Squatting

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Occupied house in Stuttgart (2005)

A squat is the illegal possession of a strange, vacant building and its use as a living room or meeting room .

General

In most cases, a squatting is done against the will or without considering the will of the owner . The existing breach of law , which in the Federal Republic of Germany is derived from the guarantee of property in Article 14 (1) of the fundamental rights in the Basic Law , is consciously accepted by the occupiers. These refer - especially in the context of social movements - in general to abuse by owners (mostly companies) and thus to Article 14 (2) of the Basic Law: “Property obliges. Its use should also serve the public good."

There are also cases of tolerated squatting, especially when it comes to very dilapidated buildings. Especially in the early days (1970s and 1980s), squatting was often tolerated for more than a decade. Cooperative behavior on the part of the squatters favored such toleration in some cases, but the sometimes militant pressure from larger support groups often led owners and / or government agencies to decide not to evacuate an occupied property (especially since there was a likelihood that the property would be evacuated or other squatters would sooner or later "recapture" the property if it was vacant again after it was vacated). A well-known example of such militant pressure was the Hafenstrasse in Hamburg. Cities and municipalities also had a certain self-interest: adolescents and young adults who otherwise would probably have been homeless had a “roof over their heads” as squatters.

Squats are called squats in some countries, such as France, Great Britain, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary . As motives gave and give to squatters often that living room (or rooms for social and cultural events) missing or is not affordable. Interim uses do not fall under this definition, as they take place mutually and for a limited time.

Causes and Distinctions

Squatters symbol

Squatting is carried out for various, often overlapping motives: These are the desire for affordable housing, a lack of housing or even homelessness , protests against speculative vacancies and protests against high rents . Many squatters consciously distance themselves from social norms and try or practice alternative forms of living together.

The self-proclaimed goal of refurbishments is to save dilapidated houses from demolition and make them habitable again.

There are basically two classes of squatting:

  • “Open occupied houses”, where the public can - and should - know that the house is occupied. Banners often hang on the facade, leaflets are distributed, etc.
  • "Silent occupations": here people move in and try not to make the occupation public.

The symbol of the squatter movement is a circle with an N-shaped lightning bolt running through it from bottom left to top right. The sign originated in the Amsterdam squatter scene around 1970 and quickly spread across Western Europe.

Another explanation is the origin of the North American Indian treasure trove of symbols: an arrow lying in a circle, pointing upwards means "The fight goes on". A lightning bolt means "fast".

historical development

Many of the squats that took place in Germany and the Netherlands in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s are now legalized. This means that the residents have concluded tolerance, rental or usage agreements with the owners. Some tenancies are not formally legalized, but have an unofficial status through toleration. In Switzerland , squatted houses often have a “ commercial lending contract ”, which ensures that the squatters pay for electricity and water.

Denmark

The free town of Christiania , which has existed since 1971 , is an autonomous housing estate on a former military site in Copenhagen , and is considered to be one of the oldest and longest existing occupations in Europe. Another well-known squat was the house at Ryesgade 58, which in 1986 was the scene of fierce street fighting for nine days and was completely cordoned off with barricades. For decades, the center of the squatter scene in Copenhagen was the Ungdomshuset (youth center). The house, which had only been occupied for the last three months, existed from 1982 to 2007 until it was evacuated, accompanied by riots. Between 1981 and 1990 there were a number of occupations, particularly in the Nørrebro district - including the Allotria house, which became famous for a spectacular maneuver in which the occupiers escaped through a 20-meter-long hand-dug tunnel on the day of the evacuation. A banner that was left behind said in Danish: "We decide for ourselves when we want to fight!"

Germany

The early squatting at the beginning of the 1970s was mostly sporadic, opportunity-taking actions that could be traced back to problematic local and social situations and were less often associated with urban destruction.

Cologne
On April 10, 1970, the vacant administration building of the former Kwatta chocolate factory at Roßstrasse 16, Cologne-Ehrenfeld was occupied (see: Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger of April 11, 1970).

The SSK was in the lead when it came to squatting (first: social pedagogical special measures Cologne; later: socialist self-help Cologne). The SSK was founded in November 1969 in the Franciscan monastery, Ulrichgasse, Cologne. Founding members were 5 social workers from the city of Cologne, the former chaplain of the Don-Bosco-Heim , Cologne, and 4 other Cologne citizens.

The SSK mainly looked after homeless children and young people in Cologne. He received a strong increase in the number of supervisors after Günter Wallraff had visited the Rheinische Landesjugendheim Erlenhof near Euskirchen for a ZDF documentary with a camera team, accompanied by SSK members . 16 young people from the Erlenhof came to the SSK.

Frankfurt / Main
In September 1970 students, families from homeless settlements and foreign workers occupied an empty house at Eppsteiner Strasse 47 in the Westend district of Frankfurt, and a month later two others (Liebigstrasse 20 and Corneliusstrasse 24).

The unrest in Frankfurt related to the Wilhelminian era and the “villa district” Westend , and was directed against property speculation and vacancies in the years 1970 to 1974. The actors came from the 1968 movement . They were not yet connected with the fight against the redevelopment of areas in West Berlin, which began five years later.

Berlin house warfare
In the run-up to this, the Georg-von-Rauch-Haus in Berlin-Kreuzberg had been occupied in 1971 - not least because of the Rauch-Haus song by Ton Steine ​​Scherben . In 1973 the Tommy-Weisbecker-Haus was occupied. Both still exist today, but have nothing to do with the squatter movement that began in 1980.

Squatters in Berlin-Kreuzberg (1981)

The squatter movement became particularly active in West Berlin and in some cities in West Germany from 1979 and into the 1980s.

The first nationwide congress of squatters took place in Münster in the early 1980s. The occupation of houses was often a "political act of protest against the political system" of the respective state. It was not uncommon for violent clashes with the police, especially during demonstrations and evictions.

