Today in Crete.
BIG HERAKLION SQUAT RAIDED BY POLICE
Yesterday at dawn, an over-equipped police armada stormed the Evangelismo squat in Héraklion, one of the largest squats in Greece.
The strategy of power was simple: enjoy the Easter holidays to find as little resistance as possible. The squat had already been evicted on September 30, 2023 but reoccupied two months later by activists on December 1, 2023 thanks to an impressive mobilization. Then, a few months ago, a new attempt to evict failed, following the immediate and massive reaction of the many supporters of this squat as it is very useful to society (solidarity, cultural and political space with multiple activities).
On Tuesday there was a lot less resistance than usual, and because of this: it's the day after Easter Monday, right in the middle of April school holidays. It's the same two weeks all over Greece, and it's the only school holidays between Christmas and Summer, because there's no school holidays in February (or All Saints' Day).
Police arrested 6 people inside the squat and made other arrests simultaneously in Greece's fourth city. Most were released during the day.
Some also assume that the authorities wanted to evict the squat before the arrival of the solidarity convoy (a group of vans loaded with materials and goods, mainly from activists in France, but also from Switzerland and Belgium). The convoy was in Athens last week, including in the Exarcheia district to support free solidarity kitchens and other self-managed venues, as well as refugee squats and resistance groups.
Part of the convoy had then arrived in Crete and had begun by delivering to self-managed places of Chania, to the west of the island. Two vans had gone, this Wednesday, April 16, to the migrant kitchen (Steki Metanaston de Chania), then to the big squat Rosa Nera, also taken over by activists (evicted on April 1, 2024 and then reoccupation on April 21, 2024 with the support of the solidarity convoy of last year during their visit to Crete).
The convoy delivery to Evangelismo squat was scheduled for Tuesday April 22 in the evening or one of the following days: final preparations were underway. We would be arriving soon to bring a whole van of goods and materials, after passing on financial support as well. It was only a matter of hours: we agreed to let Easter Monday go and arrive very soon...
Then last night's protest in Héraklion was large and intense to start organizing the retaliation against the brutal evacuation of Evangelismo on Tuesday morning.
* The squat Evangelismo occupied a huge building abandoned by the University of Crete for more than 30 years. It had been left to become a wreck. The social movement made a great squat for 23 years, with many useful activities in the heart of the city center of Héraklion: a place of popular education, mutual help, solidarity kitchen, film projections, debates, various workshops, meeting spaces for groups, popular cafe, multilingual social library... It was not a neglected place at all and this building was clearly abandoned and would have since collapsed. This is why popular support is so strong, after 23 years serving the social base in Greece's fourth city. This large multi-function squat has been a real defender in the eyes of thousands of users in recent years.
Story by Yannis Youlountas
is a former residential address in the Watergraafsmeer neighborhood and has been squatted for quite some years by the “Anarcha-Feminist Group”.
