DON'T MANSION IT

Closed with a bang! Clifton Mansions in Brixton was evicted on Wednesday (13th) with a Facebook party thrown in for good measure. The historic London squat was once the bedchamber of Irish punk-folk band The Pogues and Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller.

The building had been squatted for over a decade, one of the longest lasting squatting communities in the area but the council decided to crack down on anti-social behaviour (they’ve obviously never lived in a squat, they are really quite sociable places). They were given notice a few weeks ago. Waiting in earnest for the coming onslaught, some residents decided to hold an eviction party, get support and spread the word through Facebook.

Things ended up out of control as hundreds of people showed up with no clue to what the event was about, partied hard and trashed the place much to the occupants’ dismay. By 8am most of the revellers had moved on to greener pastures, the dedicated supporters that remained started to build a barricade by the main entrance. That’s when the thugs arrived. The police operation consisted of riot police, a helicopter, fire brigade and bailiffs. The council is going to sell the property on and employ live-in guardians (tax payers’ money well spent) until they sell. There was one arrest for assaulting police and lots more homeless people.