[Squat!net]

Received by email, features mainstream media..

International Human Rights Organizations and Dear Friends, Comrades, Press Members from all over the world;

This is an urgent call from human rights defenders, activists, NGOs, professional chambers, grassroots, neighbourhood associations and Istanbulites.

Since the 27th of May,Istanbulites from all social and political backgrounds and ages and from all over the city had been continuing a peaceful resistance in Gezi Park, the city’s largest public park, soon to be demolished due to a renewal project. According to the project, decades old trees in the park will be cut down and a big mall in the replica of the once Ottoman Artillery Barracks (Topçu Kışlası)will be erected:
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Suddenly, they came storming out. They were about ten or fifteen. Black clothes and balaclavas. They had a fire extinguisher, a ladder and some tires on them. And gasoline. The great final act of the sad drama of the fall of Ubica was unfolding.

Up to about eleven o’clock the tension was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. Nobody knew what was going to happen, except three nervous nail biters on the terrace of a café on the Ganzenmarkt, the square on which the Ubica is situated, the place that offered the best view of the spectacle that is the Ubica eviction, last Friday. It seemed like such an ordinary Friday night for the beer drinkers on the Ganzenmarkt. Another workweek gone by, another night consumed away. Nothing’s out of the ordinary, tomorrow is day like any other. But those three visitors knew better. They had heard that the squatters would not just give up their autonomous space after 21 years. “Not without a fight“, was announced on Indymedia. But of course no time was specified so it came down to nail biting and suspenseful waiting. One thing was certain: in a little while the town hall would receive a make-over. [Read More]

We are pretty shocked to report that the third and last defendant was found GUILTY under s144 on May 24. He was sentenced to 40 hours unpaid labour and a £250 fine. Previous updates can be found here. This decision was immediately appealed and we will let you know the next court date asap.
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A human rights lawyer in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, who is executive director of the NGO Defenders of the Oppressed (Défenseurs des Opprimés – DOP), an IAI member, has been threatened and intimidated since 15 April, when two men were arrested and beaten for participating in a demonstration against evictions. One died in custody. The lawyer is now representing the cases of both men.
This is a call for international solidarity!
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Dear Friends of LA NAVE ESPACIAL,

In just few days starts the Revindication Week (28  of May – 2 of June 2013) against the eviction of la Nave Espacial.

As usual all the activities are FREE.

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On May 15, Yolanda, Silvia, Juan, Xabier and José were arrested in their homes in the province of Barcelona, by order of the Spanish National Court, in a police operation that resulted as well in the smashing and seizure of material from Catalan anarchists premises.

Accused of committing crimes such as terrorist group membership, praising terrorism, recruitment and indoctrination and storage of explosives, they are currently jailed in Soto del Real prison (Madrid), far away from their families and friends, under third grade imprisonment.
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The political mission of cologne’s city council has been known for a while now: The autonomous center in Kalk has to be removed and from the 30th of July 2013 there is an immediate threat of eviction. The AZ, which has been squatted and self-organized for more than three years now, cannot be removed and because nobody talked to us or involved us in any planing we will hereby declare our own political mission. [Read More]

Saturday May 25th at 3pm, the last squatter of the Ubica was removed from the building. Since Friday evening 11pm, police and riot police were busy evicting the building on the Ganzenmarkt in Utrecht.

After nine month procedures, the higher court decided on Friday that the squatters had to leave the building by Monday. The squatters, on their side, decided not to wait until Monday. “The authorities choose the confrontation. Vloet (owner of the buildings, red.), the judge and the City have chosen this path. If that’s what they want, well they can get it”, according to a statement made by the squatters.

By attacking the City Hall and setting on fire car tires on Friday night, the squatters gave no choice to the police but to react. Fireworks were lit and police officers and police vehicles were targeted with paint. Ten people barricaded themselves in the 13th century old house, some of them were chained in lock-ons. This ensured the eviction would take such a long time. [Read More]

An Egyptian squat was evicted this morning and demolished instantly. The squat has been home to about 30 people for the last 6 months+, with sometimes 50+ people living crammed together during the winter period.
Everyone was made to leave the building at about 9am this morning, taking with them what they could instantly carry. The rest was taken by city workers to the dump.

This was the last remaining squat amongst a demolished street by old Africa House on rue Descartes. It is no longer just a matter of raids and evictions… now systematic demolitions are becoming the norm.
It seems these demolitions must be part of a wider centralised planning effort by the town hall, as a more systematic attack to eradicate people’s means of shelter. [Read More]

We are writing this short announcement with a bit of delay because we are technically unable and, because of all worries and obligations, short with time. We are looking back at a disaster that has befallen us as also the entire movement. A disaster in the shape of a huge poison of this society which stings even more when the executor of the same are big ”anarchists” and ”antifascists”.. or better, ”comrades”. The poison is indifference (which implies to not-giving-a-shit, parasitism, insensitivity, malice) which allows an individual to do all sorts of abominations without any real reason. [Read More]

The Pizzeria Anarchia is a house project located at the Mühlfedgasse 12 in the second district in Vienna. It exist since November 2011 and is now in danger of eviction. At that time, the two owners of the house, Avner Motaev and Nery Alaev, owners of Castella GmbH, offered a temporary use free of charge, first until March, later until June 2012. Even though they claimed to be motivated by social responsibility, it became quickly obvious that their real motivation (which they admitted in front of the judge by now) was to scare away the remaining tenants. Due to their permanent rent contracts, it was nearly impossible to displace them by juridical means, and they also couldn’t be persuaded to move out by the sabotage and intimidations made by the owners.
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