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Notícies :: especulació i okupació |
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INTERNATIONAL DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST THE GOVERNMENTAL COMMERCIALIZATION OF LIVING SPACES
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per IMC Philly, translator
Correu-e: suzq ARROBA riseup.net (no verificat!) |
05 oct 2003
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Several thousand demonstrators took part in the protest against property speculation, evictions, and repression. |
International squatter demonstration against real estate speculation and in defense of Barcelona's liberated spaces facing eviction.
(translated and elaborated from article in french on Indymedia Quebec) October 4, 2003
"The impossible is closer than we think," said one of the banners dropped from the roof of the Barcelona University, starting off Saturday's demonstration with fireworks and music.
The demonstration passed off peaceably, albeit with one arrest, despite the ambient climate of repression against squatters that has landed many squatters and anarchists in prison and in pre-trial detention. Seven of these prisoners, including Juanra, the first EU citizen to be arrested in and extradited from a foreign country under Europe's new "Eurojust" international prosecution network, will be judged on Monday in Madrid on accusations of "terrorist association" allegedly related to Basque movements. (see http://www.freejuanra.org) A major focus of the demonstration was the torture, police violence, and incommunicado detention of prisoners that have made Spain the object of recent critiques by Amnesty International and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. On Friday, the day before the demonstration, a 55-year-old Moroccan man had been "accidentally" killed by a member of the Spanish Guardia Civil (national military police) who shot him in the mouth at the Spanish-Moroccan border. (see IBL article: http://iblnews.com/noticias/10/88438.html , and for more information on immigrants killed along the European Union borders, see http://noborder.org/dead.php)
The demonstration's targets included the plans for the European Forum of various governments, which will take place in 2004, and in preparation for which many squatted social centers are being evicted, as gentrification and commercialization of the neighborhoods are encouraged through municipal edicts that favor real estate speculation. The 2004 Forum is a gigantic "cultural" event planned for the six months from May to October 2004, organized with great pomp and circumstance, and coordinated jointly by the governments of Barcelona, Catalonia, and Spain, with money from the European Union and a flood of private capital from corporations such as Nestle, Telefonica, Endesa, Coca-Cola, and Damm. Millions of euros earmarked for this event have been sucked away from the public budget, money that could have gone to create civilian infrastructure and soical housing; instead this money has gone to create hundreds of new buildings for these "representatives" (representing whom?): skyscrapers, hotels, and above all the enormous "forum palace." Entire neighborhoods are being destroyed and their residents kicked out into the street, often without compensation or after endless legal battles. The cityscape itself is transformed into a consumer playground that is much too expensive for "normal" people to continue to live there.
Obviously, to construct this shiny, expensive new Barcelona, hosting tourists and businessmen from all over, Barcelona can scarcely afford to tolerate poverty and immigration, much less squats and squatted social centers. So, in the past few months, there have been harsh attacks against the 100+ squatted buildings in and around the city, including evictions, demolitions, prosecution, and threats of evictions levvied against apartments and social centers.
In the past month, the social centers Casa de la Montanya and Les Naus, two of the oldest and most established squats that still survive and thrive in Barcelona, received eviction notices. Casa de la Montanya has been continuously squatted for 14 years, and Las Naus for nine. A new court date has been set for the Hamsa social center, which has been squatted for six years, but the less well-known and less "important" squats (homes, neighborhood houses, etc.) continue to be evicted and destroyed.
To face this wave of repression, a call was sent out to resist the evictions during a "fortnight of fight": two weeks of activities, demonstrations, and debates "against property speculation and to defend liberated spaces."
On Saturday, October 4th, there was a big protest, the first international "skwatter" protest, which comprised squatter groups and friends from Barcelona itself, as well as from Valencia, Madrid, Euskadi, Asturias, France, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, the UK, the USA, Quebec, Pakistan and other places. Several non-European immigrants also joined the march, including those who are currently squatting the gigantic abandoned barracks at Sant Andreu, under hazadous conditions and the indifferent regard of the city administration. Neighborhoods and spectators also joined the demonstration, even though no official association had given a formal statement of support.
