oldest UK squat cleared out

[Organic Revolution]

More than 150 people have been evicted from what is thought to be London's oldest squat, following a major police and council operation.

About 200 riot police moved in on St Agnes Place, Kennington, on Tuesday where some squatters have been fighting attempts to remove them for 30 years.

Police carried out a final "sweep" of the road in south London, which is to be redeveloped, on Wednesday.

The squatters are being housed in temporary accommodation.

On Tuesday 200 officers and 20 police vans provided back-up for enforcement officers from Lambeth Council, which won a High Court battle to evict the squatters.

But some refused to move and barricaded themselves into the properties.

One man threw a petrol bomb, before dropping his dog from a second-floor window - the dog was caught by a friend.

Chief Inspector Clive Wakely told BBC London he had left through the back of the building, but had been arrested - and his neighbours had then given themselves up.

"We are now in a situation where all the individuals have left the premises and this morning we will do a sweep to make sure there are not other individuals left in the road," he added.


The council has pledged to provide alternative accommodation to the vulnerable and those with children.

It is estimated unpaid rent on the properties over 30 years amounted to £4m, plus a further £400,000 in council tax.

Mary Lynch, of Lambeth Council, told BBC News: "We can't justify letting people live in these houses rent free, council tax free, paying nothing towards the community when we have 12,000 people on our waiting list for houses."

It plans to demolish the properties and replace them with new homes - at least 75% affordable housing - and a sports centre.

[Cyber Communist]

The council has pledged to provide alternative accommodation to the vulnerable and those with children.

In other words, after clearly showing that Lambeth council could not give a flying fuck about the housing needs of people in the area, they will carry out a few token acts to try to fool people for their PR stunt and justify their vile action of evicting these people.

Will this 'alternative accommodation' be an improvement on what the squatters had, I think not.

Most likely they will be put in some hostel that will over crowded, dirty and will if the squatters stay there for a certain amount of time, be more expensive to the taxpayer than the amount (£400,000) that the council claimed the St. Anges sqaut avoided in paying the overpriced council tax.


Mary Lynch, of Lambeth Council, told BBC News: "We can't justify letting people live in these houses rent free, council tax free, paying nothing towards the community when we have 12,000 people on our waiting list for houses."

Err.... I even read in the Evening Standard newspaper (not exactly a squatter friendly paper) that the squatters of St. Agnes improved the area by cleaning up what was an abandoned street, full of empty homes.

Thats so rich, of this Mary Lynch *****, to try and blame the squatters for the fact that another 12,000 people are homeless.

Maybe that stupid ***** should take some fucking responsibility and admit that the council, in line with it's neo-liberal economic free market dogma, has failed to build enough social housing projects, because of the simple fact that both national government and local government now will let the poor and working class starve and rotin the streets as the free market does not allow for 'social housing'. That will explain why the government, both local and national does nothing in the area of building new homes for people.

Also, notice how she does not blame the property development industry for pushing rent and mortage prices up in London to levels out of the reach for most people.

But of course we will never hear these points being said by some braindead ***** from the New Fascist (whoops, meant Labour) Party.


It plans to demolish the properties and replace them with new homes - at least 75% affordable housing - and a sports centre.

12,000 homeless in Lambeth.....25% of the new homes will be for the private sector to sell at high prices, thus attracting the process of gentrification and thus making other properties even higher in price, thus pushing out the local people to make way for more middle class types, wow great way to solve homelessness :rolleyes:

Mind you, the Labour Party is now the party that gets the vote of the up and coming middle class, just another case of New Fascists/Labour representing their class base of support.

[Entrails Konfetti]

I posted the same damn thing, and no one replied but myself.

Bastards!