Global Voices » Sara Moreira

Germany: #Blockupy Protests Against Pan-European Austerity

Sara Moreira — Mon, 21 May 2012 21:16:32 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis

‘Blockupy‘ protests against “the widespread impoverishment and denial of democratic rights occurring in the Eurozone as part of a global systemic crisis” shook the financial epicenter of Europe - Frankfurt - last week.

Following the global action days on 12 and 15 May, 2012, (12M and 15M), activists from across Europe were called to converge in Frankfurt in an international solidarity demonstration. The ultimate goal was to blockade the European Central Bank (ECB) and other crucial global capitalism institutions. On May 4, however, the Frankfurt Municipal Department for Public Order announced that all actions planned were deemed illegal, except for a rally on Saturday, May 19.

Occupy Frankfurt in front of ECB. Photo shared by Roarmag.org (copyleft).

Still, thousands of activists decided to take a stand against the ban and claim the constitutional right “of unarmed assembly, without either prior registration or permission”.

While international mainstream media didn't give much attention to the events, online social networks buzzed with citizen reports on the mobilizations that occurred under massive police presence and repression.

On Twitter many videos and photos were shared under the hashtag #Blockupy. Netizens and collectives from different countries, such as Occupy Brussels and Belgium, livestreamed the protests, marches and assemblies, as well as the cultural program and diverse debates on labor, ecology, economy among others.

“Demonstrate for the right to demonstrate”

Blockupy started on the same day that newly elected French President Hollande met Chancellor Merkel [fr] in Berlin, May 16. Meanwhile in Frankfurt, the police complied with the order of eviction of the seven month long Occupy Frankfurt settlement around the Euro sign near the ECB headquarters. The blog Critical Legal Thinking, which had a comprehensive coverage of the four days of protest, described the city as “effectively in [undeclared] State of Exception“.

Police intercept three Berlin buses on the way to #Frankfurt. Photo by @Blockupy on Twitter.

On May 17, a bank holiday, as mainstream media directed the spotlight to the German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble - who was awarded the Charlemagne Prize for his major role in the definition of the austerity policies mostly imposed on the periphery European countries - buses filled with activists from different cities heading to the anti-austerity demonstration in the center of Frankfurt, were stopped from entering the city and escorted back by the police.

Despite the attempts of intimidation, around 2,000 activists managed, at least for a few hours, to occupy the historic Roemerberg square where the city hall is based, and which represents the birth of democracy in Germany.

Blockupy protesters take action against banking and finance system. Photo by Patrick Gerhard Stoesser, copyright Demotix (May 17, 2012).

The square was soon surrounded by the riot police:

Protesters sit down and lock arms in opposition to police presence. Photo by Patrick Gerhard Soesser, copyright Demotix (May 17, 2012).

At the end of the day riot police evicted the square with violence, as different photo reporters [de] illustrated:

A protester is detained by police. Photo by Patrick Gerhard Stoesser, copyright Demotix (May 17, 2012).

The detention of at least 400 protesters of different nationalities triggered solidarity protests in different cities across Europe:

Embassy of Germany in Rome - Protest against repression and arrests in Frankfurt during the protests against the crisis. Signs against the Rome-Berlin axis, the ECB and Merkel. Photo by Simona Granati, copyright Demotix (May 18, 2012).

A video report by Finnish user of YouTube sydansalama1, with interviews subtitled in English, sums up the events of the day:

The staff of banks were told by their employees to take the day off or work from home to avoid having to come into the city on Friday, May 18 - the day when the blockade to the financial district was expected to take place. However, as Jerome Ross from Roar Magazine wrote the night before, “Frankfurt [is] on lock-down as over 5,000 police [are] deployed in an unprecedented operation to keep protesters out of the city and away from the banks”:

as the activists here prepare to physically block the headquarters of the European Central Bank, the police already seems to have done the job for them.

"I block! You too?" Photo by ateneinrivolta on Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0).

That day, international mainstream media reported on Goldman Sachs being hired by the Spanish government to evaluate banking conglomerate Bankia, taken over by the state earlier in May, and also about rumors of a referendum in Greece to ballot the membership in the Eurozone. In Frankfurt, while banners read messages of support to the European southern countries (such as “We are all Greeks“), the city remained “affected by massive police presence, identity checks and road blocks“.

