On monday, may 26th the 17-year-old social center Can Vies in the district of Barcelona-Sants was evicted and partly destroyed. The City prefers to create touristpark instead of giving a room for autonomous and social activities. Such Can Vies was threatened of eviction for the past 15 months.
Since March the activists had constructed barricades to defend the squat. It took over six hours to actually evict the House. After the eviction four thousand people demonstrated and showed thier rage: banks, political partys-buildings, and media institutions were attacked. The next day the demolition-machines were destroyed by fire.
The following days thousands were protesting and rioting against the repression. On Wednesday several hundred special forces were sent to Barcelona fo fight the protesters. During the struggles. more than 60 activists were arrested and an unknown number were injured. The following days the riots extended to other districts of Barcelona. Demonstrations started spreading to other towns like Madrid, Hamburg or Palma as well. The support-platform from Sants-district demanded the retreat of the Barcelona-mayor, release of the prisonners and an end of the destruction-works at Can Vies. Today, mai 31., a demonstration is taking place to „rebuild Can Vies“.
The same time this weekend a meeting of self-managed projects in southern Germany, Switzerland and France was held, to discuss solidarity-practice, repression-experiences, problems and perspectives. The participants want to send this note of solidarity to our comrade-squatters and social-space-demonstrators in Barcelona. We wish you strength and courage for the following fights!
We demand the end of police violence and Immediate release of all prisonners!
For the reconstruction and extension of Can Vies and al the others!
Free-spaces gathering at KTS Freiburg, 31. of May 2014