15-04-2008 12:12
Coinciding with the Europe-wide days of action in defence of free spaces a new squatted social centre was opened in Shoreditch and a series of events took place in autonomous spaces around London starting on Friday evening with a social meetup and info night at the rampART and acoustic bands and performances at the NOID gallery. On saturday, the newly opened social centre opened it's doors with an art-exhibition, free shop, films and a squatters estate agency. On saturday there was also a demo outside a homeless hostel in Hackney. In the evening around 300 ppeople turned up a the Hackney Social Centre for a gig raising money for the Advisory Service for Squatters and another benefit took place at the Wominspace. On the Mall, there was a banner drop from squatted crown property.
After the Space Is The Place and other contributions to the call out for decentralised actions in support of squats and autonomous spaces, what next?
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15-04-2008 11:33
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New squats; more meetings; Brad Will revisited; days of action followup; the film they tried to ban; 56a Infoshop and more... With the days of action for autonomous spaces now behind us it's time to look forward. Taken from the rampART mailing list, this is a round up of news and events relating to London's social centres. Get involved.
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14-04-2008 20:27
Here there are some shots we took on Sunday afternoon at the new social centre that was squatted in Shoreditch (London) to coincide with the Global Days of Action for Squats and Autonomous Spaces.
The building is in an amazing location. It is not only central, but it also sits right in the middle of an area right next to the City that is being highly ‘developed’. The contrast between the previously neglected building with the new glass and metal towers is almost beyond belief.
The crew maintaining the squat, have done an impressive work to bring a previously ‘condemned’ building back into life. Three floors have now made been available to the community. The space has got an entrance area with a free shop, info stalls, a squatters estate agents, and a café. The ground floor also contains a soundproof room for screenings and music, and in the upper floors there a few rooms (some pretty large) that had an exhibition.
Long and exciting life to the new social centre!
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14-04-2008 20:01
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On Sat 12th April, actions took place across the world in defence of squats and free spaces. In Reading, anti-capitalists managed to re-open Common Ground squatted community garden for the day, with a community BBQ and music show, despite a year of struggle with the authorities for control of the space.
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14-04-2008 12:07
Residents from the Alexandra Court 'temporary' accomodation hostel in Stoke Newington, London, marched with members of the London Coalition Against Poverty to Hackney Town Hall on Saturday 12 April, 2008 to demand the council keep their promises to make temporary accomodation safe to live in. Pictures copyright (C) 2008, Peter Marshall. All rights reserved.
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14-04-2008 11:48
10-04-2008 17:07
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As part of the Space Is The Place - Side Stepping The Property Ladder series of events taking place in various London autonomous spaces over the weekend of the 11th and 12th April, a squatters estate agents has been set up.
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10-04-2008 15:28
You are invited to a lovely party and workshops at the new women's social centre in Hackney, East London! This Saturday 12th April . 4a Corbridge Crescent, off Mare Street, Hackney E2.
Read more >>10-04-2008 13:39
Part of a one-off series of events in London autonomous spaces to coincide with the days of action in defence of squats and for an anti-capitalist popular culture. Things kick off on the evening of Friday 11th with a social meet up and info night at the rampART social centre on Friday evening - a chance to chat about events and actions over the weekend and tell people about the autonomous spaces you are involved in.
From 7pm at 15 rampart street, London E1 2LA
Read more >>10-04-2008 13:15
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Over the last three weeks people have been preparing an abandoned warehouse in Shoreditch to host events over the weekend of the days of action for squats and autonomous spaces. This week, artists have been transforming the place for an exhibition themed around land use, gentrification, housing and reclaiming space. The building opens on Saturday at 10am with a program of films, discussion and skill sharing till 7pm and again on Sunday. The space will also be hosting a freeshop and squatters estate agency.