When the legal day for protesting finally arrived, May 19, around 20,000 protesters (according to the police, or more than 25,000 according to the organization) rallied the city center.

Blockupy Demonstration in Frankfurt. A large banner held up by protesters reads: 'International resistance against the Austerity Imposed by the Troika and Governments.'. Photo by Michele Lapini copyright Demotix (May 19, 2012).

Blockupy Frankfurt: More than 20,000 against financial crisis politics. International participants in the demonstration. Photo by Patrick Gerhard Stoesser copyright Demotix (May 19, 2012).

Blockupy demo (May 19, 2012). Photo by strassenstriche.net on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).

John Halloway, writing for the Guardian, described Blockupy as “a glimmer of hope in times of austerity“, and argued that it would bring momentum to “explosions of creative anger that will follow”. International policy analyst Vinay Gupta, finalizes:

Those people in the streets rioting, the protesting classes, are fighting not for internal political change within their own countries, but (whether they know it or not) for a re-arrangement of the political balance of an entire continent.

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

Portugal: Unemployment as the New ‘Thang'

Sara Moreira — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:09:32 +0000

Portuguese Minister of Economy Álvaro Santos Pereira's speech on the Parliament today, May 18, has become a national joke [pt], with the hashtag #Coiso (slang for “thing”) trending on Twitter. The minister stated [pt] that “we all must to work together - unions, employers and parties so that we can overcome this ‘thang'”, referring to the high unemployment rates in the country.

Mozambique: Police Chief Sitting Above the Law

Sara Moreira — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:05:48 +0000

The intransigence of Jorge Khalau, Commander in Chief of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), who stated that police forces are governed by his rule and should not comply with any court order, shocked the public opinion in the beginning of May.

In the epicenter of the controversy was the unconstitutionally denial of Jorge Khalau to comply with an order of release of the Provincial Commander of Nacala, Adriano Muianga [pt], issued by the Court of Nampula. The positioning of Khalau against the bail order of Muianga and four other police officers - following the criminal proceedings initiated against them for alleged involvement in arms trafficking and trim - completely violates the Constitution of the Republic.

In fact, Jorge Khalau publicly stated that the PRM knows the law and it will not obey any court order that aims to free police agents who violate internal rules. The Bar Association expressed their displeasure in a document [pt] published on Jornal Notícias:

Police in Maputo, 2010. Photo by Amanda Rossi on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

O Comandante-Geral da Polícia dá ordens à sua corporação para não cumprir ordens judiciais sempre que estiverem em causa as ditas “normas internas”. Instiga a PRM a desrespeitar os tribunais e orienta a Polícia para, sob seu comando, sobrepor as suas decisões internas às decisões dos tribunais.

The Commander in Chief of the Police gives orders to his corporation not to comply with court orders whenever the so-called “internal rules” are concerned. [He] instigates the PRM to disregard the courts and guides the police - under his command - to override his internal decisions to the decisions of domestic courts.

Journalist Lázaro Mabunda wrote an opinion piece on the newspaper O País titled “Um perigo e um problema chamado Khalau” (A danger and a problem called Khalau) [pt]. Mabunda recalls the words of Khalau:

Vale recordar o que ele disse: “Nós conhecemos as leis. Nós não obedecemos a nenhum juiz. Nós tomamos as nossas medidas internas. Agora dizem que (o regulamento) está ultrapassado! Muito obrigado! O código penal de que ano é? 1886. Só o regulamento da polícia é que está ultrapassado? Houve violação de normas internas (…).”

It's worth remembering what he said: “We know the law. We don't obey any judge. We take internal measures. Now some say that (the regulation) is outdated! Thanks a lot! From what year is the penal code? 1886. Is the police rule the only outdated one? There has been a violation of internal rules.

The Mozambican League for Human Rights went further and urged the President of the Republic to exonerate [pt] the Commander in Chief of PRM.

While the Minister of Justice Benvinda Levi rebuked [pt] Jorge Khalau, the Attorney General's Office requested the opinion [pt] of the Constitutional Committee on his inflammatory statements.

However, the Commander in Chief came back to public to declare that he will remain peremptory [pt] against crime and indiscipline.

