Squatting in Europe aims to move beyond the conventional understandings of squatting, investigating its history in Europe over the past four decades.

While waves of repression against squatters seems to spread across Europe, attacking and shutting down it s remaining squatting strongholds and it s historical spaces of rebellion, some squatted social centres manage to withstand meanwhile and new occupied zones arise - both are successfully defended through public mobilization and widespread solidarity, alongside with militant action. At the same time squatting has seen a rebirth as a tool of radical praxis in movements fighting against the rising number of evictions and foreclosures during the financial crisis or facing the policies of racist europe and open space for refugees, migrants and people of colour. The collection of essays, first-hand accounts and photographs in this book do not offer an over-arching story on where the squatters movement is heading. Instead the book provides glimpses into a diverse and multi-faceted movement, with accounts from local struggles, experiences of repression and stories of the collective forms of life which grow out of squatted space from various cities and countries throughout europe, including accounts from Australia and the U.S.

Editors:

Sqek (squatting europe kollective) is a network of radical activists and researchers from diverse social and political movements from around the world. The primary aim of the collective is to produce reliable and fine-grained knowledge about squatters movement as a public resource, especially for squatters and activists. Critical engagement, transdisciplinarity and comparative approaches are the bases of the project. Sqek holds yearly meetings which have thus far taken place in Madrid, Milano, London, Berlin, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, København, Roma and New York. More info can be found at http://sqek.squat.net