The cause in West Berlin was the Senate's policy of redevelopment since 1964/1965. In the 1950s, large housing estates were built on the outskirts of cities - examples are Gropiusstadt or Märkisches Viertel . Since the roads and infrastructure also had to be completely rebuilt, the extensive demolition of old building quarters with subsequent new construction seemed cheaper. The New Kreuzberg Center (NKZ) at Kottbusser Tor became a symbol .

Demolition at Kreuzberger Skalitzer Strasse (Block 104)

“Over two decades, entire blocks and streets were 'de-rented', blown up and cleared. [...] Whoever was exposed to this process experienced rehabilitation (healing) as the destruction of the city. [... A large part of the] population was constantly threatened with their house being demolished. The houses had been bought up by housing associations on behalf of the state and then demolished; d. That is, as little as possible was repaired. The maintenance was almost completely omitted. Long before the demolition, the building was 'unleased'. In West Berlin, for example, thousands of apartments were empty, while 80,000 households with a residence permit were urgently looking for an apartment. "

In 1979 the first "maintenance work" took place in Cuvrystraße in Kreuzberg 36 ; it met with a great positive response from the population. In the autumn of 1980 there were further occupations - on December 12, 1980, a police operation triggered the first street fighting over the Kottbusser Tor after an evacuation on Fraenkelufer .

Rally in the Berlin house-to-house warfare

In February 1981 a 'wave of occupation' began, at the beginning of April there were already 129 houses and on June 11, 1981 the new CDU minority senate counted "165 (occupied houses), of which 86 in Kreuzberg, 32 in Schöneberg and 13 in Charlottenburg."

After a large-scale police operation on September 22, 1981 to clear eight of the occupiers' “strongholds”, a serious incident occurred in which the 18-year-old protester Klaus-Jürgen Rattay died. The " Berlin Line " announced by the Senate had not led to any reassurance; After an initial worsening of the situation, Rattay's death ultimately strengthened the prudent people on both sides.

After the death, the governing mayor of Berlin, Richard von Weizsäcker , initiated the initiative for a "peaceful solution", which the Evangelical Church in Berlin took up and found a mediator for the squatters in the self-help network at the beginning of 1982. It took another year and a half before the solution could become concrete - on the one hand, the Interior Senator Heinrich Lummer steered a 'tough' evacuation course, on the other hand, the occupiers split into two camps: one wanted to secure their new living and living conditions; the others did not want to give up their fighter status and the political goals they associated with it. Many squatters and their supporters repeatedly showed their clout, for example at the " Reagan demo " in 1982.

The renovation of the area was effectively stopped in 1981, however, and since the town planners and architects of the International Building Exhibition had developed a new concept, the Berlin House of Representatives was also able to adopt a policy of “ careful urban renewal ” in March 1983 . It was also possible to develop a renovation concept in consultation and with the participation of the residents concerned.

After the establishment of the alternative redevelopment agency Stattbau , prepared by Netzwerk, it was possible to redevelop and legalize around 60 occupied buildings by 1990 based on a sample project with 13 houses in Kreuzberg:

The rainbow factory , which was occupied in 1981, and numerous other projects legalized in tough negotiations and labor-intensive renovations still exist from this time .

At the end of 1989 and beginning of 1990 there was hardly any squatting in the area of ​​East Berlin either.

West Germany
In what was then West Germany known squats are Frauenstrasse 24 in Münster, which was occupied in 1973 and legalized in 1981, the former Stollwerck chocolate factory in Cologne , which was occupied in 1980 , the Sprengel area in Hanover in 1987, Rote Flora in Hamburg, which was occupied in 1989, which was occupied in the same year and in 1991 legalized housing project Köpi , Hafenstrasse in Hamburg, Kiefernstrasse in Düsseldorf, the occupation of the Topf-und-Söhne premises in Erfurt from 2001 to 2009 and also in smaller towns there were spectacular and long-term squats. In Tübingen these are, for example, the former police headquarters in the city center, Münzgasse 13 (which became a self-managed housing project) and the Epplehaus . Gartenstrasse 7 has been occupied since July 2019, and negotiations to buy the house are underway. In Hanau , the building at Metzgerstrasse 8 has been occupied since 1986 and is used as an autonomous cultural center, and in Weimar Gerberstrasse I and III.

Solidarity poster at the Ruhr University Bochum

In Paderborn there were several squats from the 1970s (most recently for several weeks in autumn 2007 and in April 2015), in Leipzig the houses in Stockartstraße near the Conne Island and in Potsdam the Boumans . The groups Freizeit 81 and Robin Haus (Rob in House) were associated with the (not very successful) squatter movement in Munich .

The occupation of a villa in Bochum's Werne district in 1981 was legalized after the building was repaired. In addition, a house at Herner Strasse 131 that had been vacant for years was occupied in Bochum from May to June 2017.

After 1989

Occupied houses on Mainzer Strasse in Berlin-Friedrichshain (1990)
Report on a squatting in Jena (2014)

In the turn of time many houses were in the GDR occupied. In East Berlin in particular , there was a power vacuum: the East Berlin police were no longer and the West Berlin police were not yet authorized to intervene. Examples are the houses on Mainzer Strasse in the Friedrichshain district and the Kunsthaus Tacheles, which was occupied in 1990 and vacated in 2013 .

Lignite mining area
In the course of the dispute over the Hambach Forest, there have been a few squats in the meanwhile almost uninhabited villages in the Kerpen region since October 2018 . Sooner or later the houses should be demolished for the
Hambach open-cast lignite mine and are vacant due to past resettlements of the former residents. The future of these squatting is uncertain.