The stubbornness of Khalau has lead the investigative journalist Luís Nhachote to nominate him for the Mampara of the week for two weeks in a row on his Facebook page.

Brazil: Homeless Movement in Belo Horizonte Surrounded by Police

Sara Moreira — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:21:26 +0000

“Ocupação Eliana Silva” [pt], a camping site of around 300 families in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, which had been occupied mostly by homeless workers [pt] on April 21, in protest against lack of housing conditions, was sieged by the military police today, May 11. Journalist Adriano Ventura (@adrianoventura) is tweeting photos that illustrate the tension between the population and the police.

Mozambique: Space for Human Rights Debate Launched on Facebook

Sara Moreira — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:05:09 +0000

A new online space that aims to “sharpen critical awareness and the promotion of citizenship, human rights and access to information” in Mozambique was launched today, May 11, on Facebook by CODD - a Center of Studies and Promotion of Citizenship, Human Rights and the Environment. On their welcoming message they say: “get ready for major ‘battles' and debates about Mozambique”.

Brazil: Blog Countersues Newspaper Over Web Domain

Sara Moreira — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:58:52 +0000

Another chapter in the legal dispute between the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo and the satirical blog Falha of São Paulo is being written. However, this time Falha is the one who decided to file a lawsuit against the newspaper.

Towards the end of September 2010, Falha's website was taken down after an injunction was issued by the Brazilian courts. The site's main purpose was to satirize the newspaper Folha de São Paulo, and in order to do so it used photo-montages of false, often ironic newspaper headlines [pt] and a “generator of headlines” with the layout of Folha de Sao Paulo. Folha took the matter to court, seeking an injunction as well as claiming financial compensation for moral damages.

The first lawsuit, which resulted in a “tie” in September 2011, was, in the opinion [pt] of the journalist Rodrigo Vianna “a lesson [from the judge] on what is freedom of expression.”

Lino Bocchini protesting in front of Folha de São Paulo

Falha de São Paulo is now seeking the unfreezing of its domain, falhadespaulo.com.br, which had been frozen by the court, through a second injunction against Registro.br (the Brazilian agency that manages all domains ending in. br). Journalist Lino Bocchini, the creator of Falha, announced in late March 2012, that he was going to go ahead with a new lawsuit. He explained why he was doing so:

Terminou com uma espécie de empate a disputa jurídica em primeira instância entre Folha e Falha, e agora está começando a segunda. Já protocolamos nosso recurso junto ao Tribunal de Justiça (TJ-SP) pedindo a derrubada da censura da Folha à Falha e a volta do domínio www.falhadespaulo.com.br. A sentença do juiz da 29ª Vara Cível de São Paulo informa que o juiz acolheu “parcialmente” o pedido da Folha, determinando o “congelamento” do domínio “falhadespaulo.com.br”, mas rejeitou todo o resto.

The legal dispute in a first instance between Folha and Falha has ended with a sort of tie, and now the second round is starting. We have filed our appeal [pdf] to the Court of Justice (TJ-SP) seeking the overturning of the censorship of Folha towards Falha and the return of the domain www.falhadespaulo.com.br. The judge's ruling [pdf] of the 29th Civil Court of Sao Paulo reports that the judge had “partially” granted Folha's request, causing the “freezing” of the domain “falhadespaulo.com.br”, but rejected all the rest.

Given that the registering of even other similar domains have been prevented, it is through the alternative domain “Desculpe a nossa Falha” (Sorry our fault) that the Bocchini brothers are giving publicity to their cause, raising support and, where possible, picking on [pt] the newspaper using humor, as is characteristic of the pair.

According to Bocchini brothers, the website Folha Gospel is one of the sites that uses a similar logo clearly inspired on Folha de São Paulo

While the authors of Falha allege political persecution by Folha (with the intention to silence the direct critics of their editorial policy), Folha on the other hand, says that the problem is the misuse of their brand. In order to sustain its defense, Falha has published a series of “evidence” [pt] from websites that use similar logos from Folha (or other Brazilian online platforms) and which haven't been sued.

