The History of squatting in the United KingdomThe History of squatting in the United Kingdom

From Freestonia to Belgravia

Intro

• What is squatting?

• Squatting has become infamous in the UK given it’s history throughout the 20th Century

• Main question to be asked: “Is it wrong to live in someone else’s house?”

• In the aftermath of the war, there was a mass squatting movement in the UK

• Squatting became most prevalent in the 60s/70s and 80s across the UK, but most famously in London

• Squatters were mainly bohemians and students, however they were generally middle-class and well educated

• Famous British squatters include; Sid Vicious, Robert

Louis Stevenson and Sade

The 20th century • After WWII, Britain was in dire straits

• Due to German bombing and social upheaval, there was a housing crisis in many of the major cities of the UK

• Out of desperation, Britons took it upon themselves to find somewhere to live

• This desperation was cemented further by cripplingly low rates of pay

• Squatters that moved into abandoned premises (such as an old Italian POW prison in Bristol) were not very well liked by outsiders

• Squatting went against the age-old British tradition of ‘patience’: the idea that one must always wait their turn

• Aside from the animosity against squatting, within squatting communities there was a real sense of family and togetherness

Political conflicts• In the 1960s, the Communist party in Britain began to

call out for a mass squatting movement to occupy private property: a very important change in direction from previous squatting behaviour

• In the past, squats were only set up in abandoned public property sites

• Occupying private property was a significant raising of the stakes, and the Labour government were forced to react

• A mass crackdown on the occupation of private property soon ensued

• This crackdown amplified the internal conflict within this social movement: “ The right to a roof over your head vs One man’s house is his castle”

• The Labour government began to implement the ‘council house’ strategy

• Although successful, this strategy resulted in a mass surplus of housing, exhibited clearly by the statistics

• Per year, nearly 400-450 thousand new homes were being built in the 1960s

• Compared to todays stats which show only 100-150 thousand new homes per year

• Result - too many houses and not enough people to fill them

American influence

• It has been reported by some that it was the ‘suburban ideal’, which drove British people out of the cities and into the suburbs at this time

• The ‘dream’ of big driveways, gardens etc swept the nation, and left places like Notting Hill (a very affluent area where the British PM lives today) mostly abandoned and disused

• Notting Hill then became the site of many famous squats

Freestonia

• A very famous squat

• The inhabitants of Freestonia even considered themselves as part of a separate state, and once applied to the UN for peace-keeping help to fight against the British Government

• Members of the ‘State of Freestonia’ even had their own passports

• Considered themselves as Anarchists but were not driven by Political beliefs

• It was reported by some former squatters in Freestonia that it was an uncomfortable way of living as there was a constant threat of eviction and social stress, and it was even violent at times

-Tension with those who were moved into high rises from dilapidated townhouses etc as the squatters moved in to take what the evictees most wanted

-St Agnes place - home to Rastafarian squatters too - famous visitors included Bob Marley

-Considered a ‘spiritual centre’

-Remember *squatters paid for electrics, gas etc and most refurbished houses themselves

-In 1970s the police were not as concerned with squatters as they are nowadays as property back then was not as valuable

-Squatters were generally left to themselves until they were complained about

21st Century

-Attitudes have changed

-Some feel that the law doesnt protect them as well as it should

-Ex. People going on holiday and coming back to squatters

-It becomes a question of morality: Is it immoral to enter someones home in this way?

-Some believe: should be illegal by principle, not what damage/ how often it happens

-Hygiene concerns of course (sea of beer bottles)

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoNpoTvycFs

LAW in the uk today

• In the UK:

Scotland - it is a criminal offence to squat - can be fined or imprisoned

England and Wales - civil issue - police can’t be involved, must see a lawyer - people want to change the law though

- Some believe that squatting is a sporadic problem and that there is no need to overly crackdown and change the law in England and Wales

- Tension with the police as they do not fully understand the law

-current law conflict - homeless (crime consequences) vs private property rights

-20,000 current squatters and over 600.000 empty homes

-Most reject the idea of Bill to change the law:

Reasons - for example, environmental benefits that some squats have (ex. Heathrow)

Squatters feel that the new Bill is not supported enough, and is essentially a means of increasing landowner profits

Media always portray squatters in an unfavourable light

evaluation• Must remember the housing crisis

- You can not defer the problem of not having anywhere to live

STREETS OR SQUAT- squatting now different as not as many abandoned council houses these days, squatting is more prevalent in private property

• For example. The occupation of the Hetherington Building at Glasgow University

Must always remember:

The benefits (community, safety, environment) vs the cons (private concerns)

Questions• When did squatting become most prevalent in Britain in the 20th

century?

• Generally speaking, who were the most common squatters?

• What British tradition did squatting go against?

• What did the Communist party call out for in the 1960s?

• What was the result of the Labour party’s ‘council house’ strategy?

• Sum up the ‘American Influence’

• What is the difference in the law on squatting between Scotland and England?

• What are some of the benefits of squatting?

• Why is squatting most different nowadays to squatting in the past?