London: Another new squatted social centre

From 195 Mare Street:

The bohemian pub on Finchely High road has been squatted and is on its way to becoming a thriving community centre. It was opened by the same crew from that reopened Friern Barnet Library last year library last year.

They want to open it up as a ‘community hub’ and there going to use the space for games nights, cinema nights and other things. I’m really excited to see the space get going. It looks like a fantastic building that they can start hosting events and workshops in straight away.

There’s already a few articles out on them already http://wwwbrokenbarnet.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/antic-bohemia-occupied-and-about-to-re.html

http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/10703093.Library_squatters_take_over_The_Bohemia_pub/

They are holding an public meeting today at 7pm. Get down there and share your ideas.

It’ so fantastic that the community social centres are coming back north of the river. its exciting that we’re working on these projects and we hope that others will begin to see the value our communities centres have. Tell your friends, get everyone you know involved – talk to a random person on the street and in the back alleys, let them know whats happening.

Share your ideas, get involved, express yourself. 

London: Colorama to become yuppie flats (you can’t afford)

Picture says it all!

Bristol & London: Fascist sympathiser to play on this month

From Indymedia UK:

Anna Von Hausswolff publicly endorsed a terrorist who believes in “tackling anti-racism and those behind it, by all possible means”, then refused to apologize.

Anna Von Hausswolff, Burzum

Burzum Logo

Singer Anna Von Hausswolff provoked nationwide outcry in her native Sweden, when Dagens Nyheter (the largest daily newspaper in Sweden) highlighted a photo of the smiling Von Hausswolff wearing a t-shirt advertising the music project Burzum, which is the solo project of Nazi terrorist Krisitian “Varg” Vikernes. After Varg Vikernes was arrested for killing his ex-friend Oystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, Vikernes was found with hundreds of kilos of explosives and thousands of bullets, with which Vikernes planned to kill young people visiting the antifascist and punk Blitz House (left-wing music space, youth centre and vegetarian café) in Oslo, Norway.

Vikernes was given the longest gaol sentence available in Norway – 21 years, including time for arson on 3 churches, which Vikernes destroyed not out of opposition to religion, but out of opposition to Christianity, which Vikernes opposes, partly because he believes Christianity is Jewish. Vikernes gave an interview to the magazine of Nazi music organisation Blood & Honour, and was in contact with the National Socialist Movement of Norway and joined the organisation White Aryan Resistance (aka WAR).After his arrest, Vikernes associates formed a Nazi-styled paramilitary “Einsatzgruppe”, stocking guns and bombs to kill political and religious opponents and to free Vikernes. When, before his scheduled release, Vikernes was granted brief leave from gaol, he hijacked a car, terrorizing 3 innocent persons at gunpoint. After his release, Vikernes was arrested again (then released) after his wife bought 4 guns. Anders Breivik sent Vikernes his manifesto. Vikernes blog says he’s currently facing a possible 5-year gaol term for “inciting racial or religious hatred”.When challenged for her endorsement of this Nazi, Anna Von Hausswolff was subject to wide condemnation on social media, and described as an “apolitical idiot” in Swedish newspapers and on TV. She is not apolitical and not strictly an idiot. SVT (Swedish national TV) quotes the Burzum website as advocating (in translation) “bekämpa anti-rasismen och de som ligger bakom den, med alla möjliga medel” – “tackling anti-racism and those behind it, by all possible means”, so there’s no way endorsing that project’s merchandise can be apolitical, and she’s intelligent enough to be a degree student in architecture (she’s also daughter of an artist whose theft of human ashes from Majdanek death-camp was condemned as “barbaric”, as “repulsive”, and as “necrophilia”, by anti-racist groups and Jewish organisations). Instead of choosing to even try to explain any misunderstanding, to say sorry or to condemn Nazism, when asked, SVT reported that “Anna von Hausswolff har valt att inte kommentera” – “Anna von Hausswolff has chosen not to comment”. Anna Von Hausswolff plans to perform in the UK on 15 Oct (Hoxton Bar, London) and 16 Oct (Cube, Bristol).