Great Britain

The comparatively liberal laws regarding squatting in England had their origins in the "Squatter's Rights" of the Middle Ages to protect residents from arbitrary evictions by landowners. The 1381 law did not define squatting as a burglary unless direct damage to property was done. During the post- World War II housing crisis in London , tens of thousands of Londoners lived in abandoned houses, helping to maintain these rights. Up to 30,000 people lived in London in 1975 in squatted houses such as rented houses intended for demolition, mansions bought by property speculators, the former offices of the Environment Ministry at Regent's Park or in the Islington district in public housing. The police only intervened if a crime (for example theft of electricity) could be proven. Since 2012 the law has been changed (see Legal Assessment ).

Netherlands

Dutch news report about the storming of squatted houses in Amsterdam in 1975

The first squatting in the Netherlands took place as part of the Provo movement in the 1960s. Affordable housing was scarce in Amsterdam during this period. Vacant houses were squatted according to the White Houses Plan to prevent their demolition and thus to contribute to the preservation of the inner city; In this way, apartment hunters - especially students - found a place to stay. The actions also served as a protest against various construction projects of large banks and turned against speculation. The result was a squatter movement ( kraakbewegung ), which was initially organized by the " housing offices " De Kraker and De Koevoet and which soon sparked further actions across the country.

The Dutch population was initially skeptical about this, but that changed in 1980: When a house in Amsterdam's Vondelstraat was repeatedly occupied and cleared , a violent confrontation broke out in which tanks broke through the barricades . This action against their own compatriots when the housing shortage persisted earned the squatting movement sympathy from the population. On the occasion of Beatrix's impending coronation as Queen of the Netherlands on April 30, 1980, the slogan “no apartment - no coronation” (“ geen woning, geen kroning ”) was created to emphasize the demands of the squatters.

In the meantime, some of the squatted houses have been legalized and merged into self-governing housing collectives, for example the former Roman Catholic Hospital ( Oude RKZ ) in Groningen - the largest occupied building in the Netherlands (around 260 people live there in 232 residential units) - or in Leiden (see Eurodusnie ).

The owners of the real estate first tried to put a stop to the Kraakers by self-help, in which they housed family members, friends or acquaintances in their vacant property, which should prevent the intrusion of "strange" Kraakers. From this, professional placement agencies ( anti-crack bureaus ) have developed, who select apartment hunters so that they stay in the property in question in the interests of the owner until it is demolished or a similar project is pending. The fees for the usage permit are often significantly lower than the rent in collective housing. The brokered apartment user is not considered a resident and does not receive a rental agreement; he has no legal remedy in the event of the termination of the apartment. The Antikraker has 14 days to move out ; Many agencies assure their customers that they will find a new Antikraak location during this time .

Austria

Eviction of the "Pizzeria Anarchia" in Vienna on July 28, 2014. A large police force fails for hours at the heavily barricaded entrance area.

In Austria, the now legalized event center Arena in Vienna was occupied by young people in the 1970s. Also in the 1970s, residents of Spittelberg occupied the Amerlinghaus, which still exists today, to protest against plans to demolish listed Biedermeier houses .

The Werkstätten- und Kulturhaus (WUK) was created from the occupation of the former Technical Trade Museum in 1981 . At the height of the "house-to-house" fighting in Berlin and Zurich in the 1980s, there were also a number of house occupations in Vienna.

On May 1, 1981, the “first squatting in Vienna” took place at Windmühlgasse 24 in Vienna-Mariahilf. At the same time there was also a squatting in Innsbruck .

On August 12, 1988, the squatted houses Aegidigasse and Spalowskygasse were evacuated by police force. The police encountered unexpectedly fierce resistance and withdrew after several hours. On the second day, it was only possible to clear the house after laboriously removing some of the burning barricades and using an excavator, which tore down the outer walls of the building. There were dozens of arrests, but no convictions, as no person could be assigned a specific crime. When an empty house owned by the KPÖ was occupied on June 23, 1990 , the police avoided an escalation. The Ernst-Kirchweger-Haus (EKH) still exists today after several struggles for survival and is the largest autonomous social and cultural center in the city.

Transparent ( Maggie Simpson is shown ) at an "EKH Bleibt" campaign (2005)

Until the “Freiraum” movement in 2004 and 2005, which was particularly evident when the Fool's Tower on the university campus was occupied several times, things remained comparatively quiet for a long time. In 2005 and 2006 occupations ran under the title "Clearance Closing Days".

In 2009 and 2010 a group called “House Project” tried again and again to permanently occupy a building for cultural use. First, on October 2nd, the house on Triester Straße that had been used as the location for the well-known official sitcom MA 2412 was occupied. The eviction took place ten days later, completely unannounced. The next occupation lasted only one night, as eviction was threatened the next morning, and took place on March 25, 2010 in the Wilhelminian-style building at Praterstrasse 10, which had been vacant for years. The last action of the group was the 12-day occupation of an abandoned ÖBB residential building on the Philadelphiabrücke in July 2010. In the following year there were several occupations and evictions that received a lot of media attention: first that of the Lobmeyr-Hof in July for ten days (in the days after the eviction there were three short-term successors), in August the "MA 2412" building on Triester Strasse was briefly reoccupied and in October and November there was finally the longest squatting in Vienna for many years, as a The building complex in Lindengasse in the seventh district remained occupied for 26 days as the “epicenter” and was finally evacuated using police helicopters and evacuation tanks. A short-term successor just a few streets away, called “Wilde 13”, received a lot of media attention. At the time of the large-scale police evacuation just under a week later, however, the building was already deserted.

In 2014 the police in Vienna-Leopoldstadt carried out an evacuation operation. In order to enforce a court order to clear a demolished house, the police were in action with 1,454 officers from several federal states, as well as a police tank with a clearing blade, a water cannon and a helicopter . The evacuation operation lasted a whole day, 19 squatters from the "Pizzeria Anarchia" were arrested. The activists holed up in the house and resisted the eviction by barricading the entrances. They also threw paint bags, rotten eggs and bottles at the police. The clearance resulted in costs of 870,000 euros.

Apart from isolated attempts at squatting, there have also been two car spaces in Vienna since 2006 , groups of people who live in their vehicles but need parking spaces that have not yet been made available to them or only temporarily.

