ART ATTACK

The Ramparts Social Centre in East London was evicted yesterday (15th) after five years of a squatted occupation. An eyewitness inside the building – one of the people present for the eviction - said that at 5.30am they heard the front door being cut with a chainsaw. A team of 13-14 bailiffs entered the building, while outside around 50 police blocked off the three streets which lead to Ramparts, including a checkpoint further up the road. Climbers went to the roof in a similar manner to the raid during the G20 protests this April (See SchNEWS 671). Once inside, the eviction team found three people and a dog.

Afterwards police gave out a phone number for those with possessions inside to retrieve belongings, and the building is now empty, with four burly Polish blokes hired as security goons outside.

If you are able to help move stuff out, and for other info email rampart@mutualaid.org or see www.rampart.co.nr

* Also on Wednesday (14th) Sheffield squatters intending on setting up a social centre, had their second building evicted in a fortnight. Hours after the courts had granted a possession order to the owners (the NHS Trust) of the building at 10 Northumberland Rd, a team of bailiffs gave the squatters several hours to get out before sealing the building. This is the second building this crew have taken which has only lasted a week after they were evicted on the 7th from Pisgah House, a derelict, listed building owned by the University of Sheffield. Let’s hope it’s third time lucky for the crew in their plans to create an ongoing social centre. For updates see http://sheffield.indymedia.org.uk