[Squat!net]

The homelessness industry is today welcoming an upcoming change in the law which could see homeless people forced to live in unsuitable or unsafe accommodation or face losing eligibility for benefits.

Homeless Link and St Mungo’s Broadway have published a gushing press release cheering amendments to the rules for Jobseeker’s Allowance set to come into force next month. The changes mean that newly homeless people may only be considered meeting the criteria for benefits if they take “such steps as are reasonable for him (sic) to take to find living accommodation.”
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Summary of Repression (February 22nd demo)

Summary of arrests and trials since the demo in Nantes, February 22nd, according to information found by the anti-repression committee (CARILA)
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Before returning to the favela Vila Autódromo for the first time since 2012, I had already been told that the community would not look the same. As a friend said to me, “It will resemble a perfect smile with several teeth knocked out.” Vila Autódromo is situated just yards away from the site of the 2016 Rio Olympic village, and Olympic planners as well as construction interests have long targeted this close-knit community for demolition. Located on an achingly beautiful lake, where glittering new high-rise condominiums have sprouted “seemingly overnight”, the city’s business and political leaders see prime real estate, with pesky favelados in the way of their development dreams.
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We are a group of ecological farmers who have spent the last two years creating a community farm for the benefit of local people. We live peacefully in Yorkley where we have contributed positively to the Forest of Dean in many different ways.
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Page now here

An interview with Rogier from the Eastern KSU and Maks from the Student KSU, in Amsterdam (Wertheim park, July 28th, 2013). The interviewers are Y & Z, two Frenchies involved in the squatting movement in Paris. You also can find a French translation of the interview on the French pages of Squat!net.
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Today we have independently taken use of the building located on the Voorstraat 36. Our motivations for this action are the declining opportunities for acquiring affordable housing (largely caused by the breakdown of social housing), the increasing repression of every from of self-determination and alternative social organization (as once again has been shown by the recent eviction of the Valreep in Amsterdam), as well as our dissent with the application and execution of the law ‘Kraken en Leegstand’1, (squatting and vacant buildings) that has been in put into use on the first of October 2010. Today its nearing four years after its implementation, and as expressed by article VIA of the law Kraken en Leegstand, it will soon be up for evaluation. Considering our opinion that the effectivity of this law in practice is extremely disputable and the effects do not approach its aimed goals whatsoever, we now want to raise our voices loud and clearly; against vacant buildings the municipality doesn’t do anything, but we do! [Read More]

In the court case of the State (Openbaar Ministerie) against the VluchtMarkt, lawyer Uppal argued that although since 2010 squatting is a crime, the decision of evictions must be evaluated as proportionate to the interests of the squatters and the ones of the owners. Apart from a few technical exceptions, so far no judge has ruled in favour of the interests of the squatters. [Read More]

The #ReconstruïmCanVies process was launched on May 31 when more than a thousand people worked on rubble removal in the demolished chapel. That day, the collective boost made everyone dream about recovering what the City Council and the District of Sants-Montjuïc, through TMB (Public Transport Corporation) wanted to take us away. We recovered the street, lost our fear and empowered ourselves to stay there: to rebuild in peace what they violently destroyed.
Why do we want to rebuild Can Vies?
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Sorry guys but don’t want to sound rude but just one thing

Why should I wear a Brazilian t-shirt and support my shit country?

Give me a reason for wearing one and I can give you 100 reasons not to wear one..
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Tomorrow, Thursday 19th, at 10.30 AM court case for defending the VluchtMarkt

The squatted buildings on Ten Katestraat 61 and 63, owned by Rochdale, are under threat. The officer of justice Otto van der Bijl has sent the 8 weeks notice, which means that not the owner, but the state itself is taking initiative against the refugees. It is the first time that a ‘We Are Here‘ squat is treated with the criminal law. According to local politicians, Rochdale still seems to have no plans and no permits to renovate the properties, while the people occupying them have spend many weeks re-building the spaces (including toilets, showers, electricity, floors and ceilings) and made them safe and liveable. [Read More]

Live ticker (in Dutch)
SUMMARY:
The Valreep never got the chance to present our plans to the city council and the project developer OCP, even though we have an investor and valid business plan. The Valreep could have survived without subsidy but apparantly has to be replaced for yet another yuppie cafe.

The riot cops needed thirteen hours today to evict social centre Op de Valreep. The bustling, independent neighbourhood initiative has existed for almost three years without any subsidy and with volunteers only. At least 17 people have been arrested. People were locked on top of and in the building in lockons, big barrels filled up with concrete. Update: 12 people have been released!
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