Housing / Squatting

from imc-uk, 30 January 2008: hooray! this week we will finally know the status of 24 lever street - and can plan how to resurrect an autonomous social centre in manchester - come along to a meeting 4th february 2008 to get involved. more

from Rampart, 30 January 2008: Latest listings for Ramparts events: film nights, discussions, Reclaim Your Health, Gladio evening, Brad Will plus much more ++++
"We’re a bit concerned that the idea has gotten round that the Rampart is already gone, and that isn’t true at all. The social centre is still running and available to groups for events, meetings and workshops for as long as we have the space.. which could be for some time still yet..." more

from email, 26 January 2008: TAAs are free, open access art exhibitions that take place in disused and reclaimed spaces throughout the UK. Next meeting at the [Brighton] Cowley Club on 5th March. Come along and find out a bit more about TAA's and offer your skills and experience. Get involved! more

Having fought off raids by police and landlords, the new occupied social centre in Hackney is flinging open its doors for a great evening of food, films and friends... Bring-and-share potluck, with film TBC. 6pm - midnight, Thursday February 14th, 231 Lower Clapton Road, Hackney (former Chimes nightclub) more

from rampARTs email, 23 January 2008: Seems many people seem to think rampART has closed. IT HAS NOT! The legal process is still ticking along with a decision expected soon on whether we can have an appeal hearing... We'd like to remind people that the space is still available for events etc and that we have a backup space should eviction interfere with peoples plans. However, keeping two spaces open has been a major drain on everyone involved and the rampART itself is not getting the attention it deserves for the last few weeks... more

from imc-uk, 24 January 2008: In response to the announcement that a major civil disobedience action is under way politicians from the Copenhagen Council have made public two possible addresses for a new Ungdomshus.

According to the plan, the disobedience action was due to start on 21st February 2008, when the council holds a new conference about a new Ungdomshus, which is the last chance to get a new house before 1st March, the "1-year-jubilee" of the eviction, where new riots are apprehended if the parties do not have a solution by then. more

email, 18 January 2008 - from Western Cape Anti-Eviction Campaign - A couple of article about housing struggles in South Africa. The first is about resistance to the planned eviction of shackdwellers at Hout Bay, Cape Town. The second article is about a community's stuggle for repairs to be made to their crumbling homes, and their demand that 50% of the workers on the project would come from the community itself. more

from email, 14 January 2008: On order of the city officials of Helsinki on Monday 14th January 2008 around 12 a.m. the police evicted the new autonomous social center that was occupied previous Friday in Saarenkatu 17. Seven people were arrested and many people who happened to be around the house during the eviction were asked to show their IDs without giving any reasons. more

from various sources, 3 January 2008: Info on how to receive text message alerts to help defend Ramparts from eviction and get social centre events news.

There was a meeting on the 6th January 2008 to discuss how to breath new life into maintaining radical autonomous social centres in London. There will be a follow-up meeting at the start of February - details tbc. more

31-12-2007: The rampART social center is finally facing eviction after almost 4 years of providing a non-commercial venue for a wide range of activities... The rampART collective will be hosting what might be the last big event at the social center... "Fuck The Bailiffs! Smash The Borders!" - a New Years Eve extravaganza of roots music, conscious hip-hop, mcs, djs and good times

8pm til latepm @ RampART Social Centre, 15-17 Rampart Street, Whitechapel, E1 2LA (nearest tube: Whitechapel/Aldgate East) more

from rampART, 21 December 2007: Today the rampART social centre lost in court against a claim for possession. A possession order will now be granted although not until the 3rd Jan 2008... It turns out that the so-called new owners of the houses are in fact a wholly-owned subsidiary of the 'previous owner', the Rampart Trust Co Ltd that still owns the warehouse which the social center occupies. more

from email, 13.12.2007: "So we are inviting people involved in all squatted autonomous spaces around the UK to meet and discuss the squatting situation and some preparation for the days of action in April. The idea for this meeting is inspired by the recent international meeting in Dijon..." more

from Western Cape Anti Eviction Campaign, 2 December: A small group of, often European funded, networked NGOs, some connected to 'Globalize Resistance' in UK, have consistently sought to use their money to speak for and essentially take over popular struggles in South Africa ... Since last year the biggest militant movements in the country have declared their rejection of this authoritarianism. The paranoid response of the left NGOs has mirrored that of the state - the movements have been publicly declared irrational and criminal for demanding democratic horizontally organised networking forums and the right to speak for themselves... more

from email, 21 December 2007: "Today (December 20th) the Youth Department of the city of Helsinki decided not to rent the squatted house in the Vallila district to be used as an autonomous social centre... Unfortunately the resources in the Helsinki squatting scene are still small and when the cops come to evict it is a battle we are sure to lose. In this situation we choose to leave this house and go nomadic. Today we disappear to return with even more force in the near future..." more