[Squat!net]

Throughout the years, the Landbouwbelang has been an experience for many people. A diverse group of artists, designers, producers, organisers, performers, artisans, students and many others made it their social place, their workspace and even their home.
Trough their ideas, ideals, creations, constructions and energy they created the Landbouwbelang in its current form. By organising, creating and sharing experiences together a big community has formed itself around this place. In April 2017 the Landbouwbelang will celebrate it´s 15th birthday.
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On January 9, 2013, 93 anarchists fight their way in against riot cops in and re-occupied Villa Amalias, after it was evicted on December 20th, 2012. After more than 4 years, the trial against the 93 anarchists will start on March 28th.

On December 2012 as part of a far-right delirium, the State targets Squats and proceeds to evict several of them in Greece. On 20 December 2012 the State evicts one of the historical and oldest squats in Athens (since 1991) named Villa Amalias. In the morning of 9 January 2013, 93 comrades moving collectively and decisively fight their way in against riot policemen that continue to guard the building and succeed to retake the grounds, sending a message of resistance and solidarity, against the onslaught of State and capitalist barbarism. After a few hours special police forces invade the building and arrest the 93 activists.

After more than 4 years, (a usual State and judicial tactic to keep activists’s lives “imprisoned” in perpetual waiting) on March 28, 2017, the 93 are being taken to trial for the reccupation of Villa Amalias, because they dared to disturb the “peace” during the regime’s war and because they remained unruly against the imposed state of emergency and the authoritarian rules, whilst they declare that ‘for the “crime” of fighting for a world of equality, solidarity and freedom they remain consciously “guilty”’.

Solidarity to the 93 activists that retook the grounds of Villa Amalias Squat. [Read More]

Statement by the assembly of Villa Zografou and supporters after the eviction on March 13th in Athens, Greece.

1. Because you have been and you are still paying for it.

50% of the Villa Zografou estate was bought with an illegal loan in 2006 amounting to €19.000.000 (excluding interest). A loan which was legalized in 2013 through a majority vote by a municipal faction consisting of the parties: PASOK, NEW DEMOCRACY and SYRIZA.

2. Because you will continue to pay for it.

The ink is still wet on a €154.430 contract budgeted by the municipal and regional authorities for the renovation of the villas Kotopouli, Bougra and Bonaparte. And let us not forget the recent purchase of the theater Dimitris Potamitis amounting to €550.000, likewise bought under the pretext to create a „cultural center,“ and whose renovation will require a truck load of licenses and money. Apparently, municipal funds for „cultural centers,“ „cultural events“ and top artistic directors with annual salaries amounting to €23.000 exist and are available. But when it comes to providing stable and dignified work conditions for municipal workers, who disenfranchised slave away under so-called „charity work“ austerity programs, funds are missing – despite all the electoral and post-electoral declarations and promises to the contrary. These workers are exceptionally poorly payed and are denied basic worker right such as sick leave, right to strike, etc. In the end, it was only through a prolonged strike that municipal cleaning workers succeeded at re-claiming a few basic labor rights. These are the priorities not only of the municipal officials of Zografou, but of each and every municipal authority. [Read More]

Let’s occupy again! Biblioteca Kaos (Kaos Library) has a new space.
On Sunday, March 12, we entered the house at 641 Coronel João Manoel street, near the start of the hill. The house was abandoned three years ago and it is in the middle of the historical center of Porto Alegre, it forms part of the inheritances of two of the most bourgeois families and owners of the city for centuries: Chaves Barcellos and Wallig.
We are absolutely certain that we are irritating the powerful who have already appeared to threaten us and very ludicrously invite us to be part of their alternative capitalism projects. Our answer is unanimous: we are anarchists and squatters, and we will not have any conversation with the bourgeoisie at all.
To our surprise and joy, the neighborhood fully supports the occupation because they can see that a few people have set up a space that has been unused for years. The interactions with them have had a clear attitude of solidarity and initiative not only in words but above all in action, they participated bit by bit in the cleaning of the space and supported us with their presence during some of the visits by the owners.
After the threats by the owners to throw us out with their henchmen and pit bulls, the other squatters of the city arrived to show us their solidarity and support.
At the moment we are still fighting for the space but our decision from the start is still to remain without either legal or verbal negotiation with the owners. Occupation is a subversive practice that can’t be swallowed up by real estate rules, it is an effective response to the absurd accumulation of land into the hands of a privileged few. Our determination in the face of this is clear: abandoned house, occupied house. [Read More]

This afternoon a building was squatted at Singel 356 in Amsterdam. The canal house, which has monument status, was last sold in 2014 to a British hedge fund banker based in Switzerland. Prior to the sale, the building was uninhabited for a number of years, with planning permits denied, and only minor works carried out by a now bankrupt construction firm. Since acquiring the property in 2014, the current owner has continued the trend of his predecessor: leaving the building vacant.