All Contact Details: Cube & Mama Group

Why not let them all know? Don’t send more than 1 email though, it could be considered harrassment.

Bristol: Thoughts on the Anarchist Witch Hunt

The smouldering remains of the Police Firearms Training Centre in Portishead, near Bristol following a visit from the “Angry Foxes Cell”

From Bristol ABC:

When the flames were lit that engulfed the Police Firearms Training Centre in Portishead, near Bristol it shocked the country. Never before in living memory had such a blazen act of insurrection taken place on British soil and aimed at such a high-profile target. The mass media went hysterical with talk of a “anarchist terror network” . The communique, originally published on Bristol Indymedia, was quoted around the world and quickly dubious links were made between the arson at Portishead and other attacks across the UK.

Following the arson our local right-wing rag, The Post, published an article claiming that Avon & Somerset Police were preparing to “crackdown on rioters and extremists” and are “monitoring several potentially dangerous groups”. They referred to a report by the Police with the rather Stalinesque title: “Our Five Year Ambition” in which they have said to have launched a series of operations to “gather intelligence about subversive organisations”. This was followed by another article, from the Editor himself, arguing that: “We should all support the police in their campaign against anarchists.”

This is clearly an attempt by the Police and The Post to threaten anarchists. We should expect to experience heightened levels of repression from the state, but that should not deter us from taking action against the oppressive system that controls our lives. The state, for as long as it has existed, has had a monopoly on the legitimate use of violence which it exercises through the Police. When another group of people use violence to achieve their goals the state begins to panic that it will loose its grip on society as it did in August 2011 when hundreds of people took to the street for several nights of rioting and looting without fear of Police violence.

The state is worried about another such outburst of anger as it could prove a threat to its power. Once people begin to realise that the state and the Police are not the only forces capable of using violence, the state looses all legitimacy. Because of this the state needs to crack down on any expression of violent tendencies before it can take hold and infect the masses. This is exactly what we are experiencing in Bristol and we should keep that in mind when we start to feel the full weight of Police repression.

We live in a violent society. The state inflicts violence on us every day through the Police, the courts, the prisons and army. The idea that a small group of people lighting fires in the dead of night can pose a risk to society shows how pivotal a role violence plays. We must remember that the violence we experience is nothing compared to the violence enacted by the state on a daily basis; in the prisons, in the courtrooms, in the police cells or in far-away countries through wars and occupations.

Heightened surveillance, sadly, has become a fact of life in our modern society. We are being monitored by CCTV cameras; through our phones and even by our social media outlets every day of our lives. The recent exposure of the NSA’s (the United States National Security Agency) PRISM program is just one example of how deep the roots of state control have dug themselves. The fact that the GCHQ (the British equivalent) has also tapped into this service should come as no surprise.

We must be cautious – with this in mind – of how we communicate with each other and what we say. Silence can be a powerful weapon in the face of oppression. While it is obvious that we, like the Police, have no idea who lit the fire at the Police Firearms Training Centre it is important that we don’t begin to speculate or spread rumours, that while untrue, could lead to people being arrested or worse.

The Anarchist Black Cross was founded in the early 1900s by Russian immigrants to support social struggles, mostly by providing support to political prisoners. Bristol ABC was set-up with similar goals in mind and thus we are ready to support anybody who becomes a victim of this witch hunt aimed at anarchists. We will provide material and financial support (where possible) to those who have fallen foul of the state’s oppressive legal system, regardless of whether they are innocent or guilty.

We would advise anybody involved in anarchist or radical activism in Bristol to read up on their rights, follow the links on our website, and be prepared. Prisoner support is a crucial role within our movement and one that must not be overlooked. If you can support Bristol ABC either financially or by writing to prisoners it will put us one step closer to building a strong, resilient community.

Until Every Cell Is Empty,
Bristol Anarchist Black Cross

 

Calais: Beer house and other squats evicted this month so far + people needed in solidarity

So far the month of September has seen:

Eviction of the Beer House squat where around one to two-hundreed Africans and Syrians had been living for the last year.

