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

Posted on 22/04/2013 by squat

brightonTo 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.

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Oslo: Call-out for international solidarity for threatened Borgen building

Posted on 19/04/2013 by squat
Borgen-brenner

Thursday, 18th of april 2013

Borgen in the ‘old city’ in Oslo is a gigantic building which since ’93 has been used as offices for the national railway and later as a cultural fortress with studios and workshops for artists etc. The building has been, and still is a vital part of the borough; it’s a landmark and housing extintionthreathened bats.

The national railway wants to tear down the building with the excuse of constructing a new railway line which could be built underground instead. The former users of Borgen as well as local authorities said no to the destruction of the building. When they weren’t able to stop the process (the Oslo Council Plan- and building department gave permission to deconstruct without a single reasonable democratic hearing) Boligaksjonen (the housingaction) took the baton Friday april 5th.

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Brighton: Support for three squatters on trial

Posted on 18/04/2013 by squat
scene-big

On September 3 2012, some people were arrested for being in a derelict building under section 144 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act.

The three defendants are booked in for a two and a half day trial at Brighton Magistrates Court which starts at 10am Monday April 22 2013.

At this stage we think the trial will go ahead on this date. Come on down!! It’s gonna be a riot! a lot of fun. Solidarity actions would be welcome.

The charges originally were squatting (under s144), obstruction (of the police in their lawful duty) and abstraction (ie stealing electricity). The abstraction charge has already been dropped.
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Barcelona: C.S.O.A. La Nave Espacial threatened with eviction

Posted on 07/04/2013 by squat

CSOA-LaNave-EspacialC.S.O.A La Nave Espacial in Barcelona received notice that they will be brought to court on the 28th of May.

What is La Nave Espacial?

We are a self-run Artistic Social Center that for the last five years has offered a free space for circus, music, theater and dance creation. Over the years we have successfully developed free workshops, cabarets, musical showcases, projections, expositions, family days and festivals (PobreNou, now in its fourth year). The Nave Espacial is at 176 Ávila street in Barcelona, in one of the old and previously-abandoned warehouses in the Poblenou neighborhood.

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Rio de Janeiro (Brazil): Call for international solidarity with the Aldeia Maracanã

Posted on 02/04/2013 by squat
rio-maracana-n

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

On March 22, 2013 at 03:00, the police surrounded the old Indiginous museum, renamed by the indians Aldeia Maracanã (Maracanã Village), which is adjacent to the Maracanã Stadium, which will host the 2014 World Cup.

Occupied 6 years ago by various indigenous ethnic groups and their families, the occupation of the building was intendeded to build a center of indigenous culture controlled by Indians themselves, and also planned to create a Indigenous Popular University, as well as serving as housing for Indians passing through the city.

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Cologne, Germany : You wanna kick us out? We kick you out now!

Posted on 19/03/2013 by squat

17First reactions on the termination of the use contract of Autonomous Centre Cologne (AZ Kalk).

The savings bank Sparkasse KölnBonn has cancelled the use contract with the AZ at the 13th of March 2013, as demanded by the politrix of the city of Cologne. Reactions of concerned and solidary structures were quick to come. Activists made a visit to the town hall and the head office of Sparkasse at Rudolfplatz on the following day. Later in the evening around 200 people made a spontaneous demonstration through the city centre.

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London: We have successfully occupied the Women’s Library

Posted on 10/03/2013 by squat

photo-2Seventy 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.

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Heavy Riots rocked Zurich, Switzerland. BINZ squat under eviction threat.

Posted on 04/03/2013 by squat

Binz Zurich

Last night, as 2.500 – 4.000 people took the streets for a “Reclaim the Streets” parade in solidarity with the biggest squat of the city, BINZ, which exists since 2006 and shall be evicted in April! Colourful dressed and with several sound systems and even a car with a live punk band on it, the big crowd moved out of the Binz at 23:00, where only a hand full of police was waiting and totally surprised. Until 23:45 the parade was loud and joyful, pyrotechnics was fired and not a single house on the route towards downtown wasn’t sprayed with dozens of tags, stencils and graffitis. At 23:45, as the crowd reached Wiedikon Train Station, police started firing rubber bullets and tear gas, and with support of their water cannon vehicle, they tried to disperse the RTS.

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London: Library Street, court adjourned for at least 21 more days!!!!

Posted on 09/02/2013 by squat

Today 6th of Feb at 12pm Colorama buildings went to Court. The judge deemed not worth the time going on with the procedure in a case where not enough evidence was provided by Claimants and didn’t even want to hear the Defendants.

Claim did not show how C1 and C2 are not connected at all and meant to treat it as one. They should be considered in different court cases and above all claimant’s papers have to be properly arranged….which won’t happen in less than 21 days!!!  :-)
There are more juicy details about the case… The section about “The Building” in this blog will bee soon updated.

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT AND SOLIDARITY!!!  SPACE BACK TO THE PEOPLE !  !