Journalist Lúcia Rodrigues, da from Rede Brasil Atual, briefly explains [pt] the case:

O jornalista Lino Ito Bocchini trava uma batalha judicial com a Folha de São Paulo para ter o direito de manter o domínio sobre o site Falha de São Paulo, criado por ele e seu irmão, Mario Ito Bocchini. O site é uma paródia ao jornal da família Frias e foi censurado pela justiça, a pedido da Folha, no final de 2010. Na última quinta-feira, 5, Lino organizou um debate que discutiu o papel da Folha no financiamento do golpe militar e da tortura durante a ditadura [vídeo e resumo do debate “Relações da mídia com a ditadura“]. A expectativa é que a ação contra a Folha seja julgada este ano pelos desembargadores do Tribunal de Justiça de São Paulo.

The journalist Lino Ito Bocchini is waging a legal battle with Folha de Sao Paulo to have the right to hold the domain of the site Falha de São Paulo, created by him and his brother Mario Ito Bocchini. The site is a parody of the Frias family newspaper and was censured by the justice, at the request of Folha by the end of 2010. On last Thursday, the 5 [of April], Lino organized a debate that discussed the role of Folha in funding the military coup and torture during the dictatorship [video summary of the debate “Media Relations with the Dictatorship“]. The expectation is that the suit against Folha will be taken to court this year by the judges of the Court of São Paulo.

Folha's vehicle that used to be lent to the regime, was burned by left wing demonstrators

The case is one of a kind, and it may put a mark on freedom of expression in Brazilian blogsphere, as Leopoldo Loureiro and Luís Borrelli Neto, the lawyers of Falha, stated [pt].

While making the announcement of the “second round” of the legal dispute, Bocchini brothers declared [pt]:

Enfim, é sempre bom lembrar, estamos falando de uma briga um tanto desigual. De um lado são dois irmãos “avulsos”, independentes, sendo defendidos “pro-bono” (pagando apenas as custas do processo) por advogados bacanas identificados com a causa –aliás, estamos de advogado novo nessa segunda fase. Do outro está o maior jornal do país, com um gigantesco escritório de advocacia fungando nas nossas costas. O que ajuda a equilibrar o jogo é o apoio gigantesco que estamos recebendo de toda blogosfera, que entendeu que esse caso, por seu absurdo e pelo seu ineditismo, é de interesse coletivo. E não dá pra deixar barato o maior jornal do país, que vive pregando liberdade de expressão e democracia, promovendo uma censura dessas contra dois blogueiros.

Anyway, it's always good to remember we're talking about a fight somewhat uneven. On one side are two “loose” independent brothers, who are been advocated “pro bono” (paying only the costs of the proceedings) by cool lawyers who identify themselves with the cause-in fact, we have a new lawyer in this second phase. On the other [side] is the largest newspaper of the country with a huge law firm sniffing down our back. What helps balance the game is the massive support we are receiving from across the blogosphere, who understood that this case, for its absurdity and its uniqueness, is of collective interest. And you can not just ignore the country's largest newspaper, who lives preaching freedom of expression and democracy, promoting a censorship like this against two bloggers.

All images were taken from the blog Desculpe Nossa Falha and are being used with permission.

Angola: Loss of a Human Rights Advocate

Sara Moreira — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:32:58 +0000

Megan Eardley, from Africa is a Country, published a translation of the condolences statement from Angolan human rights group OMUNGA [pt], on the assassination of one of their volunteers, Júlio Kussema. Eardley writes about OMUNGA's work and adds that “protesters (…) face police intimidation and alarming levels of state violence this spring”.

Brazil: Blogging Carnival on the New Forestry Code

Sara Moreira — Fri, 04 May 2012 14:48:20 +0000

Global Voices in Portuguese launched today, May 4, a blogging carnival [pt] about the new Forestry Code, recently approved by the Brazilian Senate. While some claim that agribusiness is hindered by the existing Code and Brazil is missing out on opportunities for economic development, environmental activists demand for a “zero deforestation” bill.

Guinea-Bissau: International Reactions to the Military Coup

Sara Moreira — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 16:02:02 +0000

Following the military coup in Guinea-Bissau, on April 12, Angolan Foreign Policy Professor Belarmino Van-Dúnem wrote an analysis [pt] on the roles of the Armed Forces and the international community. ECOWAS talks to restore civilian rule during the weekend resulted on the decision to impose sanctions on the military junta. Former Prime Minister Gomes Junior and Interim President Raimundo Pereira were released on April 27.

