On 27th of November, 2014 the (A)nti-Social Centre was threatened with eviction. For 3 months the squatted space hosted numerous radical events such as the MIPIM counter-conference, anti-fascist, Student organising events, Radical Housing Network meetings, all sorts of fundraisers and info-nights.
On the day, the plan was to pre-empt the eviction by moving to other empty buildings nearby. These were three empty houses 5 minutes up the road on Argyle street that had an open window. They belong to the social housing landlord ‘One Housing Group’, that had allowed the properties to remain empty for some time despite the need for homes in the area.
The eviction of Guildford Street went ahead and the new occupation (24-28 Argyle Street, WC1) had barely started when on the evening of Saturday 29th November 2014 private security personnel – who had been seen around the property since almost the start of the occupation – moved in to forcefully and illegally evict the occupiers inside using a sledgehammer to break down one door. This was done in the presence of police who did nothing to prevent what appears to have been a criminal act by One Housing Group and Assured Guarding security services.
Check out the video.