Outside Vienna there were well-known occupations with the Stadtwerkstatt in Linz, a factory hall occupied in 1980, which was cleared and demolished in 1990 and has since been housed and legalized in a small adjacent building, the ARGE in Salzburg and the Villa Kuntabunt in Innsbruck, which ran from 2003 to 2005 was occupied. A campaign for an autonomous center took place in Graz from 2008 to 2010, in the course of which long empty houses (Elisbethinergasse 21, Grendiergasse 5, Annenstraße 2, Merangasse 50, Grazbachgasse, Grabenstraße 45) were temporarily occupied. Talks between the activists and the city failed.

timeline

1970s

  • Simmering 1975, on February 8, 1975 an empty house on the corner of Simmeringer Hauptstrasse / Gottschalkgasse is occupied
  • Arena (Vienna) , formerly an occupied area, meanwhile the squatters bought the arena and the arena is an important event center
  • Phorushalle , on October 20, 1979 the market hall on Phorusplatz in Vienna, Wieden is occupied

1980s

  • Amerlinghaus , Stiftgasse 8, Vienna. Occupied August 1, 1980 by the Burggarten movement .
  • WUK (cultural center) , occupied in 1981. Since then an alternative cultural center at Währinger Strasse 59 in the 9th district of Alsergrund in Vienna.
  • Gutenberggasse, May 1, 1981, the house at Gutenberggasse 14, 1070 Vienna is occupied. Evicted on May 23, 1981.
  • Windmühlgasse, first occupied residential building in Vienna, Mariahilf
  • Rosa Lila Villa , occupied in 1982, became a lesbian, gay and transgender center after positive negotiations with the city
  • Tigergasse 1, 1080 Vienna, September 22, 1984. Was evacuated after nine hours of negotiations.
  • autonomous cultural center Gassergasse ( GaGa ), former autonomous center in Vienna, was demolished in 1983
  • Aegidigasse 13 / Spalowskygasse 3, spectacularly cleared in 1988 after two days of fighting with the police
  • Rotstilzchen, 1986, former café and autonomous center until autumn 1991
  • Oswaldgasse 1, Vienna. Occupied April 5, 1989. Voluntarily evacuated April 6, 1989.

1990s

2000s

  • Kärntnerstraße 1, Graz (called K1), 2003/2006. It was never actually occupied, but was given free of charge to the “ErFa” social project to accommodate punks on the part of the owner.
  • Pankahyttn, Vienna. Nine occupations in three years. Now with a contract. Johnstrasse 45, 1150 Vienna
  • Villa Kuntabunt, Innsbruck, vacated on October 3, 2005
  • Meldemannstrasse 27, 1200 Vienna. Occupied November 29, 2003. Cleared from WEGA the next day .
  • Wiener Wagenplatz: 2009. Wagenburg Hafenstrasse and Wagentruppe fuel
  • “Venice”, former St.Andrä-Schule Grenadiergasse 2, Graz, will be occupied on July 6, 2007
  • "House project" group
multi-day occupations:
Triester Straße 114 (cleared October 2–12, 2009),
Praterstrasse 10 (one night from March 25th to March 26th 2010 before the evacuation);
Eichenstrasse 9 (July 2–12, 2010 before eviction),
Summer session 2010 (always terminated by the police):
Burggasse 2 (August 13-16),
Lackierergasse 8 (approx. August 18-19),
Humboldtgasse 32 (approx. 19-26 August 2010)
  • " Unibrennt " movement: occupation of the Audimax and the University Sports Institute (USI) in the main building of the University of Vienna for 61 days (October 22 to December 21, 2009) and the C1 building on the campus / AAKH for 71 days (October 27 to December 21, 2009) January 6, 2010). There were also temporary occupations in the main building of the University of Vienna, for example as dormitories in the first days and weeks.
  • KriSU: On December 6, 2009, Universitätsstrasse 2 in Vienna's 9th district was occupied by KriSu activists

2010s

  • Lobmeyrhof, Lorenz-Mandl-Gasse / Roseggergasse, Vienna- Ottakring (July 7-14, 2011, vacated)
  • "Black Cat Campaign", Triester Straße 114, Vienna-Favoriten (July 29–31, 2011, cleared)
  • "Epizentrum", Lindengasse 60-62, Vienna- Neubau (October 14 to November 8, 2011, cleared by armored car and helicopter)
  • "Wilde 13", Westbahnstraße 13, Vienna-Neubau (November 11-14, 2011)
  • "Pizzeria Anarchia", Mühlfeldgasse 12, Vienna- Leopoldstadt (December 2011 to July 28, 2014; the police evacuation with 1,700 officers, armored cars and water cannons lasted into the evening hours and caused a lot of media attention.)
  • Group "FLIT *", Strozzigasse 39, Vienna- Josefstadt (May 9-10 , 2013, voluntary deduction)
  • "FLIT *", Abelegasse 2, Vienna- Ottakring (June 15, 2013, vacated the same day)
  • Gersthofer Straße / Wallrißgasse, Vienna- Währing (March 13, 2015, cleared after three hours)
  • Group "Evora", Hörndlwald-Heim, Vienna- Hietzing (November 12-26 , 2015, vacated)
  • "Evora", Haschahof, Vienna- Favoriten (January 31 to February 5, 2016, vacated)
  • Mariahilfer Straße 219, Vienna- Rudolfsheim-Fünfhaus (July 2-3, 2016, separate copy)
  • Idlhofgasse 9, Graz (October 21-25 , 2016, cleared)
  • Kienmayergasse 15, Vienna- Penzing (April 16-19, 2017, vacated)
  • "Evora", Jagdschlossgasse 21–25, Vienna- Hietzing (May 5–16 , 2017, vacated)
  • "Nele", Neulerchenfelder Straße 35, Vienna- Ottakring (November 17 to December 7, 2018, cleared)

Switzerland

Squatting "Autonomous Beauty Salon" (2011–2014) in the Zurich district of Altstetten.

