026 squats, social centres, free spaces...

From: starstuffharvestingstarlight [e-mail] Date: 2010-04-05 08:54:38 Title: squats, social centres, free spaces...

here are few that i've been inspired by along the way

red rattler - sydney cultural centre in a sydney warehouse, used primarily for music, theatre, art exhibitions and activism. run by unpaid artists and activists, they ask for an 'eco tax' of 50c per head for non-profit functions to cover the cost of running the venue on mainly renewable energy and water. if someone wants to have a commercial event there, they charge an additional $2 per head. their 5-year eco plan includes rain water catchment (reused for toilets), solar energy, no air conditioners, 2nd hand furniture only, local products at the bar and maximising recycling. i've been to a bunch of free parties and political meetings here, the girls running it are great and it attracts a really creative, motivated crowd. http://www.redrattler.org/sydney/about+us

fabrika yfanet - thessaloniki 20,000 square metre factory that was squatted in 2004. mission: make space for creativity and the promotion of individual and collective expression by all available means. factory is used by a number of different groups, mainly political activists promoting anarchist lifestyles and education, other anti-capitalists, feminists, antifascists, several newspapers, a pirate radio station, solidarity movements and political film-makers. it also contains a free lending library specialising in history, politics, sociology and banned antiauthoritarian texts, a skate park, a 'people's kitchen' and art studios. i didn't stay in this squat, but visited a few times and the sheer size of it is amazing. it's like a small city in itself. i liked that there's enough space that anybody with an idea or a need for space can come in and just start without any issues or consultation. http://www.yfanet.net/

villa amalia - athens an anarchist squat first occupied in 1990. they have regular discussion and film nights, and also store most of the activism gear for the exarhia squats as those ones are raided by police and damaged fairly often. the squat and it's residents have been subjected to a bunch of attacks over the years, and in june 2009 a local neo-nazi group tried to burn it down, but were unsuccessful. since then it has been used primarily for activism, with only a couple of people sleeping there at any time. it's in the suburbs of athens, in a very rich area, but the anarchists have a good relationship with most of the neighbourhood. when i visited in december 09, they were busy building a community vegetable garden for the whole neighbourhood to use. on the outside gate there is a banner reading "I want neither to rule nor to be ruled" - Herodotus Histories 3:83 http://villa-amalias.blogspot.com/

exarcheia - athens exarcheia is a suburb in central athens and has been home to anarchists,the left-wing intellectual scene and political activism since the fall of the greek dictatorship in the 70s. in december 08, and again on the first anniversary last december, exarcheia blew up after a policeman shot and killed 15 year old alexis grigoropoulos (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRc_i_tGjOU). exarcheia is primarily squatted, with very few residents paying rent or utilities. most businesses are run as collectives and there's a very stong antiauthoritarian and anticapitalist culture. the squats and the anarchists in exarcheia are very militant and radical, unlike anything i've ever seen. i was there for a few weeks, and there were serious clashes with the police at least 5 nights a week - tear gas, beatings, molotovs and riot police aren't just an occurence, they're part of the scenery. the intense activism is a lifestyle for exarcheians, and it was interesting to see that most people i met in other parts of athens, even those who were self-labelled political conservatives, had a lot of respect for what these people were fighting against. exarcheia holds assemblies twice a week where all residents are invited to discuss issues and ideas, and i saw direct democracy working very efficiently here. although, i think this had a lot to do with the fact that exarcheia attracts a very specific type of activist, so the moral and political code among residents is very uniform. my favourite part of the area was a beautiful park in the centre. the athens council destroyed a children's playground to make way for paid parking lots. every night when the construction was finished, residents would go to the park and pull up the concrete, planting trees. this went on for months, and eventually the council gave up. now, the park is a big green space with a kiosk for free tea and coffee, a couple of kid's playgrounds, free wifi, and a meeting space for the assemblies (and a knee-high stone wall right around it to keep the dirt-bike mounted riot police out). the park has been labelled a peace zone for the residents, so when exarcheia is burning (as it often does) the residents have agreed not to use any kind of violence against the police while they're in the park. it's a place where the kids and peaceful activists can be without worrying about flying molotovs and rocks.

kunsthaus tacheles - berlin an ex-department store in central berlin which was squatted by a self-organised collective of artists in 1990. it's a beautiful old building, built in the early 1900s. the whole inside is covered in brightly coloured paint and there are galleries and studios on every floor. the building also houses a cafe, cinema, performance space, bar and free workshops. http://super.tacheles.de/cms/

there are a bunch of other squats in east berlin, mainly in kreuzberg and friedrichshain areas. the scene in berlin is mostly far less intensely political than in athens (although there are a few exceptions, like the squatted red army faction headquarters). many of the squats i saw combine political activism with artists collectives and social centres providing free 'voku' (people's dinner). a lot of these places have government approval, and some even receive funding for maintenance and utilities, which i think is part of what keeps the scene so strong in berlin.

freetown christiania - copenhagen a large commune of about 850 people, on an old military base which was squatted in 1971. the mission statement of christiana is: The objective of Christiania is to create a self-governing society whereby each and every individual holds themselves responsible over the wellbeing of the entire community. Our society is to be economically self-sustaining and, as such, our aspiration is to be steadfast in our conviction that psychological and physical destitution can be averted. their is a strong hippie movement, with a lot of focus on meditation, sustainable living and anti-war activism. there is also a strong squatter and anarchist movement. christianites developed their own set of laws to combat the severe drug and gang problems in the 80s, these rules forbid stealing, violence, guns, knives, bulletproof vests, hard drugs (understood to include cocaine, speed, ecstacy and heroin) and biker's colours. these rules were introduced by absolute consensus by all residents, and this decision making model still stands. i attended a couple of town meetings, but couldn't understand the danish so can't comment on that. because of it's recognised 'freetown' status, other danish laws do not apply inside christiania. christiania has their own flag, a red background with three yellow circles representing liberty, equality and fraternity. i spent one of my happiest christmases in christiana last year. christmas eve was celebrated with a huge, free dinner open to everybody. an old aircraft hangar was filled with long tables and chairs, seating over a thousand people who then spilled over on to the floor when the seats were full. local danish businesses donated all of the food and drinks, and there was music and entertainment all night. it was amazing to see everybody there mixing and laughing - from the young family, to the old hippies, to the homeless, the drunks, the businessmen and the teenagers. http://www.christiania.org/

Comments: From: starstuffharvestingstarlight [e-mail] Date: 2010-04-05 22:25:13 Subject: fucking good one sister ash!

fucking good one sister ash!