Category Archives: bailiffs

CITY OF LONDON POLICE: YET ANOTHER ILLEGAL EVICTION

Posted on February 9, 2013 | Comments Off on CITY OF LONDON POLICE: YET ANOTHER ILLEGAL EVICTION

 

Last Monday, the resistance mobilised in response to threat of  unlawful eviction.

A group of around 30 homeless young people had occupied an empty building in the city of London. However, after a few days of shelter they received a visit from one of the UK’s most corrupt corporations – the city of London police.  They were told that they would have to leave the building with immediate effect as they were committing ‘aggravated trespass’. Knowing this was not the case, they sought legal advice and a legal observer went to their assistance.

The forces of darkness, however, decided to continue on with their empty threats  despite knowing full well that no offence was being committed. The resistance began mobilising outside the building and after a few hours there was an impressive 60 strong turnout. After a few hours of anxious waiting, information came in that riot cops were being briefed in a side street close to the building.  Those inside and outside the building began preparing themselves for the violence that was inevitably about to come.

At round 9pm, 7 hours after the police had first arrived, 20 riot cops charged  the building and forcefully threw members of the peaceful resistance, locked on in front of the main entrance, to the floor.  Violent scuffles were had as people tried to clamber to their feet.  Those inside the building were dragged out and dumped on the pavement.  Within ten minutes, the eviction was over and the group back out on the streets.

The only offence that was committed, to our knowledge, was when a member of the Met police punched one of the evictees directly in the face while shouting ‘move back!’. We’re pretty sure that this is not an orthodox way of crowd control… We’ve seen the footage and have strongly advised  the individual to press charges.

So. The City of London police are at it again – wasting time and resources to  evict homeless people from empty buildings. Here’s a video from a particularly memorable incident that happened last year. The city of London police called  in the TSG to unlawfully evict a newly opened squat. The crime? An allegation of theft…… of a padlock. Lol, proportionate.

Oh and more on aggravated trespass here

 

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Posted in bailiffs, eviction, homeless, london, mike wetherly, resistance, shelter, squat, squatters, squatting

YET ANOTHER UNLAWFUL EVICTION….

Posted on September 1, 2012 | Comments Off on YET ANOTHER UNLAWFUL EVICTION….

With hours left before squatting in a residential property became illegal; a Territorial support group backing up enforcement officers smashed their way into a residential property in Dalston yesterday and unlawfully evicted the building of its many residents. 

An intimate moment post illegal eviction Enforcement officer & tsg.jpg
TSG and Enforcement Officer
On arrival at the crime scene we found a group of shocked people standing on the pavement surrounded by their personal possessions.  Scheduled eviction date was the 26thof September 2012 and they believed that they would be evicted on this date as stated by the court. One person peddled furiously to Gee street county court where he told court officers of the illegal eviction taking place. After checking court documents it was agreed that this was the case and the eviction should be stopped immediately. When this information was relayed to the officers involved in the on-going eviction they replied ‘Ah well, it’s too late now’….

With full knowledge that the eviction was illegal the police continued on with their work. When we spoke to the police about their actions the feeling on their part was that they were the law. This is not so. The police force are the upholders of law; when this is forgotten we move another step closer to a police state. Thankfully the people evicted yesterday will not have to sleep on the streets. Friends and supporters have taken them in.  However, this will not be the case for many other people .

The streets are going to fill with rough sleepers while buildings remain empty for years. To say that a property owner has the right to do anything they like with a building is morally bankrupt. A property owner has a duty of care to the community the property is in .You cannot leave buildings empty for years on end while people are homeless.

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Posted in autonomous spaces, bailiffs, crisis, squat, squatters, squatting

WHATEVER THEY SAY, SQUATTING WILL STAY!!

Posted on August 17, 2012 | Comments Off on WHATEVER THEY SAY, SQUATTING WILL STAY!!

The international squatting symbol

According to Robert Neuwith , author of Shadow cities ,there are more  than  a billion squatters living on this planet.  One in seven people. 

Brazilian squat community

Evidently there is a huge global need for land to grow food on and homes in which to live.  Yet, according to academic Kesia Reeve, “squatting is largely absent from policy and academic debate and is rarely conceptualized, as a problem, as a symptom, or as a social or housing movement.” 



South African Squats

The global response on the part of the 1% has been to make squatting  illegal in most countries. Despite this criminalisation of a huge political movement, (squatting is political), the occupation of empty buildings and land continues.


