Waar: MKZ, Eerste Schinkelstraat 16, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wanneer: 16/06/2018 - 19:00
Stop the eviction of C.O.S.A
On the 13th of October in 2000 a group of young people from Setúbal, Portugal, decided to take in their own hands the control of a part of their lives. They squated an abandoned house replacing emptiness and apathy with desires, dreams and experiences of freedom, autonomy, self organisation, confrontation and atack.
A comunitarian place to live free action and expression, without political parties or state control, without authority, without profit and at last puting anarchism in practice. They named the squat C.O.S.A. (casa okupada de Setùbal autogestionada) and from this moment a new confrontation with power starts spreading trough the city. Quickly the critique, denounce and intervention became present in the daily life of Setúbal. Cosa became a social center from where people organized against speculation, tourism resorts, opression from the state, deaths by the hands of police, political parties, alienation... There were discusions, actions, demos, concerts, political paintings all around, all the experiments that were necessary to break up with the system. Many things hapened trough these years but COSA always stood firm and strong. 17 Years passed and neither the police or the courts can erase this chapter in the rebel and unsubmissive history of the city.
Two days after the 15th aniversary we received a notification saying the owners were starting a court order to evict us. After this we started meetings to prepare the defense and suport of COSA. A group of people said loud and clear that all efforts will be maid to make sure that this story doesn`t end for now. We chose the lawyer who will defend us and we`ve drawn our legal strategy, never forgeting the most important strategy: our own! In 2017 instead of having a court case we were called to attend a previous audience. Coming as a surprise to everyone the judge apeared with a conclusion, for her there was no need to have a court case (the case was obvious and so was the sentence), there was a justification for an immediate eviction order. Our lawyer found some mistakes in the process, enough to bring it down. However the judge followed her will and gave us the sentence. This sentence was just to recognize that the property was from the owners but after this the owners could start the eviction process.
While all this was happening we started ´´O Covil´´ an infospot with books, magazines and fanzines which hosts the ''Suporte Okupa'' (help and suport to squat), a way of getting a consistent organization for squating. The idea is to find new afinities and to reenforce old ones. We`ve been busy with fixing up the place to make the social center a place with better conditions.
So having a dinner at MKZ you`ll contribute to support our costs and keep the flame burning!
Saúde & Anarquia!
COSA is LIFE A STATE is DEATH!
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If you cant make it on saturday... And want to contribute, we have a bank account for donations:)
If you want to donate do it in this account, and mention support COSA:
PT50 0035 0774 0069 8915 1307 3