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08-04-2008 15:15
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Space Is The Place
- side stepping the property ladder
This is a one-off series of events to coincide with the Europe-wide days of action in defence of free spaces and for an anti-capitalist popular culture. The events are based at a new squatted social centre in Shoreditch and other autonomous spaces around London
The themes for Space Is the Place is the appropriation of public space by big business through privatisation and speculation, the sell-off of council housing and how the current housing crisis affects the most disadvantaged, gentrification and redevelopment of East London for the Olympics in 2012, the mismanagement of land and its ownership by the wealthy elite...
There will be an open access art-space themed as above, discussions and skill-sharing to bring people together and share ideas on how we can solve the problems we face, info-station for DIY action, films, photography, music and cafe. There will also be a benefit gig to raise money for the Advisory Service for Squatters.
If you are engaged in struggle relating to land, housing, poverty etc - whether a group or individual - please contact us ASAP about doing a presentation, info stall, workshop etc
To contribute:
housingmatters@hushmail.com
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08-04-2008 12:55
06-04-2008 22:37
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Towards the end of last year an international call out was made for decentralised days of action for squats and autonomous spaces. Following the call out there was a preparatory meeting at Les Tanneries in Dijon and later still a National Squatters Meeting in Leeds to discuss UK actions and events in response to the call out...
Read more >>05-04-2008 12:08
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On the run up to the decentralised days of action for squats and autonomous spaces (
http://april2008.squat.net), a new squat has been opened to provide yet another autonomous social centre in London.
Read more >>01-04-2008 18:22
24-03-2008 18:17
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The long weekend saw both the death of one social centre in London and the birth of another...
Read more >>21-03-2008 11:58
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ASS benefit
Open access squatters-housing-land art - photography exhibition
Workshops & stalls
Cinema
Actions
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07-03-2008 17:27
This, the first attempt to coordinate a national meeting for some time, was held in a beautiful old nursing home with extensive grounds at Headingley in Leeds. There was a good mixed turn out with squatters represented from many of the major towns in the uk, some protest sites and some travellers attending. All in all perhaps 30-40 people.
Read more >>29-02-2008 10:30
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Londons Secret Social Centre...
When a possession order was granted to the owners of the squatted block of properties in rampart street which houses the rampART social centre, a scurry of activity began to secure a new building to act as a backup venue during the uncertain period prior to eviction. A suitable property was found and entered for the first time on new years eve and occupied a couple of days later.
Only a short walk from the rampART, the new building was also a commercial premises with three floors. While the area of each floor was only about two thirds of that enjoyed at the rampART, the new building benefited from the addition of a basement which looked like it could make a great gig space. The ground floor had a tiny kitchen but with a bit of work it would clearly make a good space for a cafe and free shop. The first floor was mostly open plan, a good place for large meeting. Meanwhile the upper floor had been subdivided into offices and planned to use it for residential accommodation. The most exciting thing about the new space however was the yard which gave us potential to do things we could never do a rampART.
Despite all it's potential, the place was a mess. The owners had completely trashed every floor. Wiring had been cut, light switches smashed, false ceiling and lights pulled down, partition walls torn down or holed. Additionally, the only two toilets in the building had been smashed to pieces. However, we didn't think it would take long to put in shape. We took over a load of bedding and cushions, fold up table and chairs, water, wind up torches, candles, smoke alarms and fire extinguishers and settled in. Now split between occupying two spaces we put a call out for help occupying both buildings and preparing the new building to become a social centre...
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16-11-2007 23:43
On Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th of April 2008, we call for two days of demonstration, direct action, public information, street-party, squatting... in defence of free spaces and for an anti-capitalist popular culture. Through these two days, we want to help create more visibility of autonomous spaces and squats as a european/global political movement. We want to develop interconnections and solidarity between squats and autonomous spaces. We want to keep linking our spaces with new people and new struggles, and support the creation of autonomous spaces in places where there has not been a history of this kind of action. We want to build, step by step, our ability to overcome the wave of repression falling on us.
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