Press release
News Flash Squatters have occupied Friern Barnet library and have been offered another building by Barnet council.
Why can't we see more reasonable solutions such as this for some of the million empty buildings in the UK to be used to create homes,employment and community projects,rather than the recently brought in criminalisation of homeless people.
This library occupation was a direct result of the new anti squatting Laspo act which criminalises homeless people who shelter in empty residential homes. NB Squatting in non residential buildings is still legal.
This Ground breaking arrangements with a council where common-sense prevails and buildings are offered to community squatting groups and the local community are the way forward rather than criminalisation of the homeless in a housing crisis.
Today a meeting was held between Barnet council ,community squatters who have occupied Friern Barnet Library and about 30 local residents including local bloggers and save the library groups. There is a massive amount of local support to save the library and re-open it. In fact it is being put forward to a vote by the Labour councillors to the Tory council with a vote on Tues evening.
Last Wednesday 5th Sept. morning a group of squatters occupied the hotly contested Friern Barnet library. The council proceeded to come the very next day and offer them use of Friary Park house as a community library. Following negotiations with the council and an exchange of emails a meeting was arranged for Monday 10th Sept. 10 AM.
This meeting was well facilitated and created much needed dialogue across council and local people, a further meeting was agreed with council representatives and the concerned citizens next Monday 17th Sept at 10 AM
The community squatters continue to call for books and people to fill out the rota and have begun to get the library open again.
Much to the great joy of many members of the local community who are regularly visiting offering support and donations
The recent BBC news items on community run libraries in Surrey and also the laureate who has written to the culture minister about urgent need for libraries,
make this along with the new Squatting law a hot story especially as a cooperative model is being developed between council squatters and concerned local groups.
Rather than criminalisation this Draconian new law is undemocratic un just ,unfair and unworkable.
Estimated to cost up to £790 million over the next five years when the government aims to save £350 million with the Laspo bill,which removes most peoples entitlement to legal aid and criminalising what has always been a civil matter.
Mike Freer MP who was one of the main architects of this new law criminalising the homeless is the representative for Barnet.
It seems ironic that as a direct result of him pushing to criminalise sheltering in abandoned derelict buildings that this library has been occupied and now will become a flagship cooperation model between squatters and councils. We hope this leads to more solutions rather than unnecessary criminalisation.
We call for the repeal of the Laspo act.
Article links
http://www.times-series.co.uk/news/topstories/9920275.Library_reopens_as_negotiations_with_squatters_continue/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-18976002 Surrey Volunteer Library plan
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-19515702#.UEyIYQjNoCM.
https://sites.google.com/site/savefriernbarnetlibrary/
www.Squashcampaign.org
Advisory service for squatters :Squatter.org.uk
EvictionResistance.blogspot.co.uk
For more info contact squash campaign press 0715516105 or phoenix on 07769 791387
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