Tag Archives: Bristol

Bristol squatters research group @ base

BSRG will be at BASE on 6th March.. they will be in the library rummaging from 3pm, and doing a cafe from 6pm :)

www.bristolsquatted.org/

They are keen to talk to people involved in squatting in Bristol and especially anyone involved in squatting Base. If you want to chat to them come along.
Their research is on squatting in Bristol 1940’s to present day.

So much of what we love about Bristol was made possible by squatting. Bristolians have taken over buildings and public spaces for housing, protest, art, gigs, raves, libraries, food and laughter from Leigh Woods to Easton. We’ve squatted in the aftermath of the Second World War, during the Miners’ Strike and in response to 21st Century austerity. But the memory of squatted spaces is all too easily lost to eviction and criminalisation.

This projects seeks to map when, where and why us and our neighbours have squatted in Bristol. By mapping the impact of squatting on the city we hope to claim the tactic the space it deserves in the city’s history and ask what the role is for squatting in Bristol today.

We’re starting by interviewing people who have squatted in Bristol to pull together a map of formerly squatted spaces. We’ll use that to start developing ways to tell the story squatting in Bristol in the 20th and 21st Century and running workshops on the future for squatting in the city.

View the map (hosted by the Squatting Europe Kollective)

How can I help or get involved?

Have you been involved in squatting in Bristol? Whether you’ve attended squat parties, squatted for housing or supported people squatting on your street, we’d love to interview you. For the foreseeable future interviews will be over Zoom or telephone. You can remain anonymous and you will have control over what we record and what we don’t. Get in touch at toyo@riseup.net.

Are you interested in helping run the project? We’re particularly interested in this being an intergenerational project where younger Bristolians who haven’t squatted in the city get to know older generations who have. All skills and none are useful, but we’d be particularly keen to hear from people who know how to record audio and video, archive, interview and organise events. Get in touch via toyo@riseup.net.

https://www.brh.org.uk/site/project/bristol-squatted/

Support base social centre: crowd funder and sponsored run

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-base-social-centre

Base Social Centre

BASE social centre in Bristol has provided an important space for community and organising for a better world for over 25 years. Putting principles of mutual aid, solidarity, self organisation and co-operation into practice it has been an inspiration to many. This autonomous, not for profit space has contributed so much to Bristol’s good reputation as a city of radical and progressive politics. BASE has provided genuinely affordable / free space to a wide range of community, campaign and activist groups and hosted innumerable events of all sorts. It is a place where people can meet others, socialise, eat, work, learn and organise together as equals. We are very proud of all that it stands for and all that it has achieved over the years and long may it continue.


Like many grassroots community projects, BASE has been really badly affected by the pandemic. We took the decision to keep the cafe, our primary source of income, closed to prioritise community safety and to avoid contributing to the spread of covid 19. This has meant that while our principles of collective care, mutual aid and solidarity are in good shape, our finances are not! The project’s reserve funds are now at a critically low level. So, it’s about time for some sponsored stuff! We get that everyone is a bit tired of yet another crowdfunder, so we thought we’d give this one some legs!

A group of BASE volunteers and supporters are running a half marathon along the Devon coast on 5th February to raise some much needed funds. While there may be some nice views along the way, it’s undoubtedly going to be an arduous metaphor for the struggle! It is described by the run organisers, Endurance Life, as “punishing” and “severe terrain”. Because the tougher it is the more money we raise, right? We will get it done, in the spirit of the old revolutionary adage of “Run comrade, the old world is right behind you!”


If you value autonomous, free, not for profit, community spaces please contribute to the crowdfunder and share it as widely as you can. Your support for BASE social centre is really appreciated.

From Slave Trade to Arms Trade

Bristol Against the Arms Trade (BAAT) presents: From the Slave Trade to the Arms Industry
BAATBristolians played an active part in abolishing the slave trade, despite the economic benefits it had for the city. Now Bristol’s wealth is tied to military aerospace and arms industries which are profiting from the current endless wars. Time to call for conversion?

On Sunday 28 February, doors open at 1.30pm, at Kebele social centre:
2.00pm – Open Planning Meeting + speaker from CAAT
4.00pm – Films “Not in our Name” and others
6.30pm onwards – The Legendary Kebele Sunday Social and vegan cafe.
See FB event
All welcome!

Anarchist Bookfair FUNdraising Social on 27 February

LaDIYfest Bristol (FB page) in association with Bristol Anarchist Bookfair 2016 present an evening of good food, friends, music and poetry! Starts 6pm (and see FB event)     
Benefit_27FebFB
Featuring…
GOREM & AVONA – Members of Viva Zapata! bringing rich sounds of folk, punk into stories of the wild, love and resistance.
LEILIAH JANE KING – Spoken word to fill your senses!
BEX – Insane spanish guitar with grunge twist.

PLUS: Kebele vegan meal, three courses including cake provided by the Bookfair collective and LaDIYfest. Spirits and Mixers available for a suggested donation of £2.50 each!

8thYerTiz£5 suggested donation – all proceeds go to the costs of putting on the Bookfair and AfterParty – which is on 30th April 2016 at Trinity Centre!

Two new anarchist reading/discussion groups, starting Friday 4th March

Anarchism and Education – 1st Friday of every month 7-9pm (starting Friday 1st April, then 6th May, 3rd June etc)

Bookchin Reading Group – 3rd Friday of every month, 7-9pm (Except first session, which will be Friday 4th March, then 15th April, 20th May etc)

Recommended reading links:

A short article by Bookchin THE GREENING OF POLITICS:
Toward a New Kind of Political Practice
http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Archives/bookchin/gp/perspectives1.html

The introducation chapter from the book Social Ecology and Communalism by M.Bookchin
http://www.psichenatura.it/fileadmin/img/M._Bookchin_What_is_Social_Ecology.pdf

Free/Donation