OKUPA I RESISTEIX! (SQUAT AND RESIST!)
DERECHO A TECHO! (RIGHT TO A ROOF!)
NO PASARAN! (WE WON'T LET THEM IN!)
Several thousand demonstrators took part in the protest against property speculation, evictions, and repression. Around 6:15 p.m., walking out of the subway station at University Plaza to join the rally that started off the demo, protesters were welcomed by dozens of cops who, of course, can recognize squatters by the way they look. One young man who dared to ask why he was being questioned received the following reply, "Because we feel like it, and furthermore, I'd like to see what's in your backpack."
On Saint Anthony street, seven or eight police vans were parked ... one could even go so far as to say that the street was temporarily painted dark blue. At the University Plaza, many cops tried to interfere, slowing down the start of the demo and provoking the crowd, which was warming up with shouted chants and noisy firecrackers. Finally, the demo started off, around 6:50 p.m., down Pallei street (the only street that was not blocked by police) toward Catalonia plaza. Various leaflets were circulated, including a call for solidarity with anarchist activists recently arrested in Barcelona.
At the head of the demo, several dozen demonstrators on bicycles with flags showing the "squatted apple" symbol of Can MasDeu (one of Barcelona's squatted rural permaculture communities, which faces an eviction hearing next month) carried a banner that read, "In defense of liberated spaces." Another banner read, "Self Defense for Hansa" (Hansa is one of the squats threatened with eviction). There were many large banners and signs scattered throughout the crowd, as well as many wheatpasting and graffiti actions all along the two sides of the march (there was no window-breaking or other property destruction, however).
When the march entered Catalonia Plaza, the paddy wagons had already arrived, even though the demonstration was peaceful and the cops didn't have a lot to do. At that Plaza, a huge banner was hung from the statue of Frances Maciá: it read, "PUJOL, AZNAR, CLOS, THE SQUATS WILL SURVIVE THE 2004 FORUM" -- the message was directed toward the governmental officials who are planning to "clean up" the city before the international exposition, the forum and the olympic games. At the Angel Portal, there were about 7 or 8 more cop wagons. On Fontanella street, squatters climbed the scaffolding in front of an apartment building under renovation and tore a hole in the netting that covered the scaffolding so as to drop a huge banner that read, in catalan, "When speculation is a reality, squatting is a right!" (with a fat squat symbol underneath). The commotion caused the perfume shop underneath to close up for the night.
The most moving part of the demo happened at the Lluys Companys Courthouse, when demonstrators stopped to listen to statements in support of spanish and catalan prisoners in Thessaloniki, Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and other places, as well as speeches denouncing the Law on Foreigners, which restricts immigration. Graffiti denouncing torture and police killings were sprayed all across the public space.
The funniest part of the demo happened when the critical mass bicycle bloc and its squat flags rolled into the Barcelona Sants train station to temporarily "occupy" it with life and joy (for at least 10 minutes).
There were two more major actions on Laietana street. One happened at the Presidential Department Building of Catalonia, formerly the Princesa movie theatre; two activists climbed the walls with a ladder. The riot police inside tried to intervene, but were stopped by hundreds of protesters who blocked their way out. While activists on the ground were painting the windows white to write the words "Hypocrites" in red, at the top of the wall the two other activists hung a new banner that read, "You talk about Peace, Dialogue, Civic Responsibility, and Tolerance, while you evict the social centers."
A second action took place at the "Chamber of Urban Property Rights." Another banner, which read, "Property is Theft," along with a black squat flag, were hung from the balcony. While this was going on above, collumns of brick-patterned wallpaper were wheatpased across the building's paneled windows, to represent barricades.