There is a squatter scene in Switzerland with two centers in Zurich and Geneva . While the squater movement reached its peak in Geneva in the 1970s and 1980s, squatting has only been tolerated in Zurich since the early 1990s. Today, Zurich has by far the most active squatter scene in Switzerland. But squatting has always been and still is in other Swiss cities, although the number is significantly lower: in German-speaking Switzerland these are Bern (where the Reithalle cultural center was fought for in 1981 ), Basel and Winterthur , and in French-speaking Switzerland Lausanne and Biel . The Rhino in Geneva, for example, which was evacuated in 2004 after 19 years, was one of the longest occupations in Switzerland.

Squatting has been taking place in Zurich since the early 1970s. However, it has only been possible to speak of a real squatter movement since the 1980s. The opera house riot and the subsequent dispute over the AJZ led to a completely new constellation. The housing shortage, the expansion of the city center and the lack of self-managed rooms were among the criticisms of "Moving" from the start. On April 1, 1981, the reins date was followed by a major 'expropriation' offensive for the first time. However, as a result of the strong repression, it was impossible to hold a house for more than a few days. Squatting remained a temporary form of protest until the late 1980s.

Only with the permanent pressure of the housing shortage movement of 1989, which demonstrated every Thursday evening, did the urban evacuation practice change. Although the state authorities evacuated in most cases within a few days, the flood of occupations did not let up. City President Thomas Wagner's zero tolerance policy was no longer feasible. With the red-green election victory in April 1990, the situation for squatting was improved again. The house-to-house war in Zurich had its strongest phase in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

One of the largest squats was that of the Wohlgroth area from 1991 to 1993. Around 100 residents and numerous cultural and social institutions were housed in several buildings. After the evacuation of the Wohlgroth, the heyday of the urban warfare in Zurich was finally over. It was still occupied, but the movement had lost its political clout.

For the subculture, the culture quats like the “Glacegarten”, the “Egocity” or the “Kalkbreite” gained in importance. The "Kalkbreite", a multi-storey building at the tram depot of the same name in District 4, was occupied for seven years (2003 to 2010) and is known for its regular bar and concert evenings. In 2006 the Binz was occupied, a large factory area with various halls, where up to 50 people lived. In 2009, the media-effective “transfer” of CHF 20,000 to representatives of the Canton of Zurich, who had requested this amount as a deposit for any clean-up and disposal costs after an evacuation, caused a sensation . The squatters brought this amount to the bank with wheelbarrows containing 400,000 five- centimes items. The Binz was cleared in 2013.

The "Sidi" in Winterthur (2006)

In 2008, “Brot & action” caused a lot of media attention, occupying the vacant Hardturm Stadium for a weekend. The “counter-event to Euro 2008 ” was a protest against the commercialization of football and public space. The elaborate occupation of the stadium was camouflaged as a construction site for a long time. The police were completely surprised and after consulting the owner of the stadium, Credit Suisse , refrained from eviction. In Zurich there are still several groups that sooner or later occupy houses.

There are also occasional squats in nearby Zurich, Winterthur . In 2004, the Sulzer high-rise there was occupied for several days , at that time still the tallest high-rise in Switzerland, in protest against the luxury renovation of living space. The Sidi was also occupied in Winterthur in 2004 . In 2006 the squatters left the site, whereupon a new housing estate was built.

Spain

The occupied fortress of Kasa de la Muntanya in Barcelona-Vallcarca (2006)
CSA Can Vies in Barcelona. Occupied building on Deutsche Bahn property since 1997 (2007)

One of the most active squatter scenes in Europe is in Spain and there in turn in Barcelona . One of the main reasons is that over 80% of Barcelona's residential units are condominiums - and are not affordable for young people living alone. In 2000 around 70 houses in the Barcelona area were occupied, mainly in the Sants and Gràcia districts bordering the old town. In fact, there should be many more today. In addition to those who want to operate the occupied house as a social and cultural center, there are also those who only need their own living space and do not want to attract attention.

The Princesa cinema in Via Laietana 14 played a role in 1996. As a former building of the Franquist Union, it had come into the possession of Fincas Forcadell , which was involved in countless real estate scandals . The house was occupied on March 10, and in the following months the Princesa developed into a political and cultural center. Following the passage of the new Spanish Penal Code (Nuevo Código Penal; CP) in May 1996, occupying vacant properties was treated as a “crime” punishable by imprisonment. On October 28, special forces of the Spanish National Police ended the occupation with 49 arrests.

Probably the oldest "house" still occupied (as of 2000) is the Kasa de la Muntanya, a barracks built in 1809 and occupied in 1989, which had been vacant for a long time, but is now very popular again as a property in the growing city. Among other things, the dispute over property - between the state, which only had the right to use barracks from the noble family, and the owner - has so far prevented the spacious building from being cleared.

The squatter scene in Barcelona is still active (as of 2007).

In 2007 a real estate bubble burst in Spain ; this also began an economic crisis and a banking crisis . Spain had to ask the EU for aid amounting to billions (see also euro crisis ).

The number of squatting ("Corralas") has risen sharply since the beginning of the crisis: in 2012 it was around 10,000, in 2013 there are presumably 12,000. For a long time it was considered taboo to talk about it. This taboo was broken on May 15, 2012 in Seville by 36 families, all of whom were threatened with eviction : they occupied a house and immediately went to the press. They declared the house, which had previously been empty for five years, to be legally occupied, baptized it "Corrala Utopia" and invoked Article 47 of the Spanish Constitution, which they also sprayed on the facade: every Spaniard has the right to a dignified apartment .

United States

In the United States, the laws governing squatting vary from state to state. The occupation of land in the course of the settlement of the western United States, which is known as squatting and for which there were separate laws, had historical significance . Squatting is of particular importance in that social housing is of little importance on the housing market and property speculation , which accepts long vacancies in expectation of rising housing prices, is of great importance, while homelessness is a major problem, especially in cities represents.

