Organised London Social Space opened in squatted office building near Elephant and Castle

Eileen House on 80-94 Newington Causeway, a 1960s office building, has now been empty for years. Its redevelopment has been subject to a protracted and contested debate between Southwark Council, Oakmayne developers, local residents, the famous nightclub “Ministry of Sound” (located opposite Eileen House) and – the mayor of London.
After numerous months of haggling and bureaucratic warfare, it’s time to reclaim Eileen house for the public and the interests of the Elephant’s residents!
On Tuesday night, a number of social centre collectives squatted Eileen House as a direct action against gentrification. As a selforganised London Social Space, we want to propose & exchange ideas for radical alternatives, serving the needs of the many vibrant and organic communities around E&C! [Read More]
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