Finally, the crowd headed toward Saint Jaume Plaza, across Ferran street, where dozens of police wagons and crowds of riot cops were waiting, crowded in tortoise formation inside the entrances of the government palaces on the plaza as well as scattered throughout the plaza, billy clubs in hand. At the end, the big boys in blue arrested a guy by dragging him across the ground into the Province Palace; however, some sources say he has been released.
See also (in spanish and english) websites with photos:
http://www.quesevayantodos.ya.st
http://www.sindominio.net/quinzenaokupacio/
http://www.indymedia.org.uk
https://www.squat.net
http://barcelona.indymedia.org |
Mira també:
http://www.sindominio.net/quinzenaokupacio/
http://https://www.squat.net
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Comentaris
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Re: INTERNATIONAL DEMONSTRATIONS in defence of free SPACES
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per ipsiphi |
06 oct 2003
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great report, were you the blond girl in black with the journalist jotter and ballpoint who looked so profesional? [I took you for either a polish-american imc head or a well disguised german secret service agent].
One thing, the offices of the Chamber of Urban Property rights, is the "title deed office", it stands on the junction of via Laeitana and Plaça Angel at Metro Jaume 1. (translating names doesnt work champs elysee is champs elysee not elysian fields) the flag flew till 08h00 this morning. When the authorities evict people from their homes here they build a wall infront of the door, the wallpaper thus represented an eviction not a barricade, we in BCN have lots of experience with barricades and know how to do them properly.
Also background chatter which must be noted, included a programe on TV3.3 on speculation, the okupes are a "resident group", and as such did not seek not need support from other residential groups. I took note of the attendance of three veterans of the Civil War, one gentleman accompanied by his grandaughter wore his beret with pride and had travelled over 250km.
%-) |
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Re: "generalitat".
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per eric blair / george orwell / (ipsi being a stickler for detail) |
06 oct 2003
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well indeed, Orwell started the whole confusion thing about the Generalitat when he wrote "homage to Catalonia in the 1930s". He couldn't translate "generalitat" to english and so he wrote "generalite" instead. Now a generalite is not a generalitat, and neither can properly be described as "provinces".
The "palace of the province" thus, I would hope will in future be rendered "the Generalitat", by foreigners.
And like remember it is the "traditional seat of government of the Catalan nation", and that yawn yawn that government was never a province. not even under Franco who was a general but not a generalite. He was so good @ being a general he became a generalissimo.
%-)
Reaction from the parties of the Generalitat has been mixed, the PP have called for the okupes to hung, drawn, shot, quartered, tortured at length, eaten and then shitted out from helicopters over the mediterranean. (This is not surprising)[no change there]. The Catalan nationalists (the ones with money who like sausages and botifara and stuff) have said "nothing". They are looking forward to an election, and with housing prices 125% above normal, saying "nothing" is Erring of the side of caution.
The nationalists with less money (the Republikans) really want houses for everyone. -Yes they do. Yes they do.
The Greens as well. Mister Clos who is the mayor of BCN presented a "you must sell empty property" clause last week, it remains to be seen if this is economically feasible, as most european municipal authorities that have tried this sort of thing have experienced property price bubbles. And when one (you) consider that we are in the midst of a "property price bubble", than a bigger bubble would look like the girl from Charlie's chocolate factory you remember the one Veruca Salt.
learn Catalan:
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/55581/index.php
if you can't learn Catalan then sign the petition for Les Naus.
http://barcelona.indymedia.org/newswire/display/54750/index.php |
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Re: INTERNATIONAL DEMONSTRATIONS AGAINST THE GOVERNMENTAL COMMERCIALIZATION OF LIVING SPACES
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per Antreo
acrosswalker@yahoo.com |
15 nov 2004
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This is a another possibility, I read a book by two girls who traveled in Europe for two months with NO money. Well established squats and political places are great places to find people sympathetic to those in the pursuit of knowledge. It's a good book. I'm bringing it to you on Thursday. I talked to Uncle Lou Today too.
Genna. |
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