Housing / Squatting

This morning at about 4.30am the cops came to evict us, and well, we had already decided to move on. In fact we had already decided to go an occupy another space back in January, when we lost the court case. So, see you in the next social centre...

We would like to remind people that resistance happens every day, not just with every eviction, not even with every occupation, in our everyday lives.  more

Today police forces evicted the occupied Dalston Theatre in Dalston Lane, Hackney. Police came around 4.30 in the morning. more

The long and eventful battle to stop the demolition of the historic Dalston theatre (previously the 4 Aces/Labyrinth Club), could be drawing to a climatic end. The fate of the theatre is hanging in the balance as the current court injunction preventing its demolition is set to run out. The occupiers acted after years of council neglect had left the once prestigious building in almost complete ruin. Built in 1896, the building has served as a circus venue, a theatre, a filmhouse and eventually a concert hall, at one point playing host to legendary acts such as Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, and later on The Prodigy.  more

A couple of weeks ago a large contingent of Brighton squatters got together and occupied a large disused 'mental' hospital. more

This weekend at the CommonPlace social centre in Leeds promises to be kerrazee with three days of jam-packed fun, frollicks and politics. more

The Common Place Cinema Collective invites you to... Autonomous Social Centres: a new political movement? more

We started to do this on LARC (London) like the same, of the one in Barcelona. The idea is the same of there. Once a week everyone from different social centres or other places in London came to LARC to take it. But it's not all. People there, used to bring the posters and flyers they are making and everyone take the others posters and then post them in their social centres. more

A cafe night in support of the squat / occupied cafe in Hackney is being organised by some of us in WOMBLES. It should be a good night. Your presence is more than welcome. more

Social Centres have been defined as being occupied or rented buildings which are used as radical, anti-capitalist centres. They provide a common resource, (meeting space, popular kitchen/cafe, social space, cinema, gig venue, internet, classes, self-education...etc), with some attracting thousands of people over the period they're open and a consistent engagement with radical politics.  more

05:05 07/09/01 REPORT: At 8am on Friday 7 September, riot cop units of Territorial Support Group (TSG) stormed two London social centres. Initial press reports that they were armed were, as usual, false. The TSG proceeded to arrest four people on ludicrous charges - conspiracy to commit public disorder - and to smash anything of use, especially some carnival puppets intended for use on the DSEi action...  more

March - August 2004: The building - an ex-wine bar - had lain empty for over 2 years until we sqatted it, cleaned it up and opened the doors to the community. In a very short space of time we built up an enormous amount of local support with large numbers of school students - who last year had their youth centre closed down - using and contributing to the space as a hangout, a place to have cheap/free lunch, and to attend weekly workshops in t-shirt printing & screen-printing.

A wide range of groups and initiatives used the space for meetings, discussions, film shows and benefits. Its public position at a busy junction made it an ideal location for showing anarchist politics in action. more

On the 6th January 2004, after 6 months of neglect, 93 Fortess Road, Kentish Town, was occupied. The aim of the people involved was to set up a social centre, a free space for people in the local community to use as a resource and to create a place where people can come together and get creative. A place which is free, fun and accessible to everyone. more

The Radical Dairy Social Centre was evicted on Friday 21st February 2003 at 9am after losing its court case on Monday 10th February. The Radical Dairy was occupied by a group of friends in Stoke Newington in January 2002. It was opened to the public within 30 hours and offered free political, cultural and social events to the local community.  more

Social centres organise to create new worlds, new possibilities, real leisure and social alternatives to wage labour and centralised power. Although more established in countries like Italy and Spain, the concept of social centres as a political strategy is taking off all over the UK. more