Squatted Land in London


In the UK, section 144 of the legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders bill 2012 criminalises squatting in a residential buildings. The Advisory Service for Squatters (ASS) keep their website current and will let people know when this legislation is enacted. Check it for updates: www.squatter.org.uk


Jamaican squat


Eviction Resistance will be hosting the next London squattastic event.  This will be a great opportunity for London squatters, and guests to come together to brain storm tactics that will ensure squatting continues in England and Wales post criminalisation . It will be on the 2nd of September, from 2pm-6pm. Keep checking this blog for more updates. 





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Posted in 2012, autonomous spaces, bailiffs, conservative party, council housing, crisis, eviction, homeless, london, possession order, protest, resistance, section 6, shelter, social housing, squat, squatters, squatting

AVON & SOMERSET POLICE: FOUL PLAY

Posted on August 15, 2012 | Comments Off on AVON & SOMERSET POLICE: FOUL PLAY
66 Queen Square, site of tonight's illegal eviction by Avon & Somerset police
66 Queens Square Bristol, site of Tuesday’s illegal eviction

Disturbing reports yesterday of yet another unlawful eviction having taken place. In the earlier hours of Tuesday morning, members of the Avon and Somerset police force decided  to evict a group of young squatters on the grounds that they were ‘trespassing’. They stated that squatting had become illegal and that they now had the power to evict the building.

They didn’t. Section 6 of the criminal law act 1977 still applies; entrance by force or by threat of force to a persons residence is still a criminal offence. The inhabitants of the former building society in Bristol had committed no crime, they are were simply occupying an abandoned building and this is still completely lawful. Although the offence of squatting in residential buildings has been passed, it has not yet been enacted. This means the police have no power at all to evict/arrest under this new offence.

Three complaints have been made against the officers who were involved in this incident. We’ll keep you updated on how these complaints progress. The squatters resquatted the property shorty after the police left and to our knowledge they are still there. Respect!

For more info check the indymedia article:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2012/08/498995.html

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Posted in autonomous spaces, bailiffs, Bristol, crisis, cuts, demonstration, eviction, homeless, resistance, section 6, shelter, squat, squatters, squatting

HACKNEY RESISTANCE

Posted on July 30, 2012 | Comments Off on HACKNEY RESISTANCE

The forces of darkness stalled by a peaceful demonstration outside the squatted property. On talking to the occupants we learnt that the building had been empty for 13 years and it had now been put back into use as a home for fourteen individuals. A hearty cooked breakfast was enjoyed by the 50 strong turn out and there was much celebration when the bailiffs decided not to go ahead with the eviction. This resistance was back in May, to our knowledge the property still remains squatted to this day.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

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Posted in autonomous spaces, bailiffs, banner, crisis, demonstration, eviction, hackney, homeless, london, possession order, protest, resistance, section 6, shelter, squat, squatters, squatting

NEWS OF EVICTIONS AND A PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Posted on July 29, 2012 | Comments Off on NEWS OF EVICTIONS AND A PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Once again the corporate 0lympics have outdone themselves in the exclusion of local people;both the BBC and Al Jazeera  have taken over a number of the upper floors in  two residential tower blocks overlooking the olympic site. The residents being temporarily moved. In the spirit of exclusion ER believes the council have turned a blind eye to this.

Private security now control entry to the tower blocks for all residents.This control is so total that residents  have been denied access to their homes because of an apparent security breach at the BBC  suite or residents home as ER would like to call it.When police were called to the scene you will not be surprised to find they sided with the private security, further denying access to legitimate residents.There was no security breach, but ER fully expect the residents  to be further excluded during the corporate games.

A source has told ER there are plans to further gentrify  the Stratford area with the demolition of the two tower blocks, with the land being made available for yet more corporate development and greed at the expense of local people. Watch this space for further updates.

‘But I just popped out to get some milk!!!’


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Posted in 2012, autonomous spaces, bailiffs, council housing, demolition, demonstration, eviction, hackney, homeless, london, olympics, resistance, social housing, stratford

Posted on July 3, 2012 | Comments Off on


EVICTION RESISTANCE NETWORK


We provide support and advice to those facing eviction. Our support includes:

*Help with organising peaceful resistance and building local networks
*Providing legal observers to monitor evictions
*Advice on what to do in cases of illegal eviction
* Information on other support services
* Workshops on dealing with the police and bailiffs and legal observer training tailored for eviction support

We believe that housing is a human right and no one should be made homeless.  We are currently based in London and trying to help develop a London wide resistance network.

Resist all evictions! Community Power!
Contact us for more information.

Call: 07591 415860 (Giff Gaff Network)
Low credit? Dropped calls returned.

TOGETHER WE ARE THE RESISTANCE

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Posted in bailiffs, council housing, eviction, homeless, possession order, resistance, section 6, social housing, squat, squatters