In Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Frankfurt, Lübeck, Wuppertal and many other cities across Europe people protested against eviction threats against squats on Friday; #HandsOffAll Squats!



Spontaneous demo in Wuppertal, Germany, June 23rd 2017.

The Coordination of Refugee Squats (City Plaza, Notara 26, Oniro, Spyrou Trikoupi, Arahovis, 5th School, Jasmine School, Acharnon 22) called for yesterdays international day of action “Hands off the squats”. In the call, activists demand to keep the squats open, to close the camps and detention centers, to cancel the shameful EU-Turkey deal, to open the borders and stated that “you can’t evict a movement!”

In the past year repression against refugees and supporters has increased with evictions, arrests and police violence in various EU member states. Some of the squats where refugees lived in a self-organised way were evicted, for instance in Thessaloniki, Athens and Belgrade. Again and again there are reports from police violence against refugees in France, Croatia, Hungary and other European countries. Since the EU/Turkey deal, refugees are being detained at the Greek islands and deported back to Turkey.

In Athens people protested against a possible eviction of City Plaza, Papouchadiko and Zoudochou Pigis 119 in front of the ministery of migration. Projects like City Plaza succeed in where the Greek goverment and other EU member states fail; a self-determined life, a life with dignity for those who travelled to a putative Europe under extrem hard conditions. A life where it doesn’t matter which papers people have but instead a life where people can live together in a self-organised way. Since the former City Plaza hotel was squatted more than a year ago, after the building was empty for several years, more than 1500 people lived in the building. 400 at any one time. Among them where many refugees and supporters from many countries. While EU member states closed their borders, sharpened their asylum laws, detaining and deporting more and more refugees, people in Athens have build up self-organised projects like City Plaza together with refugees.

In Berlin, people protested in front of the Greek embassy. In Frankfurt in front of the Greek consulate. In Frankfurt, activists delivered the consulship a letter in which they wrote that its clear the Syriza government wants to close all self-organised spaces, including refugee squats. In the letter the activists also wrote that they consider an eviction of City Plaza or any other squat as “an attack against all of us” and that they “know how to use the power of solidarity.”

In Wuppertal, Germany, there where 2 actions against the eviction threats against City Plaza, SquatBo (Hernerstr 131 in Bochum, Germany) and all other squats. Shortly after 06:00pm an unregistered spontaneous demo marched through the city center and handed out many flyers to passersby. About two hours later activists did a banner drop at the main train station. The banner readed “City Plaza is everywhere!” It wasn’t the first solidarity action with City Plaza and other squats in Wuppertal. On April 30, activists did a small action in front of the former (evicted) Marien 41 squat in Wuppertal. The Hernerstr 131 squat in Bochum is also under immediate threat of eviction. Earlier this week there was a sponteanous demo in the city center of Bochum as well.

In Brussels, there was a solidarity action in front of the Greek embassy (image below).

In Lübeck (Germany; image1 below) and Rostock (Germany; image 2 below), activists sended solidarity messages on banners.

Riot Turtle

[Posted on June 24, 2017 by Enough is Enough!]