Three immediate evictions of the big squats where those people had been seeking shelter in the nights following the eviction.

Complete destruction of the Sudanese jungle with around twenty arrests.

Police and city workers destroyed all the tents they could find, while taking the blankets and personal things to the to city dump. There they were mixed together with what rotting materials were left inside the Beer House. Everything would have been immediately destroyed if it weren’t for people going to the dump to take them back that day.Tents have been destroyed by the police in the Afghan jungle during their frequent morning raids. Police come every two days, check IDs, arrest people, around 8-11 people most of the time. They also kick in the tents, and one of them was cut down by PAF border police.

Some people who have fingerprints in another European country, mostly Italy, are transferred to the Coquelle immigration prison and some have been deported to Italy after these raids. The situation in Coquelle is getting much more worse, with a lot of racist behaviours from police.

The CRS riot police are controlling people a lot in the city, parks and also stations, but also in the streets near Salam at night, ID control and arrest the people they find in their way.

An illegal eviction of a new squat that would have been able to house everyone during the cold winter months based upon falsified testimonies.

We are now only halfway through the month and police have promised another planned closure/destruction of a large sleeping space for the next two weeks, most likely forcing another one-hundred people on to the streets.

This will be in addition to the spontaneous evictions that occur as people moved-on continue to try and find shelter in the city. As more people have to take to the street, police controls and harassment are increasing as well.

As the temperature drops again and the rains come there have also been a series of attacks by Police on the garage rented by Calais Migrant Solidarity, from where we distribute the blankets, tents, and clothes that we have. Today, eight Police Nationale appeared at the garage as CMS were distributing clothes and violently pushed those out-front away from the garage, smacking people across the face and kicking them from behind. This was before taking out their pepper spray and spraying everything inside, making the clothes and blankets inside impossible to use. This is the latest attack; however, last week the garage had already been peppered sprayed, and in the mean time the locks on the garage door have been forced and broken with people’s things going missing from inside.

People desperately need:

-Blankets
-Sleeping Bags
-Tents (make sure poles are included)
-Waterproof Clothes
-Shoes
-Socks
-money to buy food as they are living off of the one meal a day provided by SALAM

and most importantly people who are able to support them and defend their spaces!

England & Ireland: Raids on Traveller sites as part of ‘Operation Elven’

Solidarity with all travellers facing repression!

From NETPOL:

In the last week several Traveller communities as well as Traveller rights campaigners have been subjected to police raids. The police claim the “Operation Elven” series of raids, including one at Smithy Fen Traveller site in Cambridge, supposedly concern thefts of Chinese artefacts and rhinoceros horn from museums and auction houses across England and Ireland. However, police have been accused of serial heavy-handedness and faulty intelligence.

In many cases those whose houses were searched have no connections to the people named on the warrants. In the course of these raids elderly and disabled people have been forced out of their homes, their belongings seized and at Smithy Fen their electricity inexplicably cut off. This included a home where the owner requires electricity for daily use of vital medical equipment. In another case the husband of a heavily pregnant woman was handcuffed and taken away from his family only to be released without charge.

On Tuesday lifelong Traveller rights campaigner Grattan Puxon and his wife, a retired couple in their mid-seventies, were subjected to an eight hour raid on their home by Taser-armed police. Mr Puxon was subjected to a body search and his wife was forced to be supervised whilst dressing.

Dave Landau, of Traveller Solidarity Network, expressed his very serious concerns about the motivation for the police’s heavyhanded and intimidatory approach:

“I don’t want to be alarmist but I think this is a very serious development. The police’s ‘Operation Elvin’ strikes me as a classic case of ‘racial profiling’ and a useful cover to harass the community. It would be like, say, a couple of Jewish people did a series of robberies and the police raided the Board of Deputies and synagogues looking for the proceeds And the raid on Grattan must surely be an attempt to silence the most prominent champion of Travellers’ rights and intimidate our movement.”

