Militant actions against gentrification

Berlin 15 january 2008

Declaration:

"In the night from the 14.1 to the 15.1, different banks, luxurious estate agencies and building companies have been attacked, made nicer or smashed. All these are for us targets, even though at a first sight they might not seem to appear in connection with the theme of freespaces.
In fact, they are responsible for the gentrification of several neighbourhoods andits resulting growing displacement of poor people and of our projects.
They actively support such a process, financially as much as passively, through the fact theat they profit from such "valorization". We would be very happy when such institutions would be attacked more often and we call for a more practical part within the ongoing discussion about gentrification.

The concrete targets have been:

- GEWOBAG: ritterstr., Kreuzberg, color and locks glued
- Once-upon-a time Houseproject Yorck59: yorckstr., Kreuzberg, color
- Engel estate agency: michaelkirchstr., Mitte, color.
- Deutsche Bank: danzigerstr., Prenzlauerberg, stones.
- City Home estate agency: monbijou park, Mitte, stones.
- Luxurious house renovated by Nehls (the one who bought the Köpi): schliemannstr., Prenzlauerberg, graffitis and color.
- WBM - society for apartments-building: dircksenstr., Mitte, color and stones.

During the past years, the theme of freespaces came out very often. Several projects have since longer time stress with investors, landlords or other idiots. Many projects are this years seriously endangered but we also are working so that the ones in control have to prepare themselves for a tense year 2008. Because it is about our life, freedom, a living together away from the ideology of consume, verwertunglogk and dominion.
Therefore let us stress them, the ones who always call us nestbeschmutzer, asocials and stinky ticks, the ones who want to take us such spaces away, where we try to experiment a life where we at least partially break out the daily trott. We remind everybody about the struggle for the Yorck59. It has been sadly evicted, but they took immediately a new house for themselves, which also made its part in stopping the privatization of the Mariannenpark.

Zehren from our victories and let us make new ones! Let us become offensively active!

The ones who open their mouth, should show they teeth...
"
Source: Interim