Against this background, citizens' initiatives have emerged in recent history in the conurbations that campaign for the right of the homeless to housing. One of the better known of these groups is Homes Not Jails in San Francisco , which emerged in the wake of the recession in the late 1980s and has been organizing and conducting squatting since 1992. In the wake of the recent economic crisis , a new organization called Take Back The Land came into being in Miami, one of the cities in the United States most affected by the real estate crisis and the resulting huge number of vacant homes . In Miami, the construction boom, which triggered the housing bubble and the subsequent economic crisis, ended in mid-2006. As a result, the city developed into ground zero of the real estate crisis. At the end of 2008, 5,500 houses were about to be foreclosed, and entire new districts are empty. The organization would therefore like to house the 1,683 people living on the streets in the greater Miami area in such houses and pay for the maintenance of the houses and the operating costs in return.

Legal evaluation

Germany

Acquisition of property by squatting is not possible in Germany. In order to acquire ownership of a property ( Section 900 BGB), German law requires 30 years of unauthorized entry as the owner in the land register and an equally long period of personal ownership (book or tabular session), which is not the case with a house squatting.

Squatting against the will of the owner in Germany criminally trespassing by § 123 of the Criminal Code (Criminal Code). Since simple trespassing according to § 123 is an application offense, the prosecution depends on whether the owner even learns about the occupation and consequently files a criminal complaint. Only when there is a public interest, e.g. B. in case of occupation of public buildings or serious vandalism according to § 124 can be determined ex officio. If the facility or the building structure deteriorates, property damage according to Section 303 of the Criminal Code may exist. In this case, the police can expel the squatters or take them into enforcement custody. The owner can also have claims for damages or for the surrender of the usages against the squatters ( § 985 BGB). With the help of an eviction action , the landlord can sue the squatters in court for eviction of the occupied buildings in the context of foreclosure according to § 885 ZPO. If his action is upheld, he can, on the basis of the judgment (eviction title), request the bailiff to enforce the eviction. If the squatters do not vacate voluntarily, the bailiff can apply direct coercion, e.g. B. Break open locks and replace them or use police force to force the occupier out of the apartment ( eviction ).

Great Britain

In England and Wales, squatting on an empty or unoccupied house was not a criminal offense, but fell under civil law. An owner had to obtain a court order ("Possession Order") before a possible eviction. An evacuation could then take place through the bailiffs . Since 1997 a court has also been able to issue an interim possession order, in which case the squatters had to leave the building within 24 hours of delivery, otherwise they committed a criminal offense. Squatting has been prohibited since 2012. The fines range from £ 5,000 to a year in prison.

In Scotland the laws are similar to those in Germany.

Austria

In Austria the offense of trespassing ( § 109 StGB ) is only fulfilled if it is a "place of residence" and - in contrast to Germany and Switzerland - the entry is accompanied by "violence" ( bodily harm ) or "threat of violence". Since squatting typically affects unoccupied buildings, this section is never used in connection with squatting. The wording of the legal text of the "trespassing" paragraph (§ 109 StGB):

"Anyone who forces entry into someone else's home with violence or threats of violence is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year."

Squatting in Austria can therefore only be cleared by the police at the request of the house owner on the basis of Section 339 ABGB (“possession disturbance”). As a rule, this happens within a few days of the notification being made. If the occupation was preceded by any kind of lease or usage agreement (e.g. a precarious or commercial loan agreement ), the tenancy law applies and the owner must take legal action and file an eviction action under civil law with the competent district court - which takes correspondingly more time. In the event of success (for the owner), this means an eviction by the bailiff, who in turn can call in the police if necessary.

Furthermore, squatters in Austria can be sued with property damage suits ( Section 125 StGB), provided that damage to the house is complained about and these can be assigned to individuals.

Switzerland

In Switzerland, squatting always complies with Art. 186 StGB (trespassing). In order for a property to be evacuated, the owner must file a criminal complaint. However, for an evacuation, the police presupposes that demolition or construction work begins immediately after the evacuation, or that it is used again. The police can also evacuate a property if the safety of people is endangered or if a listed building is threatened.

It is not uncommon for squatting to be legalized by a so-called lending contract (Art. 305-318 OR ). The borrowers undertake to use the building as intended and are jointly and severally liable for the usual costs incurred in maintaining and using the building. Apart from an expense allowance, the lender cannot make any further claims. For the owner, the loan agreement has the advantage over rental agreements that there is no entitlement to a contract extension. Likewise, there is no comparable protection against dismissal or tenant protection . This flexible and easy-to-implement option is also used as a preventive measure against house occupations - there are companies that use commercial lending to arrange temporary use in order to avoid vacancies. This creates affordable living and work spaces for users who are flexible in terms of time.

Netherlands

In the Netherlands, squatters are called "Kraaker". Since the introduction of a law in October 2010, squatters face at least one year in prison, and violent behavior for up to two years and eight months.

Before that it was tolerated under certain conditions to occupy a house. This included the vacancy of the house for at least a year, during which the owner could not prove that he wanted to use the house again or rent it out shortly. In order to insure themselves from impunity, squatters themselves sometimes called in the police before they occupied a house: they could then officially confirm the vacancy. Squatting was not trespassing in the Netherlands if locks were not broken and the house was not in use by someone else. Occupying a house that had been vacant for less than a year was a criminal offense. Squatting has been prohibited by law since October 1, 2010.