Phien O’Phien, a vocal Traveller rights campaigner from and on behalf of the Traveller community, made the following statement:

“Police have been raiding premises of Travellers all across the country and in some places in Ireland. They are allegedly only looking for a few men and their ill-gotten gains but are scouring the whole Traveller community as an excuse.

People are concerned for their cars, phones and trailers, not because they have done anything wrong but because, if the police take them it will be months before they get them back and then with not even a ‘sorry for your inconvenience’

This action by the police is very similar to the actions in the 80s against the black community when they raided Brixton and Moss-side in Manchester.

My phone has been ringing since yesterday with Pavee saying they are being raided and they don’t even know the people the police are supposed to be looking for. They are being raided because they are ‘associates of the men’ by that the police mean from the same community.

Its as if the defenders of civil and human rights have allowed this to go on without comment while the police state the gang they feel are responsible are not even in England but in Ireland and abroad. Imagine the out cry Muslim homes in London were raided because of alleged crimes committed by Muslims in Birmingham.

There was one man who as he was being raided was talking to me, he was showing the inspector in charge his yard deeds to show he wasn’t the address on their warrant yet they raided him anyway, after all any mistakes can be “lessons learned, lines drawn under” while the tax payer picks up the bill for the illegal actions of the police.

There needs to be questions asked about this in the house of parliament. I’m willing to sit down with any friendly MP and give them the low down on this matter.

Most Travellers are law-abiding and just want to be left alone but while we can be attacked in this inclusive way we will never have the right all others have in this country to be protected by the law rather than abused by its police force. “

Bristol: Police crackdown on anarchists, rioters and squatters

Reblogged from Bristol Anarchist Federation:

When members of the “Angry Foxes Cell” burnt down the almost complete Police Firearms Training Centre in Portishead near Bristol, it took a lot of people by surprise, ourselves included. This week the Bristol Post published an article on a report by Avon & Somerset Police with the Stalinesque title “Our Five Year Ambition”. The Posts front page ran the Headline “Targeting the Enemy Within.” This was followed up by a comment from the editor singling out anarchists and drumming up public support for their increased oppression.

In their report, Avon & Somerset Police stated they were preparing to “crackdown on rioters and extremists” and are “monitoring several potentially dangerous groups”. The Post claimed that the police have launched a series of operations to “gather intelligence about subversive organisations”. The article continues to conflate “domestic extremism” with rioting like the kind seen in Stokes Croft in 2011; acts of vandalism like the attack on the Evening Post building shortly afterwards and even the counter demonstration to the English Defense League march in July 2012. Interestingly the Post article also adds “non-peaceful” animal rights and environmental protesters to their vague definition of “extremists”.This is clearly an attempt by the Avon & Somerset Police to threaten anarchists and other radicals in Bristol. The Bristol radical community will potentially face increased levels of repression at the hands of the police. This could be anything from increased surveillance to being picked up for bogus charges while on demos; through to our homes being raided and possessions being seized. Without any evidence to track down the people they want to apprehend, the cops are likely to take out their frustration on public facing activists. Even the release of this report itself is an obvious attempt to scare them.

We must not be driven into a state of paralysis for fear of the police. If they are expecting us to respond by being intimitated into inaction, by giving up on activism or by becoming fractured and turning on each other they are going to be sorely disappointed. Whilst this kind of repression does require a response, it will be a response routed in action, in solidarity and in unity. We need to be prepared, look out for each other and up our game when it comes to our own security. If the Police come knocking we will not answer their calls. We have nothing to tell and nothing to gain. Whilst we may not always agree with everyone’s tactics and philosophy amongst the wider radical scene the cops can Fuck off if they think we will turn on our comrades.

The police and the state, as always, try to fracture us, they will try to prey on our weaknesses. We stand in unity and solidarity with all those who fight against oppression, capitalism and the state. We must create a culture of mutual aid and solidarity and most importantly: Resistance. We will support each other through whatever the state throws at us because we know that no matter what we will come out stronger.

