[Squat!net]

First, we must remember that in our (in Europe) glorydays of the 80s, there were no such movement in Chile out of “natural” reasons.

It all started after 1990. The current house (there have been 3 squats) has been squatted for 1.5 years now. In Chile, the police can’t evict squatters if

• the owners of the house or the land doesn’t demand it.
• the owners of the house doesn’t care.

It has been a home for homeless people and junkies in the past, but the current squatters moved in and took over the place.

It took 3 months before the police found out it was squatted – Sometimes they come to ask questions, but can’t do more.

The house is an old bakeryfactory and needs a lot of repairs. There is still water and electricity and the telefonelines are functional. The have concerts every now and then to raise money to repair the roof in the main hall.

They don’t allow alcohol because it mostly ends up in big fights and destruction.

They got a little yard with plans for homegrown food. The people in the house are about 20-30, which are mostly punks.

[squat!net]

After the house-search in the E.K.H. on the 23rd of february 2001, police is proud of attacking the “bastion of the autonomous”, the so called “center of the chaos” (source: mediaprint 23.2.2001). Wild weapons have been confiscated:

The search after the famous “cache of the anarchists” (Quotation ORF, ZiB 25.2.2001) was, according to the statements of the police, a so called great success. Cobblestones from various political agitation-tours and study trips to training camps in lybia, jordan, cuba, sibiria and anares have been surveied and found for a size of 10 x 10 cm, others have been decamouflaged as candles. These weapons have been confiscated. [Read More]

The Opernball is a long traditioned, high society event in the viennese opera in the austrian carneval season. It is a symbol of burgeois prepotence and it is a meeting of the economy`s “who is who”.

In 1987 the bavarian prime minister F.J. Strauss who persueded the raising of the nuclear reprocessing station in Wackersdorf came to the Opernball.

For the first time massive riots of some thousand german and austrian autonomous, anti-nuclear, grass root and anarchist protestors took place in Vienna. From this on the anti-Opernball protests became a symbol of “rioter`s violence” and police repression. The fairytale of travelling german autonomous protestors coming to destroy “peaceful” Austria was established. For years, in times of the Openball, all radical political groups have been observed, regulary people were arrested and beaten. [Read More]

After the Opernballdemonstration, the following house search in the Ernst-Kirchweger House / E.K.H. and the medial mad rush, once more we have to point out some facts:

The E.K.H. defines itself as a free-space for cultural, political and artistic activities. It was squatted in 1990 by activistes of the viennese squatting scene and turkish left-wing organisation ATIGF. As an international, multicultural, antifascist centre it was named after Ernst Kirchweger, an antifascist who was killed during a demonstration in the 1960s. [Read More]

On Thursday 22 February the Commission for Urban Planning, Housing and Transport will review the municipality of Leidens redevelopment plans for the Koppenhinksteeg/Hooglandsekerkgracht corner. There is a strong chance the Commission will approve the redevelopment. This is an important step toward the evacuation of the Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg. Therefore, that evening, there will be a demonstration to protest against the redevelopment plan and in support of the Vrijplaats (Free place) Koppenhinksteeg. The municipality can only see this lovely part of Leiden as luxury apartments and shops, just like so many other parts of the town. The municipality calls this giving a ‘quality boost’ to the area. The association ‘Friends of the Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg’ is of the opinion that the municipal redevelopment plan adds nothing to the liveability , vitality and diversity of the city and that it must be stopped. Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg is brimming with real social quality and is certainly not for sale!

Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg is not for sale!

Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg is the place for a large number of cultural, social and political initiatives such as the Free Shop, Cafe Las Vegas, a centre for illegal immigrants, de Invalshoek, Bar en Boos and a Kung Fu school. The municipality of Leiden wants to evict these groups and many other occupants.

In its 31 years of existence the Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg has more than fully proved its social, cultural and political value. Last year some of the users of the squat proposed that the Municipality of Leiden lease the squat to the occupants as an ‘empty hull’. According to the proposal the municipality would take responsibility for maintaining the exterior of the building while the established user organizations would maintain the interior. In this way the organizations which had developed in the Koppenhinksteeg over the last three decades, without any drain on municipal funds, would be preserved for the city.

The city council is, however, still in favour of the plan to evacuate the premises and the organizations being threatened have just a slim chance of a temporary tenancy. The discussion papers about the Koppenhinksteeg make no mention of the significance of the Koppenhinksteeg for the countless people who make use of its non-commercial initiatives. The plan to convert the Koppenhinksteeg to luxury apartments is an insult to the history and the vitality of Leiden’s progressive movement. As in other big cities, Leiden is seen as nothing more than a place for boutiques and permanent housing. We believe that every city must have space for cultural, social and political initiative: a Vrijplaats or Free Space. There is hardly any reason (besides financial gain) to evacuate the Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg.

We therefore demand that the municipal administration drop their proposal to evacuate the Koppenhinksteeg.

We call on everyone who values the activities of the Koppenhinksteeg to join in the demonstration in support of the Vrijplaats.

This will take place at the time of the municipal deliberations over building and evacuation planning. We will assemble on Thursday 22 February at 19.30 in Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg. At 20.00 we will march in a colourful and spectacular demonstration to the Town Hall, where everyone will have an opportunity to tell what s/he thinks of the municipalitys plan. To this end there will be a party with music in Vrijplaats Koppenhinksteeg.

For more information: call/fax the office of the action committee: 071 5173019. You can also email at vvk [at] squat [dot] net. On the website of the VVK http://squat.net/vvkyou will find the latest information about the proposed development, as well as the notice which the College van Burgmeester en Wethouders has sent to the commission.

It would also be great if you could write a response to these proposals to:

Raadscommissie Ruimtelijk Ordening, Wonen en Verkeer. Posbus 9100, 2300 PC Leiden fax: (0031)715165110

email: sleutel [at] leiden [dot] nl

* Please also send us a copy of your letter of support *

VVK