Measures in the event of impending eviction and criminal proceedings

In the squatter scene, punitive measures for trespassing are felt to be unjustified and intimidating. The squatting is supported through public relations work and demonstrations, especially in the left-wing alternative scene, and campaigns against repression and for the preservation of the houses. Money is collected for the costs of the lawsuits against squatters and those affected by law enforcement and legal support is provided. In the court hearings, efforts are made to make the political concerns of the occupation clear.

annotation

  1. ↑ Squatters' report: “It was decided to occupy an empty house. It should be under the administration of the city of Cologne. We chose the Roßstr. Building as the most suitable property. 16 off. In consultation with the then Head of Culture of the City of Cologne, Mr. Hackenberg, and the assurance that we would not enter the factory halls (formerly the Kwatta chocolate factory) because these props from the stages of the City of Cologne housed these, we agreed the day and time, the editorial deadline for the media for the Taking into account the weekend and the early close of the office on Friday of the city administration. "

See also

 Wikipedia: WikiProject Autonomous and Squatter Movement - Wikipedia-internal specialist editorial office on the subject of Autonomous and Squatter Movement

Movies

music

literature

Web links

Commons : Squatting  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Ed .: German Bundestag: Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany. Berlin 2010, pp. 22 and 23.
  2. Uwe Fleckner, Martin Warnke , Hendrik Ziegler (eds.): Handbuch der Politik Ikonographie , Vol. 1, Verlag CH Beck, Munich 2011, ISBN 978-3-406-57765-9 , p. 27; limited preview in Google Book search
  3. ^ AG Grauwacke (Ed.): Autonomous in motion. From the first 23 years , Association A, Berlin 2003, ISBN 978-3-935936-13-2 , p. 10; limited preview in Google Book search
  4. Peter Bruges: We can no longer give up . In: Der Spiegel . No. 47 , 1970, pp. 49-52 ( online ).
  5. Serhat Karakayali - Lotta Continua .
  6. an extensive overview of the history and documents of the squatting in Berlin is provided by the website http://www.berlin-besetzt.de/
  7. Bernd Laurisch: No abstract under this number. Verlag Anabas, Giessen 1981, ISBN 3-87038-088-8 , p. 224 (Werkbund archive no.7).
  8. Häußermann, Kapphan: Berlin. from a divided city to a divided city? Socio-spatial change since 1990. Leske + Budrich, Opladen 2002.
  9. Uwe Rada: The unforgettable taste of freedom . In: The daily newspaper: taz . April 11, 2020, ISSN  0931-9085 , p. 41 ( taz.de [accessed on April 11, 2020]).
  10. Uwe Rada: 30 years of squatting in East Berlin: The summer of anarchy . In: The daily newspaper: taz . April 11, 2020, ISSN  0931-9085 ( taz.de [accessed April 11, 2020]).
  11. qhistory.de ( Memento from January 19, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  12. f24-kultur.de
  13. ^ House in Tübingen occupied for one month. In: Südwestdeutsche Rundfunk. SWR, August 16, 2019, accessed December 26, 2019 .
  14. RABATZ - a self-managed socio-cultural center for Paderborn
  15. Squatting in Westend 12/02. Munich Mercury
  16. Robin's house . Sub Bavaria
  17. Last offer to the squatters of the house at Herner Strasse 131 , WAZ, June 30, 2017
  18. "The city is just the surface" , Junge Welt , August 1, 2017, p. 4
  19. Activists invade opencast mines and empty houses , FAZ, October 14, 2018
  20. Take yourselves! In: Der Spiegel . No. 36 , 1975 ( online ).
  21. New law: London criminalizes squatters
  22. Geschiedenis van de kraakbewegung 1964–1999 on www.iisg.nl ; Dutch, accessed November 10, 2013
  23. ^ Friso Wielenga : The Netherlands: Politics and political culture in the 20th century. Waxmann-Verlag, Münster 2008; P. 341
  24. Geen woning, geen kroning 1980 ; Dutch, accessed May 12, 2010
  25. Overview of various residential collectives in the Netherlands ; Dutch, accessed May 12, 2010
  26. ^ History of the Oude Rooms-Katholieke Ziekenhuis in Groningen ( Memento of October 27, 2013 in the Internet Archive ), Dutch, accessed on May 12, 2010
  27. ^ A b First squatting in Vienna , Arbeiterzeitung, May 2, 1981, p. 1
  28. Occupied houses evacuated - police found weapons depot . ( Memento from August 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Arbeiterzeitung, August 13, 1988, p. 9
  29. derstandard.at photos
  30. Wien Museum exhibition catalog “Occupied! Struggle for freedom in the 1970s ”- p. 192
  31. Free space in the old AKH in Vienna. Busy. Animated. Cleared. tatblatt.net, June 12, 2004
  32. ↑ Demolished house in Vienna-Favoriten occupied ( memento from October 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) (oe24.at), October 2, 2009
  33. ^ House project at Triester Straße 114 cleared! hausprojekt.noblogs.org, October 12, 2009
  34. As of now: The house project group at Praterstrasse 10 ( Memento from April 28, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), Indymedia Austria, March 25, 2010
  35. ^ Initiative occupies building in Vienna , Austria Oe24.at , March 25, 2010
  36. ^ Occupiers, Signs of Life and the ÖBB . derstandard.at, July 8, 2010
  37. ^ House at Eichenstrasse 9 cleared . derstandard.at, July 13, 2010
  38. fm5ottensheim.blogspot.com: Lobmeyr-Hof in Vienna-Ottakring occupied! , July 8, 2011
  39. . . . and the Squat goes on - second and third prank in Vienna, July 2011 fm5ottensheim.blogspot.com, July 25, 2011
  40. fm5ottensheim.blogspot.com: House project reloaded: Black cat captures Triester Strasse 114 , July 30, 2011
  41. a b press review on epizentrum.noblogs.org
  42. a b Preparations for the evacuation of the Pizzeria Anarchia started . The standard