Love & Rage
Bristol Anarchist Federation

Germany: Hambach forest occupied again

From Hambach Forest:

Since the climat- and reclaim the fields camp in germany, the Hambach Forest ist occupied again, by climat activist. There are activists living at plattformsin the trees since more than 2 weeks. The Hambach Forest is one of the oldest forest in middle europe, but already more than 4/5 of it is destroyed for open cast mining. The open cast mining in the Rheinland (between Colonge and Aachen) is the biggest climat killer in all Europe. The forest gets destroyed year by year, so that RWE the coal company (wich is the mother company of N-Power) can open cast the land. Also big villages getting destroyed for the open cast mining. Last year the forest was occupied by climat activist, the wohle spring and summer, and got evicted in automne. The eviction was the longest eviction that happened in germany, because of the tunnel system (the only god system is a tunnel system!). After the eviction activists squatted a meadow next to the Hambach Forest, wich is still occupied. In the end of august the climat- and RTF Camp took place close to the Hambach Forest. With over 500 Participants it was the biggest climat camp since 5 years in germany. More than 200 people blocked the Hambach coal-rail for half an day. In the end of the climat- andd RTF-Camp activists occupied the Hambach Forest again. Now it is occupied since more than 2 weeks. Police was there on monday to inspect the plattforms and blockading-tools, and was not realy happy. In looks like the eviction might come the next days. But maybe they want to wait after the big elections in germany this sunday. So there might still be time to come over! See you in the forest.

Here’s a video about the occupation: http://vimeo.com/74042113

and about the coal trail blockade:  http://vimeo.com/73938171

and a video about the RTF-action:  http://vimeo.com/73514620

Amsterdam: Cardiff Squatters Network Infonight

From Joe’s Garage:

Thursday September 19th 2013, Cardiff Squatters Network Infonight & People’s Kitchen, 7pm @ Joe’s Garage, Pretoriusstraat 43, 1092 EZ, Amsterdam

Squatters from Cardiff, Wales http://cardiff.squat.net/ are dropping by for an infonight about squatting in Cardiff over the last few years. Last month, Canton police station was squatted by the Antagonistic Collective Against Boredom (ACAB) and evicted a few weeks later, costing the police thousands of pounds through the courts and use of high court bailiffs.

They’ll also tell us about the recent ABC-based squat opposite the prison that successfully resisted eviction, Ty-Pwll Coch, the Municipal Club, as well as squats from 2011 and 2012; Gremlin Alley Social Centre, Red & Black Umbrella and the Tax Invasion occupation.

They will also give updates on squatting in London; Made Possible By Squatting project, 195 Mare Street, County Street, London Queer Social Centre, Self-Organised London, Library Street Social Centre, and the Glasshouse, as well as ongoing repression against squatting in Bristol.

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchen, every Monday during July and August, at 7pm, vegan food for 4€ or donation. All benefits go for social & political struggles. No reservation.

We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. Enjoying it is a must. If you want to know which days are still available in the schedule, send an email to joe[at]squat.net and book yourself the night. You can, of course, also participate by rolling up your sleeves and doing the dishes.

Calais: Call out for active solidarity

From Squat.net:

Urgent Call out for Calais!

A big squat in Calais was emptied of its occupants Thursday.

Today they tried to occupy the old hospital that has been empty for some years:
They were expelled in this afternoon, and twenty people were arrested.

Many migrants are in the street and looking for a place to shelter.

Many evictions of living spaces are planned in the coming days.

The people of Calais are making a desperate appeal to activists reinforcements quickly.
The tension is high!

-Need people willing to open groups and/or hold squats.
-Need teams to monitor the police and collect the evidence.
-Need of tents and sleeping bags.

A legal No Border squat can accommodate activists, but it is usually a place which the project is to shelter women and vulnerable people.

The daily meeting place where you get someone who is sure to meet with a member of the network is the location of food distribution associations, after Moscow street. Between 18:00 and 19:30 throughout the week and the week-end between 12:30 and 14:00.

Another meeting place, but not regular: the soccer practice at the Citadel (Coubertin Avenue entrance facing the police station) on Saturday from 15:00 to 17:00 and and at the football game on Sunday from 15:00 to 17:00.

No Border