The Red and Black Umbrella social centre: resistance to the privatisation of space.

Outside the defunct pub, the view is quite bleak: windows and doors are sealed, a couple of vandal graffiti splash some faded colours onto the grey stone and a red sheet carrying the message: “Live without border. Love without borders. Govern yourself,” floats to the wind from the building’s first floor.

There is one wooden door painted black and decorated with an array of politically motivated and environmentalist stickers, which seems to provide the only visible access into the building from Clifton Street, Cardiff.

I knocked. I didn’t have to wait a minute that a young man accompanied with a couple of healthy-looking dogs opened the door and greeted me. After introducing myself, I was invited in the Red and Black Umbrella Social Centre.

Established in the premises of the former Tredegar Hotel pub in Adamsdown, the Red and Black Umbrella Movement, an anarcho-syndicalist group which has become famous in the city for its squatting activity, has organised a social hub welcoming anyone who supports their activities.

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From the outside of the former pub, no sign of activity is apparent.

The Tredegar Hotel pub, described by Plasnewydd resident Catherine Phelps as “terrible”, closed its doors in 2006 following a series of anti-social behaviour incidents. The Red and Black Umbrella group moved into the empty building in 2011, which has been the home of the social centre ever since.

Inside the squatted building, life is ebullient. Everything seems to have been carefully organised and thought-through to give substance to the activities of the social centre. The place is kept clean and tidy, there is a little kitchen area next to the bar and couches and sofas have been set up around an old wooden coffee table.

Book shelves crammed with literary classics and political essays, which give Proudhon an honorary place, lean against the two back walls of the room. A zine library occupies another corner and a big white board provides information on any upcoming events. It is centre policy that no event should be organised more than three months in advance in case of an eviction.

The place is kept clean and tidy, there is a little kitchen area next to the bar and couches and sofas have been set up around an old wooden coffee table.

I was not allowed to take any pictures inside the building. However, photographer Tom Ashmore managed to snap the inside of the former pub just after the squatters first “cracked” the building in October 2011. Pictures can be viewed here.

A couple of the squatters living in the social centre were sat on the sofas with a cuppa, while others were coming in and out after a morning workshop. They have preferred to remain anonymous.

The social centre is home to a group of around ten squatters, who have agreed to live together and obey strict community and census rules. Alongside this multi-generational core of temporary residents, come and go guests and friends of the Red and Black Umbrella group.

Workshops on wellbeing, the dos and don’ts of squatting, legal issues, as well as a weekly bike repair session take place on a regular basis and are advertised on the social centre’s website. Occasional fundraising gigs are organised to support or launch any campaign the group unanimously decides to back.

“This is an alternative way to run the planet. By turning abandoned buildings into radical spaces for this type of community use is, I believe, much better than have an empty building. This is a space where the idea of a ‘function’ does no longer exist,” said one of the squatters.

“We welcome anyone who wants to positively engage with the space and with us.”

“This is a space where the idea of a ‘function’ does no longer exist”

Catherine Phelps, Plasnewydd residents and member of the Plasnewydd Community Garden said:

“I think it’s fantastic what they are doing – they have bike workshops in there and talks on plenty of topics. I might just go down to one of their bike workshops, just out of curiosity. I totally support that kind of enterprise.”

The social centre is ruled by the Safer Spaces Policy, a set of terms which was decided upon by an American radical collective, which compels anyone who enters the centre to obey them.

“We haven’t got any problems with drugs and alcohol because we have set up these rules. Anyone who doesn’t comply to them is kicked out.”

The Safer Spaces Policy is explained by the following:

“A safer space is a supportive, non-threatening environment that encourages open-mindedness, respect, a willingness to learn from others, as well as physical and mental safety. It is a space that is critical of the power structures that affect our everyday lives, and where power dynamics, backgrounds, and the effects of our behaviour on others are prioritised. It’s a space that strives to respect and understand survivors’ specific needs. Everyone who enters a safer space has a responsibility to uphold the values of the space.”

Among the 16 points of The Safer Spaces Policy, it states:

Any behaviour that demeans, marginalises or dominates others, or perpetuates hierarchies, is unwelcome. We reject all forms of oppression and bigotry including but not limited to racism, sexism, homophobia, speciesism, transphobia, ableism, ageism, classism, nationalism and religious intolerance. Everyone has an equal right to be heard and an equal responsibility to listen. {…} Decisions regarding the Social Centre space are made by consensus at monthly general meetings which are open to all.{…} We agree to respect and look after the building as a physical space and a resource for all. {…} We want this space to be free from violence {…} We take care not to behave in ways that can harm the space, ourselves or other people due to drink or drug abuse. {…} No quantities of drugs are to be kept in the space and no drugs or alcohol are to be sold from here. A number of drugs are specifically banned from the Red & Black Umbrella Social Centre, including but not limited to: heroin, ketamine, cocaine, crack, m-cat, crocodile and solvent abuse. There is zero tolerance for injecting drugs.

The social centre is now entering its fourth year of existence and within that time many changes have been made both inside and outside the building to transform the space into liveable and sustainable home.

Repairs have been made to stop the roof from leaking, a system for collecting rainwater was created (according to the squatters, the centre’s provision of water is independent and is not being stolen from any of the neighbouring pipes – however, they refused to explain the specifics of their water provision), and increasing efforts to use renewable energies for electricity are underway, while cooking still requires the use gas bottles.

The squatters explain the landlord is aware of their presence and seems satisfied with the fact that the squatters take care of the building’s maintenance. A spoken agreement has been struck between the squatters and the landlord, who promised to give the group two months notice to leave the premises once he gathered the funds to transform the space into housing.

The landlord promised the squatters to give them two months notice before any eviction order is issued.

For the squatters, this is a semi-permanent home, an exceptional situation.

Alan Alias, who has owned the Ali Baba Shop opposite the social centre on Clifton Street for four years and has lived in the area for the past 12 years, has seen the group settling into the former Tredegar Hotel. He said:

“For the four years I have had the shop here I have never had any problem. They are peaceful and quiet people, they don’t disturb and they are friendly with the neighbourhood. I don’t see any problem with them being there.They are as good as gold.”

“They come in the shop and buy stuff all the time: bread, milk, sugar, crisps the normal things really.”

“Some of them are very clever, there are engineers, they know how to build things, they have a skill but they still need help – they need to be looked after, but that costs a lot of money. But then we all pay tax and I would be willing to pay my tax to help people like this.”

Adamsdown councillors have not commented on the issue.

If you are interested in issues on squatting, you might be interested in reading about what happened at the Gower Pub, Cathays, Cardiff, follow the link.