Sunday, March 4, 2012

Germany: First statement by a new squat in Cologne

from http://en.contrainfo.espiv.net

Germany: First statement by a new squat in Cologne

On March 2nd, 2012, we squatted an abandoned building at Deutz-Mülheimer Street in Cologne, near the old industrial complex of the KHD group of companies, where we want to develop a collective; that is a group of people who wish to live and work together without leaders. The squat is a place for both working and living away from the capitalist enforcement. We want to live with each other without hierarchically structured regulation. There are a few projects in Cologne which are quite similar to our idea of living. Since the 70s the project Sozialistische Selbsthilfe Köln exists, but unfortunately the scope for such initiatives is limited in this neoconservative city, since there's not enough space for libertarian projects, and most of free spaces are still struggling, while many people are left alone, unemployed, homeless, without even health insurance. People have to be in the welfare system to get those things. If someone is unemployed and doesn't want to be part of the welfare system, she or he has no chance. Those who do not agree with the government and don't want to be in dependency are always in struggle. The State acts against them and the police criminalize them. But if people steal because they're hungry (if they're squatters because they need a place to live, if they take action against authorities because they feel suppressed…), they're no criminals. The criminals are those who act against freedom, equality and social change. This is due to capitalism. Its only purpose is to make even more money, and the biggest part of humankind is suffering from it.

Law and Order do their very best to keep us down. Everyone is afraid of jail; it's a normal reaction. But most people forget that fear can be a jailhouse, too. And the State uses fear to build up a cage inside people's heads. But even when we're afraid of repression, our will against the system and this capitalist society is always stronger than fear. We don't care about the structure of ownership and investors. We won't argue about the point that we don't 'own' the house. It's our squat, the place where we can live, and that's why we will stay!

Everybody is welcome to visit us and become part of the project. But if somebody is not interested in emancipation, she or he should better not come by. This squat is no place to act in any discriminatory way. We don't tolerate sexism, homophobia, racism and fascism, lookism and classism. We stand next to people all over the world who are fighting for freedom and emancipation.

We can't stand to run away, to bend over or serve anymore. From now on, we are the only ones to determine our own lives. The struggle continues; fight the reactionary system!

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