Portugal: Eviction Prior to Freedom Day Awakens Squatting Movement

Sara Moreira — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:13:29 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis

As the pent-up frustrations of citizens in Portugal keep growing a year since the international “bailout” of the country's public debt, the annual celebration of Freedom Day on April 25, marking the Carnation Revolution that ended a 41-year dictatorship in 1974, gained renewed momentum.

A few days earlier, on April 19, the forceful eviction of a self managed community center in Porto, meant that many would celebrate April 25 in solidarity with those evicted, as well as with others struggling under the ongoing economic crisis.

Illustrating the tension over this new inspiration for marking Freedom Day, the historic Association April 25 (founded by the military who staged the 1974 coup) refused [pt] to participate in the traditional, government organized celebrations this year in protest over national policies and harsh austerity measures that the former soldiers believe go against the democratic ideals of the Carnation Revolution. They, along with many others, participated in unofficial celebrations instead.

A man with carnations, a symbol of Freedom Day (Lisbon, 25/04/2012). Photo by Fernando Mendes copyright Demotix

"Don't let yesterday's carnation carve today's revolution". Photo by Filipa Sequeira on Facebook. Porto (25/04/2012)

Thirty-five percent of youth in Portugal are unemployed despite austerity measures imposed by the European Commission, Central European Bank and International Monetary Fund. And while 26 families a day have their homes repossessed [pt] by the bank, there are thousands of abandoned housing facilities in the major cities of Portugal (see the overview for Lisbon (pdf)).

The Food Bank Against Famine recently announced [pt] that it has reached a critical point concerning its ability to attend to the growing number of families and institutions who need food.

Against this backdrop, the city government's order to evict Es.Col.A (an acronym for self-managed collective space, meaning “school”), where communal meals, recreational activities, and after-school classes were provided for free in a squatted public building of an impoverished neighborhood in Porto, has triggered people's indignation on a national scale.

As João Martins (@jpsmartins) said on Twitter:

@jpsmartins: Eu sei o que responder quando me perguntarem onde estava no 25 de Abril: na #fontinha

@jpsmartins: I know what to say when they ask me where I was on April 25: at #fontinha

Reoccupy march

Despite a government announcement of zero tolerance from the police during Freedom Day demonstrations, supporters of Es.Col.A supported by the Clown Brigade, an improvised sound system, rallied to the Fontinha neighborhood in Porto to reoccupy the building.

Protestors singing remixed traditional songs in front of the City Hall, Porto (25/04/2012). Photo by José Ferreira (used with permission)

Around 2,000 people joined the march, as the following video published on YouTube by olhorobot shows:

As the march arrived at Fontinha, citizens took over the school once again:

The opening of the boarded up doors and windows at Es.Col.A. Photo by José Ferreira (used with permission)

And then the celebrations of April 25 proceeded in the school yard:

Citizen photo reports that summarize the day can be seen in Renato Roque's album on Picasa, on Indymedia's special coverage, on the blogs of Gui Castro Felga, Joana Maltez and José Pacheco Pereira, and all around Facebook.

Photo by Jorge Almeida on Facebook (used with permission)

Void in the aftermath

The next morning, Es.Col.A was boarded up once again. Gui Castro Felga blogged [pt] about what happened:

Photo by Joana Maltez

desafiando claramente todos os ocuparam ontem o es.col.a, a CMP entrou pela escola vazia adentro e rebentou com canalizações, sanitas, arrancou portas e emparedou, já não com chapas, mas com tijolos e cimento, e cortou a água e a luz ao edifício.

clearly defying everyone who occupied es.col.a yesterday, CMP [the City Hall] entered inside the empty school and burst pipes, toilets, pulled out doors and walled them, not with boards this time, but with bricks and cement, and cut off water and light of the building.

Theatre company Visões Úteis (Useful Visions) [pt], located on the same street as Es.Col.A, states on Facebook:

A nossa rua, quando chegam os ocupantes da Escola da Fontinha, enche-se de pessoas a sorrir; ouve-se música e palavras como “sonho”, “cultura” e “comunidade”.