  43. ^ "Pizzeria Anarchia": eviction for 870,000 euros . wien.orf.at; Retrieved October 9, 2013
  44. ^ Wiener Wagenplatz: Wien-Holding rents out area . The press , October 19, 2009
  45. Villa Kuntabunt: Chronology of a struggle houses ( Memento of 28 April 2015, Internet Archive ), Indymedia , October 14, 2005
  46. youtube.com
  47. Hans Andrej, Gerald Winter: What happened to the squatters? , Kleine Zeitung , July 30, 2014
  48. jugendzentren.at ( Memento from March 16, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
  49. Amerlinghaus
  50. occupation archive.org
  51. The evacuation of Aegidigasse and Spalovskygasse in 1988 . Der Standard , July 28, 2014; accessed on May 24, 2016
  52. pankahyttn.at
  53. wagenplatz.at
  54. fm4v2.orf.at
  55. [hausprojekt.noblogs.org]
  56. Lobmeyr-Hof cleared! , July 14, 2011 (accessed May 26, 2017)
  57. orf.at: "MA 2412" was occupied by activists , July 31, 2011 (accessed on May 26, 2017)
  58. nochrichten.net: " Epizentrum " cleared on November 8th, November 13th 2011 (accessed on May 26th 2017)
  59. ^ Derstandard.at: Squatting ended in Vienna's Westbahnstrasse. , November 16, 2011 (accessed May 26, 2017)
  60. platzda.blogsport.eu: New feminist squatting Abelegasse 2 , June 15, 2013 (accessed on May 26, 2017)
  61. kurier.at: Squatting in Währing ended quickly , March 13, 2015 (accessed on May 26, 2017)
  62. nochrichten.net: [1]
  63. Wiener Zeitung: The Haschahof is cleared ( Memento from January 3, 2017 in the Internet Archive ), February 5, 2016 (accessed on May 26, 2017)
  64. oesterreich.at: Squatters storm vacant Anaconda disco , July 4, 2016 (accessed on May 26, 2017)
  65. ^ Vienna: Occupied house in Penzing is cleared. In: kurier.at. April 19, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2017 .
  66. 150 police officers during evacuation: "Occupied" house in Vienna was empty. In: DiePresse.com. April 19, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2018 .
  67. Courier: Squatting in a former nursing school , May 16, 2017 (accessed May 26, 2017)
  68. Police cleared the occupied house in Vienna - derStandard.at. Retrieved December 7, 2018 .
  69. ↑ Cleared the Rhino in Geneva! Indymedia Switzerland, July 23, 2007
  70. Thomas Stahel: Wo-Wo-Wonige. Urban and housing policy movements in Zurich after 1968 . S. 323-325 .
  71. Thomas Stahel: Where-Where-Wonige! Urban and housing policy movements in Zurich after 1968 . S. 329 .
  72. Sonderkommando clears the "Kalkbreite" after seven years . Tagesanzeiger , March 17, 2010
  73. ^ SRF: With the Binz occupiers. Retrieved January 2, 2017 .
  74. Fünfräppler-Aktion is expensive for the Binz occupiers . Tagesanzeiger, September 29, 2009
  75. a b Left-wing autonomous people occupy Hardturm Stadium . Neue Zürcher Zeitung , July 4, 2008; Retrieved October 15, 2008
  76. ^ Bread & Action, Communiqués of July 4, 2008. Accessed February 1, 2017 .
  77. One line-up for all of Zurich. Factory newspaper, August 2008
  78. Flyer of the Sulzermer Chindä dated November 16, 2004. Retrieved February 1, 2017 .
  79. a b c Leben in der Gücke ( Memento from March 18, 2002 in the Internet Archive ), online weekly newspaper Jungleworld , October 25, 2000
  80. Before the Internet and social media such as Twitter and Facebook took over this function, there was a joint weekly event calendar (“Info Usurpa”) for - fluctuating - 40 to 60 open, organized by districts, posted on some occupied buildings or buildings connected to the autonomous scene Centers (e.g. Info Usurpa - Butlleti setmanal de contr @ informació des del 1996. No. 486, 11-17 July 2007) and a common wall newspaper (“Contra-Info”) of the autonomous scene. There is also (2007) a squatter newspaper with two double pages in A3 format in many places , which appears monthly. This also listed 39 centers socials okupats, i.e. occupied houses that are run as open houses , as well as an overview of relevant websites
  81. okupar bon. Open and free newspaper from the squatter scene in Barcelona, ​​May 2007, no imprint, no page numbers
  82. Single mothers and autonomous people share a kitchen. sueddeutsche.de, October 5, 2013.
  83. ^ Rita Neubauer: Homeless people in 'liberated' houses. The standard, 20./21. December 2008, p. 21
  84. New law: London criminalizes squatters
  85. ↑ The court allows "apartment theft" with impunity . Die Presse , October 12, 2014; accessed on May 24, 2016
  86. ^ For example the police of the city of Zurich: Leaflet: Squatting in the city of Zurich. In: City of Zurich, City Police. September 26, 2012, archived from the original on November 8, 2018 ; accessed on May 24, 2018 .
  87. Origin according to Wissen.de
  88. Section 138 of the Dutch Criminal Code ("Nederlands Wetboek van Strafrecht; March 2008")
  89. Squatting prohibited in the Netherlands
  90. Video documentation: Somehow, Somewhere, Sometime, ed. by Media Pedagogical Center Hafenstrasse residents 1989 (DVD 2007)
  91. To Hafenstrasse from July 19, 1987
  92. Documentation of a leaflet on the battles around Hafenstrasse in 1987
  93. ^ So, out of solidarity and to politically strengthen the squatter movement for a new Ungdomshuset in Denmark, various actions took place in Eckernförde , Karlsruhe , Flensburg and Jena 1 and Jena 2 .
  94. Download from indypeer.org ( Memento from July 13, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  95. Kyros Kikos: Biedermann und die Brandstifter ( Memento from September 12, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) ,, cut
  96. Wo-Wo-Wonige !: urban and residential political movements in Zurich after 1968 ( Memento of 18 February 2007 at the Internet Archive ), 2006 (dissertation)
  97. unizh.ch ( Memento from February 21, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF)