| Squatting demonstration in Oslo, June the 3rd |
As you might know we squatted Saxegaardsgate 17 on the 30th of march this year. September 1st last year the same group squatted Saxegaardsgate 11. Both these buildings were located in a part of Oslo called Gamlebyen(Old city), more exactly right on the spot where the council has planned a rather expensive medieval-park. The park is based upon the sad remains of the Maria church and the Clemens church, and an artificial pond which marks the sea level in medieval times. Saxegaardsgate 11, 4200 m2 building, was to be demolished to make the clemens ruins accessable from all sides. We squatted and kept it for three weeks during the council elections.
Then we were evicted in a massive police action, and the building promptly torn down. Saxegaardsgate 17 was also cleared for residents during last years winter, and was to be turned into a tourist souvenir shop/café. So we squatted this one too, during some festivity sponsored by the city hall. This took everybody by surprise, and we where left in peace for exactly two weeks before the police smashed into the building and evicted three occupants.
We planned to re-squat Saxegaardsgate 17, in order to disturb the official opening of the park 13-17th of May. But we where all out of recources. That is why we have made up a short medieval play about a fictious caracter called Halstein Stovelause (Halstein the Homeless), which is performed in the middle of city halls medieval park on a bridge next to saxegaardsgate 17. In the made up saga of Halstein Stovelause, he and his band of men places them selves on the kings bridge to collect a toll/tax for the homeless. And that is exactly what we do upon the bridge on Sundays. The toll and the amount is of course voluntary, but we actualy get quite some money for our organisation from this play. Those who choose to pay their toll to the homeless receive a pass-note as a souvenir. The re-squatting never took place though, and it might be just as well due to the high police priority this building now has got. Some weeks ago we went into Saxegaardsgate 17 and hung our banners out once again. 10 minutes later the place was crowded with riot-police. When they eventually smashed a window and entered the building the cops must have noticed a rather hysterical laughter. And one can only imagine theire faces when they found that the source of this, and the only one in the building with them, was a red teddy-bear with an built-in device triggered by sound. It is expected that the Teddy got a serious beating, before being arrested. On the 10th of May Boligaksjonen was to have an open meeting in front of Saxegaardsgate 17. When we got there the entite park was sealed of with “french fences”. It was counted somewhere between 100-150 police in the area, including mounted police, a K-9 unit and back-up police from another county. All this to keep about 20 people from entering the park. The tourist which arrived and saw this must have gotten quite a correct perception of Norway, the fascist state with probably the worlds most expensive velvet glove. On June 3rd Boligaksjonen 2000 has planned a demonstration march against the free marked housing policy run by city hall, we expect the police to be there to.
-Sven
Gateavisa Hjelmsgate 3 N-0355 Oslo Norway
Tlf: (+47) 22 69 12 84
Epost: gateavisa [at] online [dot] no
Url: http://wit.no/doogie/ga/
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