Squatters @ Canton Police Station
Squatters have been cleared out of Canton Police Station after having occupied the building for the better part of a month. The police station had been taken over by squatters known as the Antagonistic Collective Against Boredom (ACAB).
The station – which has been unoccupied for over a year – was invaded on August 4th by squatters who climbed in through open windows. ACAB, part of the Cardiff Squatters Network – a network of squatters, travellers, the unrooted, homeless people, and supporters – issued a statement on their website:
“We squat because we believe that corporations and landlords have no right to hold property empty for their own profit while people less lucky are homeless, that people should not have to sell their freedom to employers or jump through government hoops to put a roof over their heads ... To have a home is a basic right, not a commodity to be exploited as a resource by landlords for money and by the state to keep us in our place. Taking the building we act as individuals in a community we have made for ourselves, showing our defiance of the culture of fear the police maintain, and our will to resist oppression and support ourselves and one another.”
The group hung banners on the side of the building announcing their presence. While the group were initially visited by police officers it seems they left without incident. One squatter commented on Indymedia: “cops visited in the afternoon saying they didn't care and hoped we were all OK. At first they didn't realise they still owned it thinking it had been sold – LOLZ.”
This week I noticed more banners and activity around the station, and things really seemed to be kicking off this morning: there were people hanging around outside when I walked past and as well as banners there was now a lot of graffiti on the station walls, doors and windows... as well as a rather awesome person sitting on the roof! (Photo attached)
It has now been confirmed that the rise in activity was due to the squatters being removed. At the time of writing, the banners have also been removed but the graffiti remains.
2 Comments – Post a comment
Pasternak
Commented 33 months ago - 27th August 2013 - 03:23am
A Community Support Officer got on my bus after I took the first of these photos. I showed them to her and asked what she thought, specifically about the grammatically incorrect "Less cops, more squats" banner (it should be "*Fewer* cops, more squats"). She declined to comment.
Weeping Tudor
Commented 33 months ago - 27th August 2013 - 16:01pm
Fewer cops indeed!