A nossa rua, depois de vir a polícia com os seus tapumes, enche-se de um silêncio baço e temeroso. Como se tivesse levado uma grande descompostura por tocar em algo que não lhe pertence.

When the squatters of Escola Da Fontinha arrive, our street is filled with people smiling; one listens to music and words such as “dream”, “culture” and “community”.
After the police comes with their enclosures, our street is filled with a dull and fearful silence.
As if [the school] had gotten a great scolding for touching something that does not belong.

“What if it becomes fashion?“

"My heart lives in Fontinha. We occupied Coimbra with Fontinha in our heart". From the Facebook page Jardins de Abril (Gardens of April)

Celebrating the 25 April in solidarity with Es.Col.A, protestors in Coimbra and Lisbon ended up squatting new spaces. In Coimbra, a public garden is being set up in the city center, while in Lisbon, a group of activists occupied an abandoned building in the street of São Lázaro. Their manifesto was published on the blog Spectrum:

Antes emparedado que ocupado parece ser o último argumento de um poder que conseguiu sem grande esforço esvaziar as cidades dos seus próprios habitantes, empurrados para os subúrbios ou mesmo para a rua. São centenas de milhares de fogos vazios, deixados ao abandono. Abandono que também vemos nos olhos de quem fez da rua a sua casa. Cada vez mais olhares de abandono, cada vez mais abandono nos olhares. Decretamos, neste dia que se quer de liberdade, tolerância zero a este processo de requalificação urbana, que à custa da miséria de muitos ergue mansões e hotéis para alguns.

Better walled than occupied seems to be the latest argument of a power that was able to effortlessly drain cities of their own inhabitants, [who have been] pushed to the suburbs or even to the street. There are hundreds of thousands of empty, abandoned homes. Abandonment which is also seen in the eyes of those who have turned the streets into their homes. More and more eyes of abandonment, more and more abandonment in the eyes. We hereby decree, on this day meant for freedom, zero tolerance to this process of urban renewal, which at the expense of the misery of many, puts up mansions and hotels for some.

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis

Ana Vasquez collaborated in the writing of this post.

Angola: Youth Demonstration Against Alcoholism Violently Repressed

Sara Moreira — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 20:59:03 +0000

According to Facebook reports, today's youth demonstration against alcoholism, prostitution and domestic violence (April 28), was violently repressed, informed [pt] the blog Angola Resistente. On April 23, an opinion article [pt] from Makuta Nkondo stated that in a year of elections, the ruling party since 1975, MPLA, organizes “food and drinks marathons” in order to please and distract the voters.

Portugal: Citizens Prepare Peaceful Protests for April 25

Sara Moreira — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:22:56 +0000

Though peaceful protests are scheduled for April 25 throughout Portugal (a national holiday that marks the end of dictatorship in 1974), mainstream media reported [pt] that “police prepares zero tolerance”. For Miguel Cardima from the blog Arrastão, the news intends [pt] to “insufflate fear” and to “justify violence in anticipation”. In Porto, citizens have organized Meditation for Change and a Clown Brigade.

Sao Tome and Principe: Memories of a Lonely Navigator

Sara Moreira — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:01:13 +0000

Follow the blog Odisseia nos Mares (Odysseys in the Seas) [pt] and navigate through the stories of Jorge Trabulo Marques - a retired Portuguese journalist and photographer who lived in São Tomé and Príncipe for 13 years during colonial times. Trabulo blogs on his memories of São Tomé, including lonesome adventures in the sea, trying to cross the Atlantic to Brazil.

Angola/Mozambique: Emerging Platforms for Artistic Production

Sara Moreira — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 15:27:31 +0000

Blog of African contemporary culture Dá Fala shared a call for proposals on Emerging Platforms for Artistic Production in Angola and Mozambique, to be published on an issue of Critical Interventions that will explore “recent scenarios of art platforms as extensions and articulations of state, private, and individual power”, and “networks across media in the visual and performative arts.”

Portugal: ‘You Cannot Evict an Idea' Without Borders

Sara Moreira — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:27:15 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

The violent eviction of a self-managed community center in Porto by the police, on April 19, 2012, triggered a wave of solidarity beyond the borders of the former working-class neighborhood of Fontinha, left to oblivion for years.

