Sheffield - Free Spaces

Autonomous and free spaces news.

Oaxaca Benefit Shut Down by the Police

04-10-2007 22:29 | Free Spaces | Repression | Zapatista | Sheffield

A benefit gig and party put on by the Sheffield Anarchist Federation to raise money for Oaxacan autonomous organisations was raided and closed down by the police on Saturday 29th September.

"From 3:00 til about 8:30 everything was going well. Plenty of people had turned up, we had raised quite a bit of money and people were generally having a good time... At around nine, the police turned up. At first, we were only met with a couple of bobbies on the beat. They told us to turn the music down and that they didn't want to have to come back to tell us again. We complied with this order. A short while later they returned, this time they cited breach of the peace and noise complaints from local residents. At this point we were given no legal warning and shown no noise abatement order... At this point TSG arrived. The officer arriving on the scene demanded two spokespeople from the organisers to negotiate a de-escualtion of the situation. Two spokespeople were mandated and let outside of the property. The negotiation was a complete farce. The officer had no interest in an open dialogue, he ordered that the soundsystem be removed from the premises within ten minutes and when the spokespeople refused to give out their personal details repeatedly threatened them with arrest." See the full report for more details and photos.

Matilda's Eviction

16-06-2006 08:49 | Free Spaces | Sheffield

The Matilda Social Centre in Sheffield has now been vacated and 111 Matilda Street is once again a empty building left to rot, RIP Matilda. The names of most of the bands that played the building in the last year have been painted in the windows and poems have been written and songs dedicated.

The final chapter in Matilda's story started on 14th June 2006, one year on from the G8 protests that were based in the Matilda Convergence Centre, Yorkshire Forward, the owners of the building, tried to evict the social centre on health and safety grounds but this was resisted and the building was squatted. The events of the day were reported on BBC Radio Sheffield.

The squat didn't last long however, "30 persons unknown" were due in court for tresspass on Thursday 22nd June at Sheffield County Court and pages from this web site were cited as evidence. There was a protest outside but the case was lost — the judge awarded possession for Yorkshire Forward and their agents asked that the building be vacated by 9am on Tuesday 27th June.

An open letter was written to Jan Wilson, the leader of Sheffield Council, about the eviction and people started to move things out of the building. There was no big farewell party and on Tuesday morning some people turned up for the handover of the building, it made page 2 of the Sheffield Star, but Yorkshire Forward failed to appear.

Several days after the Matilda Collective had abandoned the building Yorkshire Forward secured it and installed a 24-hour security guard and surveillance equipment.

In the end "the energy seemed to have flowed out of the Matilda collective and the will to resist had gone", much like in London where another social centre, The Square, which was facing eviction and resisted for a week before issuing a dissolution communique, "it very quickly became clear that there simply wasn't the energy to go on".

Some events that were due to take place in Matilda have been cancelled, others like the Indymedia "Summer of Truth" film festival have been relocated and some have yet to find a new home.

Matilda and the huge number of events that took place there won't be forgotten in a hurry and perhaps the moles of the Matilda Collective will reemerge somewhere else and reclaim another abandoned building...

[ Photos | German Report | Greek Report ]

Twelve Months on Matilda Social Centre Continues

18-05-2006 15:12 | Free Spaces | Sheffield

It is hard to believe but it is nearly twelve months since the old Yorkshire Arts Space on Matilda Street sprung into life as a convergence space for activists opposing the G8 Ministers meeting in Sheffield. Within days a makeshift kitchen had been set up, sleeping space sorted, workshop space organised and a media centre built and banners flew defiantly from the building. As the actions sprung up across the city, the Matilda Street convergence centre buzzed into the nights with people painting banners, planning, sharing information and skills, checking indymedia reports and uploading stories and photos. While one eye was firmly on the exhausting days of the protest against the G8, already one eye was on what the future could hold for this building.

Matilda Social Centre web site

Eviction of the Silver Squat

02-02-2005 00:16 | Free Spaces | Repression | Sheffield

The Silver Squat, which was located in an old silversmiths building near Sheffield train station, was finally evicted on Monday 24th January. The court case for the eviction took place the previous week. To mark the ending of the squat, a farewell gig was hosted there the night before. By One O'clock on the Monday the gates were open and the baliffs were in. It is not clear what the land will be used for, but there is a high probability that it will be redeveloped in to more 'lifestyle' flats.

Silver Squat Eviction Imminent | Photos from the Silver Squat

Sheffield Summer Festivals 2004

06-07-2004 15:01 | Culture | Free Spaces | Sheffield

Saturday 3rd July saw another event in Sheffield's festival season with Peace In The Park - a free festival set-up to try to raise some money, to raise consciousness and show solidarity with social struggles in Sheffield, the UK and around the world. The 'festival season' officially started two weeks ago at Heeley City Farm.

Despite the changeable weather, many local folk attended the event and many local campaign groups were present including the Sheffield Palestinian Solidarity Campaign, Sheffield Against The War and Sheffield Indymedia, Nether Edge Against the War, Earthed. The Sheffield Social Forum hosted the first Democracy Cafe, a space for political discussion with great food provided by New Roots. A music stage and several tents provided some lively sounds and there was also a healing field for chilling out. A wide range of underground films were shown throughout the day in the 'Video Yurt'.

Proceeds of the Festival will go to Sheffield ASSIST - a local charity providing advice and support for refugees and asylum seekers in the area - and WaterAid - an international non-governmental organisation dedicated exclusively to the provision of safe domestic water, sanitation and hygiene education to the world's poorest people.

Next weekend sees the multi-cultural Sharrow Festival and Abbeyfield Park Festival which will both be supported by Sheffield Indymedia.

Eviction Alert!: Sherwood Tree Camp

11-02-2004 04:25 | Ecology | Free Spaces | Globalisation | Sheffield

Bellway Homes are attempting to destroy a group of ancient trees and a natural meadowland to build what campaigners say is an unnecessary road junction. The area is supposedly guarded by a Tree Protection Order as it possesses a 300 year old beech tree, yet the council are refusing to take any action against the developers.

Local campaigners and residents at Mansfield Woodhouse's tree houses' and tunnels were visited by the Sherriff on Tuesday 10th February and informed that an eviction of the protest camp would be taking place imminently.

Welsh Bailiffs came on site with a warrant conducting a health and safety review of the site. They said they would be returning imminently with a professional tunnel team and climbers.

Campaigners hope they can delay the destruction long enough for action to be taken in the courts. On Saturday the small numbers present were boosted by a call for support which mobilised enough people to foil what they say was an illegal eviction attempt (report). The campaigers say they desparately need more people in site to help build defences, and to stay over night so numbers are at a maximum when the bailiffs move in. It seems likely it will happen very soon.

Updates here | Photo Gallery | Old Campaign Site | Travel directions | Road Alert

Earth First Summer Gathering

A report from the UK's biggest direct action gathering.

This years EF summer gathering took place over 5 days from 13th August on an idyllic nature reserve near Ripon in North Yorkshire. These gatherings have been taking place annually now for almost a decade and continue attract around 4 - 500 people each year. There is no hype, no big name speakers to tell you how it is, and no mass marketing campaign advertising the event in cities all over the UK: all very different from say, the SWP's annual 'Marxism' event in London.

Sheffield - Free Spaces

Oaxaca Benefit Shut Down by the Police

Matilda's Eviction

Twelve Months on Matilda Social Centre Continues

Eviction of the Silver Squat

Sheffield Summer Festivals 2004

Eviction Alert!: Sherwood Tree Camp

Earth First Summer Gathering

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