APR 04 . 2005
End to Evictions?

Vienna – March 23rd to 27th: the “End to Eviction Days” (Räumungs Schluß Tage) summoned attention to the precarious situations of various freespaces in Vienna. The action days, both at the protagonistsÕ threatened homebases and in public space, included concerts, performances, eetcafés, infostands, podium(less) discussion rounds and was kicked off with an EKH bleibt! demo by the Museumsquartier on the Ringstrasse. Polizei presence minimal compared to December 18. March 23 also marked the deadline the EKH gave to the City to answer their request to officially step in to the sale of the “autonomous center” and only (known?) squat of Austria. To that date, no answer. During the demo, an enormous empty house across the street (Burggasse 2) became the target for an action squat (scheinbesetzung) for 30 minutes and received alot of attention from the established media.

http://fm4.orf.at/connected/193835/main
http://wien.orf.at/oesterreich.orf?read=detail&channel=1&id=372783
http://derstandard.at/?id=1991877
http://derstandard.at/?id=1991958
http://www.kurier.at/chronik/932865.php

MORE IMAGES: ZEROFUNKTION-FOTO.TK

In the evening was a podium(less) discussion between individuals and groups concerned with the theme at the “starved out” Public Netbase, a location otherwise sealed with an orange banner ZUGESPERRT. The evening began with the announcement that the Netbase (Burggasse 21) has received a bizarre phonecall from the police asking if they would require protection from the “links-radikalen” who were demonstrating just down the street! The police clearly need to put an agent on the job to do some research.

This summit of activists, artists, academics, writers and and other socio-cultural workers tackled in-depth the factors around the current struggles of autonomous spaces in Vienna. For us, a good window into the diverse cast of characters involved. Included some comparisons with the Netherlands. Various possible strategies and courses were plotted. It will be a hot summer in Austria.

Link to Dieter Schrage’s report

March 25: When you come up from the U1 underground station Keplerplatz, you just have to follow the spray-painted map of demo slogans to the EKH. Funny that the city left “Oesterreich abschaffen!” The current word is that the EKH stands to be (forcefully) evicted June 30. The latest flyers in the Infoladen X announce a street party for the day with no particular end date. Freibesetzt begins June 29.

March 28: The FLUC_Mensa on the Praterstern has their last party. Temporary use is over and FLUC IM EXIL begins. To be confirmed: FLUC IM EXIL @ freibesetzt @ WUK Foyer July 11-16.

April 1: According to the EKH newsletter, a group of supporters went to a City Council meeting which was open to the public. When the topic of “Theater Politic In Vienna” came up, one of the five went to the public microphone to insert the question of the EKH (also an important theater probe and performance space) into the discussion. The five were promptly removed from city hall by the police on grounds of “heightened security precautions”. Paranoia? The City clearly need to put an agent on the job to do some research.

http://ekhbleibt.info/ekh/aktion/1112794262

April 3: A little over a week later and just up the street, the empty Burggasse 83a was chosen for another action squat. The press release and flyers dropped from the windows explained the protest against the rising unaffordable rents, the numerous empty properties left for the market speculation and the eviction or starving our of self-run social, cultural and artist spaces. When the police got there, the activists were already gone. Nothing left to do but have the city cleaners hermetically cover up the evidence...

http://at.indymedia.org/newswire/display/53438/index.php

Apparently on the same night, activists executed a mass postering action on the university old AKH campus in their quest for more “freiraum” and non-commercial/consumer-based space in the city and for students. Check out the short panorama video from the action in a courtyard. Some sympathetic factions objected to the simplicity of the action and the obscene waste of tape which otherwise could have been used to place 14 rectors in bondage.