The colchester social centre was evicted yesterday after a siege lasting 6 hours. Early in the morning security guards employed by the owners Royal London turned up to evict the squatters who had been creating a free art space for 4 days. The security were there to stop people entering the building at collwyn house. After recieving numerous threats of violence from the security abd nearly 6 hours besieged in the building, several police vans turned up with around 20 police to force entry under a claim of criminal damage by the owners. This was after the owners put a hoax call in to the fire brigade and offered them bribes to try to enter the building to search for fire and let the owners in at the same time. This was resisted and the fire service refused to enter the building at the request of the owners.

The previous day the owners threatend the squaters with an illegal eviction and even offered £300 for the squatters to leave. This was seriously considered but refused, despite the ideas of putting the money into another squat.

We will be back though and hopefully other social centers around the area can be opened up to more successful ends