Like the majority of these typical Amsterdam canal houses, the property has been deemed monumental. Generally, this status is given to structures and buildings of significance in particular to preserve an area’s historic architectural value. Future plans for this property remain unclear, and we strongly believe that unique, significant monumental buildings such as this should not be left empty to deteriorate over time – particularly when the reasons behind this likely involve some means of speculation. As a group we intend to look after this property, which its current wealthy owner appears to be unconcerned with.

The continuing housing crisis in Amsterdam shows no sign of improvement anytime soon. The accommodation shortage we are witnessing is driven by surging prices in both real estate and rental accommodation. At the same time, increasing numbers of social housing properties are being switched into the free sector or even sold, with very few being added to the social sector. Understandably, waiting lists for social housing have ballooned in recent years – 15-20 years on average across the city. [Read More]

After more than a year of existence, Themistokleous 58 anarchist squat and housing project for people with and without papers in Exarchia, downtown Athens, still needs some very practical solidarity to stay functional. Here goes our current list of needs.

Food supplies: Oil (olive oil/corn oil), rice, pasta, tomato sauce, beans, lentils, chick peas, eggs, potatoes, canned milk, dog-food. [Read More]

HANDS OFF THE 58!

The purpose of this text is to clarify the position of our squat regarding some incidents that took place over the last months in Exarchia, and defend our physical and political integrity by all means necessary.

We refer to the practices of gossiping, slandering and violative behavior against the structure and the actions of the 58, practices that we consider equal as snitching, regardless of whether or not the person using them each time is expecting something in return from the persecuting authorities. The outcome is the same, in the sense that they are singling out specific individuals as a target, they attempt to strip our project of its political characteristics, and prepare the ground for the direct or indirect repression that lurks in the corner.

We also refer to physical assaults that took place the last 2 months, like bullying attempts at our front door, a group ambush against squatters of the 58 at Dervenion street (Exarchia), and even threats and attacks against us with the use of sharp/lethal objects (like a knife and an awl) only a few meters away from the 58. [Read More]

Following the raids on squats and the evictions (previously on s!n), some 60 people have been moved to other squats, after spending hours in police station and rejecting the offer to be transferred to one of the camps nearby Athens. Many experienced life in camps before, and they choose no to go back but rather to rely on alternative accommodation, mostly in squats. City Plaza, as well as other squats, took them in, and volunteers and activists found emergency shelter for everyone else.
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If nothing changes, Klinika will likely get evicted in summer. We can turn the tide – come on 9th of April on demonstration for Klinika!

Klinika still vibrates from such relations, meetings and events that find themselves trampled upon and exiled out of sight in the rest of the city. An abandoned, decaying home, collectively rebuild, open for sharing of our experiences and knowledge, alternative culture and the organization of radical politics, both of which don’t back away before the brownish authoritarian swoosh around us.
However, we don’t want to advertise here, neither amaze with some overview of our events or convince you of our own diligence. Instead, we want to convey the experiences we have gained over the last two years. Prague needs its Klinika and the people, determined to fill it with life – here we have them plenty.
On every road there were many obstacles and many slips, never was it easy for the self-organized social center to exist. If it comes to its end though, it won’t be so much due to the naivete or impossibility of our goals, rather due to the diligence of people, whose deep-seated beliefs went unmoved by Klinika. The state institutions – Office for Representation of Government in Property Affairs (UZSVM) and the Railway Transport Administration (SŽDC), our current owner – finally came up together with a plan how to bury the social center. [Read More]

The repression of social liberation movement and the destruction of the occupied spaces of refugees and immigrants will not be left unanswered. The Greek Left government chose at the dawn of 13/03/2017 to listen to the commands of the conservative right and the neo-liberal Media of Mass Manipulation and attack against two occupations of the broader social movement in Athens Greece. Police raids are an ideal example of the policy imposed by the domination during our era: when we sleep the State continues working against all of us.
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