After 15 police cars arrived with masked and armed riot police to evict the project (three participants were arrested and five were injured), and emptied the school destroying all material in the building (such as books, computers and furniture), only to board up doors and windows in the end, around 300 people took to the streets in Porto, and several dozens more in Lisbon.

Educational materials and furniture destroyed in the school yard before the garbage truck came. The windows and doors were boarded up afterwards. Photo shared by Antonio Serginho on Facebook.

The events opened the newscasts on TV, and social media was buzzing with reactions; the hashtags #Fontinha and #ocupai trended on Twitter in Portugal.

Building on an idea

Es.Col.A (meaning school) [an acronymn for self-managed collective space, pt] was formed on April 2011, by a group of citizens who squatted a public school that had been abandoned by the municipality of Porto in 2006. Journalist Nuno Ramos de Almeida reported [pt] on April 20, that there are more than 25,000 housing buildings in the city left abandoned (about one in every five, which can be seen in this illustrative photo report) - many of them under the responsibility of the City Hall.

Under the slogan “Free spaces, create alternatives”, the collective proposed to bring back to life a disused building with after-school classes, communal food and recreational activities (ranging from yoga, music and capoeira, to film and debates). All based in principles of self-organization, free accessibility, non-discrimination, and practices of direct democracy and consensus through weekly Popular Assemblies.

Staircase of Es.Col.A. Photo by the Group of Artistic Studies.

Viva Filmes, a video-activism collective from Porto, published a short documentary in which community members tell the story of Es.Col.A to the brink of eviction (with English subtitles):

Poster by Gui Castro Felga

In the beginning of February, the City Hall sent a note of eviction to Es.Col.A, urging the collective to empty the building by the end of March. While Es.Col.A released an open letter [pt] rejecting the eviction, mobilization started under the motto “You cannot evict an idea” (which might have been inspired by the Global Voices post with that same headline about the Bank of Ideas in London, UK, January 2012).

Under pressure, the City Hall sent a proposal of a new contract, which was also rejected [pt] as it simply implied the legitimation of a later date for eviction of the collective - scheduled for the end of June.

The directions from the City Hall were clear: if not signed by April 12, from April 13 on, Es.Col.A would be removed. On that day Anonymous Portugal released a video in support.

The expulsion would eventually take place in the morning of April 19, as around 120 riot police entered the building [another video from a member on the ground here], and put an end to the work of one year of the community.

The City Hall issued a statement [pt] citing the necessity to “enforce laws” and calling the collective's squatting of the school “abusive” and “savage”, forcing authorities to intervene “coercively.” The statement made mention of the video above calling it “threatening” and “provoking disturbances and challenging [government] institutions.”

Meanwhile, a hiphop music video made by the youth of Fontinha sums up both the activities that used to take place in Es.Col.A, the April 19 events, and the popular reaction in Porto that followed:

Solidarity exceeds borders

Sympathy is coming from many cities in Portugal, where citizens have organized demonstrations via Facebook, such as the following that took place in Lisbon, in the evening of April 19:

A call on Facebook to make the cause go transnational was made by M31 (March 31), an European collective against capitalism that gathers groups across 12 countries. Messages of support, and in some cases translations, came from Spain (through the independent media collective La Haine [es]), Sweden (the Anonymous collective @AnonOpsSweden), United Kingdom (Socialist Workers Party via @tedsplitter), Australia (@OccupySydney), Greece [el], Poland [pl], and Germany, where an open letter to the Mayor and the city government of Porto was published on Indymedia:

Es.Col.A's Assembly, April 20. Photo by Renato Roque on Facebook.

You should know that the project and its activities are followed and supported with sympathy of many people outside Portugal. (…)
We ask that you reverse the eviction and repair the damage. Negotiate immediately with Es.col.a.-collective to reach peaceful and socially just solutions!

A petition [pt] is in circulation. The Assembly of Es.Col.A gathered on the evening of April 20 with around 200 participants, and decided to reoccupy the building on April 25th, a national holiday that represents the end of the dictatorship in Portugal in 1974.

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis

Janet Gunter collaborated in this post and translated Es.Col.A's documentary to English.