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Athens: ‘Thirty years of squats: The social and political projectuality of squatting, yesterday, today, tomorrow’

Posted on 09/02/2013 by squat

On Thursday evening, February 7th, an event-discussion took place in the occupied social centre VOX in Exarchia with participants in squatting projects of the past and the present in Athens, such as Valtetsiou (1981), Charilaou Trikoupi (1985), Lelas Karagianni 37 (since 1988), Villa Amalias (1990), Fylis and Ferron (1991), Alkamenous (1993), Ano-Kato Patission (since 1996), Patission 61 and Skaramaga (2009) and Epavli Kouvelou (since 2010).

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London : Friern Barnet Library saved by Squatters,Occupy activists and Local Library Campaign groups.2 year lease to be given.

Posted on 09/02/2013 by squat

On Tuesday 5th February, at midday, exactly five months since the occupation began, the community will take possession of the Friern Barnet Library. The local community – represented by the trustees of the library – are on the verge of agreeing a two-year lease with Barnet Council (LBB) to run the library with some funding from the council.

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UPDATE on the detained squatters in St Petersburg

Posted on 09/02/2013 by squat

All but one of the activists have been released on condition they appear in court to be charged with an administrative offence. This is a less serious offence and normally results in a formal warning or a fine.

The last squatter, whom the St Petersburg Investigative Committee has reported to be a 20-year old college student from Tajikistan, has been remanded for two months in St Petersburg’s notorious Kresty prison, suspected of  violence against a police officer.

Details about fundraising for his defence will be posted shortly.

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Situation in Anna Haava squat, Estonia

Posted on 09/02/2013 by squat

Squatting is a relatively new phenomenon in Estonia, as is the movement itself. So far we have had three attempts at creating a squat. The fourth, located in Anna Haava 7A, the most successful squat in Estonia so far and the first one in Tartu, is now facing possible eviction. We strive to keep our house, for that we need the support from both the local and the international community.

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Catalonia: For the extension of the Black February campaign to Barcelona

Posted on 06/02/2013 by squat

To all who desire to stand in solidarity in a coordinated or spontaneous fashion when combative squatting and its self-organized methods are in danger; to all who see clearly the parallels of repressive logic between what is happening in Greece and what is happening here in the same historic moment; to all who see the clear escalation and coordination of the current offensive by the eurofascist States against all subversive attitudes that don’t conform to their democratic lines – through immediate, violent intervention against our spaces, our people, our daily routines of activity, and the survival of our own self-organization and struggle.

It has become obvious that although this offensive on the part of different States is perpetual and ongoing, it is clearly coordinated and directed in this precise moment in order to encircle, divide, and destroy all of the physical praxis of squatting, from Barcelona to Greece. This praxis is necessary for our activities and survival, and the actions of many. Continue reading →

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Violent Squat Eviction in St Petersburg: Three Activists Face 10 Years in Prison

Posted on 05/02/2013 by squat

On 4th February, at around 10pm local time, riot police brutally evicted a group of anarchists, community activists and local history enthusiasts who had been occupying a disused railway station, Warsaw station, in St Petersburg, Russia.

Hearing that the site would soon be demolished to make way for a multi-storey housing complex, the activists had turned one of the last warehouses attached to the historic train station into a community centre, hosting concerts, poetry readings and a photo-exhibition of the history of the station.

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Basel (Switzerland): Half of Villa Rosenau squat burned down

Posted on 05/02/2013 by squat

In the night to Sunday, February 3rd, half of the last squat in Basel was burnt down. All residents of the building, which is squatted since 2004, were able to escape unhurt. The fire was possibly caused by a technical malfunction. At present it is unclear whether the Villa will ever be inhabitable again.

Contra Info

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Buenos Aires (Argentina): Solidarity mural for a Black February

Posted on 05/02/2013 by squat

In Buenos Aires streets, we painted a mural in solidarity with the squats in Greece and the world, in the context of the call for a Black February.

This action is symbolic; we do not believe that by painting a wall we put the Greek government into checkmate for its attack on squatted spaces that defy Power. However, we do see in it the potential of what it could mean – that is, not to turn a deaf ear to a cry for international solidarity. Continue reading →

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Crete (Greece): Video by Candia Alternativa in solidarity with squats and fighters

Posted on 04/02/2013 by squat

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Zaragoza (Spain): Solidarity banner with the struggle in Greece from the assembly of Kike Mur squatted social centre

Posted on 04/02/2013 by squat

zaragoza_Kike_murin Spanish, also here – Contra Info

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Lima (Peru): Anarchist collective Marea Rebelde joins in the worldwide campaign of direct actions, from the 2nd to the 12th of February 2013

Posted on 04/02/2013 by squat

From Lima, we join in the international solidarity campaign, even though we believe in it on a daily basis. So, we prepare an informative activity on squats and liberated spaces that resist the authority’s blows in Greece and the world. As some compas in the South have pointed out, ‘the most revolutionary solidarity is to continue the fight in each of our regions.’

For each project destroyed, two new ones should arise across the globe.

For each imprisoned comrade, our actions should do the talking. Continue reading →

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