With rampant gentrification devastating Brixton’s famous character and community, local activists, artists, musicians, residents and campaigners are gathering together for a ‘Reclaim Brixton’ protest to be held in Windrush Square on April 25th from 12 noon.

Over 5,700 people have said they will be attending the event, which has been organised to celebrate Brixton’s “community, its diversity, culture, life and resistance”.

The event page reads:

Social diversity is driven out by lack of truly affordable housing. Local businesses are driven out by increasing rents and redevelopment schemes that benefit national & multinational businesses, siphoning money out of the area. Local spaces for people to meet, celebrate, get support or education are being decimated as community groups, long-standing pubs, music venues, libraries & colleges are being relocated, down-sized, repurposed, disappeared. Brixton’s vibrancy now has a question mark on it. Will Brixton turn into a living museum or will it live?

A press release by the Lambeth Housing Activists gives more detail to this important protest, and includes the times that the various estates will be assembling to march on to Windrush Square.

Also included below is information about the Black Blockade and Latin Brixton protests – which will take place before the main rally- and an action by Brixton traders threatened by evictions.

As the Tories announce plans to sell another slice of our dwindling social housing stock , Lambeth Housing Activists are calling on people to support the #ReclaimBrixton protest in Windrush Square on April 25th from 12 noon. The protest will celebrate our community, its diversity, culture, life and resistance. Our estates are being demolished, our social housing sold off and our services shut down. The poorest tenants and ethnic minority communities are first in the firing line as the property speculators drive up prices and drive us out. The majority of us whether in social housing, private rental or wanting to buy a house are losing out as the property speculators and private landlords make massive profits underwritten by the tax payer. Now a grand coalition of housing campaigners in the borough have come together with small shops being priced out of Brixton Arches, and trade unions and residents trying to defend libraries and other local services, to create an anti-gentrification movement to Reclaim Brixton. Estates where tenants are under threat, or dealing with the fall out, from ‘regeneration’ are meeting to go to the protest at the following assembly points: 11am at the Guinness estate in Loughborough Park where dozens of families are threatened with imminent eviction to make way for new build flats which none of them could ever afford to buy.

11am from Cressingham Gardens

11.30 Myatts Field North Community Centre

11.30 Loughborough Centre (anti-road closure protesters)

There will also be tenants from Dorchester Court, Leigham Court Sheltered Housing, Central Hill estate, private renters groups and other local campaign groups organising delegations to Windrush square.

Brixton Rec Brixton Rec User Group (Brug) will be linking hands in solidarity from midday

The #ReclaimBrixton protest will take place in Windrush Square on April 25th from 12 noon.

Affiliated/other actions on the day

The Save Brixton Arches campaign – which is fighting to stop businesses being evicted by Network Rail’s regeneration proposals – plans to close down all the affected shops in Atlantic Road and Station Road between noon and 2pm on the day.

12-12:30: shutting shops & gathering with banners on Altantic Rd

12:30-1:00: march to square

1:00-4:00: Live interactive art at arches, petitions, meet the traders

3:00-5:00: Join other campaigners and take signatures to council

More: Reclaim Brixton event on Sat 25th April – times, places and meet up point

Read more here: Save Brixton Arches: shops to close between noon and 2pm on Sat, 25th April

As part of the day of action, there will also be a Black Blockade protest against social cleansing and gentrification.

We call a protest throughout Brixton Village to take back a market which was once owned and used by local Brixton residents. Today, on any given evening it is swamped by a young middle class that these businesses cater towards. The black community and residents have been socially cleansed from the market, and on any given weekday or weekend, there is hardly a black local to be seen. We call a peaceful protest through Brixton Village, where we will sing, chant, and remember



We will be marching in rows of three, arms linked in recognition of the struggle for civil rights, throughout the village. Afterwards we will march towards Windrush square to meet the Reclaim Brixton congregation.

This assembles at 11.30am outside Brixton station.

There will also be a Latin Brixton protest, meeting by the Brixton Village, main entrance, next to the ” Rancho de Lalo”

at 11:30 a.m.

Links and background info:

Reclaim Brixton Event – https://www.facebook.com/events/410855589085974/

Reclaim Brixton: important legal information on your rights

Discuss Reclaim Brixton on the urban75 forums (over 320 responses so far).

Twitter: #ReclaimBrixton

About the Save Brixton Arches campaign:

Save Brixton Arches official website

Save Brixton Arches: online petition

Facebook: Brixton Community United

Twitter: #savebrixtonarches

Read the latest news and join the big discussion on the urban75 forums (over 670 posts)

Read more on Brixton Buzz

Reclaim Brixton event: 25th April at noon

Reclaim Brixton Facebook