Action Against Local Government

Members of the Tenants Defense Committee and ZSP took part in an action yesterday against the local government. There is now a campaign to get rid of it and it seems that there is a lot of support.

(It should be mentioned that the board of the local council is not even democratically elected, but was appointed by the President of the city. And it is extremely anti-social in politics.)

The trickier question is what comes next. Both organizations have called for more popular control, public assemblies, etc. Of course, nothing really libertarian can function within the framework set up by the state, only outside of its realm. The grassroots movements have to be built up, which is an enormous task given the realities of society in Poland.

In the meanwhile, people would like to send a message that those who engage in anti-social actions cannot do so with impugnity.

Euro Reality Tours Highlight Problems with Gentrification

During the first days of the EURO, tours were organized around the Praga neighbourhood of Warsaw for tourists and locals who would like to see some historic and interesting places before they are destroyed and the reality of the public housing situation. The intent was to give tourists visiting during the EURO a chance to see the reality of life just beyond the new National Stadium.

The local authorities were angry at these tours and comments by internet readers were not allowed in the main newspaper. Just days before the tours, crews could be seem making quick paint jobs and putting up banners on buildings in the immediate area of the stadium. Even more absurd for visitors as they only painted some entrances on the street but going into courtyards, anybody could see the reality.

Action against the Euro 2012

On June 8, the Euro Cup opened in Warsaw. The city was full of police, military police and football fans. ZSP and the Tenants Defense Committee organized a protest against the politics of the Euro. The protest was at the main roundabout on the way to the stadium, so thousands of people passed by.  People spoke about the money spent on the Euro and the fact that UEFA (which was exempted from tax in Poland) and a few businesses would be big beneficiaries, but that the public has spent already almost 26 billion euros on the spectacle and working people are footing the bill. At the same time that Poland is spending a lot of money on games, children will go hungry as the city privatizes school cafeterias, makes cut in social services and raises the price on everything.

Banner against the Euro 2012

On June 8, the Euro Cup will start in Warsaw. ZSP and the Tenants' Defense Committee have called a demo to protest against the spectacle, which cost Poland 26 billion euros, while the government is forcing austerity measures on the people.

Yesterday, a banner was dropped and leaves cut off a palm tree on the roundabout where the demo will take place. It reads "Bread not Games", which is not only the name of the demo, but also something which became a slogan all over Poland. (Demos will also be held in Poznan, Wroclaw and Gdansk.)

The action was carried out with the knowledge of the artist who put up the artificial palm. (No, Poland does not have a tropical climate.) In a statement sent to the press, the anonymous people who made the action wrote that the government is ignoring the needs of people and instead concentrating on commercial profits. It mentions how the city spent billions on the stadium and other things related to the Euro, but does not bother with public housing, shuts down schools, privatizes cafeterias and gets rid of Social Help Centers. It also mentions that the Euro profits a few, there is very limited access to the matches and something like martial law is in place in parts of Warsaw, with public streets and areas shut. They write that it is clear that the image of the city is more important to the politicians than the living conditions of its residents. They also write that they cut some leaves off the palm to symbolize budget cuts.

Action against Property Speculator

In April, there was a blockade of an eviction. (See video below.) However, one has to remember that blockades do not always solve the problems of the tenants. On June 5, the landlady will try to evict this woman again and, we presume, with more force.

On the 28th, there was a picket at the local council. But we also decided to target the president of the real estate company directly. She owns another building and a few restaurants. (By the way, there have also been complaints about the crap pay there,) We went to picket at CK Oberża restaurant, on a pedestrian street in the center of Warsaw.

Hell no, we won't go!

Residents of a building on Stanislaw Augustow Street in Warsaw are determined to fight to remain in their homes. The building was privatized by people known for dealing in "returned" real estate: infamous lawyer Jan Stachura and Jacek Powsinski. In a process commonly misnamed "reprivatization", these buildings are supposedly returned to heirs of pre-war owners, but in reality, most commonly find up in the paws of a narrow group of specialists with connections, who specialize in getting rid of tenants and making profits for speculators.

The  residents joined the Tenants Defense Committee and have been fighting the process in the courts, but the system is not set in favour of the tenants. Many have lived there for 50-60 or even more years. (One of the oldest tenants, in his 80s, comes from a family who is listed among the Righteous among Nations, for helping Jews during the war.) For many people, this is the only home they have known all their life, and they do not want to move. They are not offered any help by the city in this matter.

The new owner told the residents that they have until May 31 to leave and that after that, The
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The  residents joined the Tenants Defense Committee and have been fighting the process in the courts, but the system is not set in favour of the tenants. Many have lived there for 50-60 or even more years. (One of the oldest tenants, in his 80s, comes from a family who is listed among the Righteous among Nations, for helping Jews during the war.) For many people, this is the only home they have known all their life, and they do not want to move. They are not offered any help by the city in this matter.

The new owner told the residents that they have until May 31 to leave and that after that, they'd be evicted. They were threatened and feared that a gang of thugs could show up to try to illegally evict them. So people gathered to show the privatizers that they would fight back. It was a strong show of solidarity. People vowed to block any eviction attempts. So far, the privatizers have not dared to move on them.

The  residents joined the Tenants Defense Committee and have been fighting the process in the courts, but the system is not set in favour of the tenants. Many have lived there for 50-60 or even more years. (One of the oldest tenants, in his 80s, comes from a family who is listed among the Righteous among Nations, for helping Jews during the war.) For many people, this is the only home they have known all their life, and they do not want to move. They are not offered any help by the city in this matter.

The new owner told the residents that they have until May 31 to leave and that after that, they'd be evicted. They were threatened and feared that a gang of thugs could show up to try to illegally evict them. So people gathered to show the privatizers that they would fight back. It was a strong show of solidarity. People vowed to block any eviction attempts. So far, the privatizers have not dared to move on them.they'd be evicted. They were threatened and feared that a gang of thugs could show up to try to illegally evict them. So people gathered to show the privatizers that they would fight back. It was a strong show of solidarity. People vowed to block any eviction attempts. So far, the privatizers have not dared to move on them.

The tenants were told that they have until May 31 to leave or they'd be evicted.
The residents were threatened and were afraid that the privatizers would send some thugs to the
building to try to illegally evict them.  Tenants from the building and others came to make a show of
solidarity. Everyone has vowed to blocked any eviction attempts. So far the privatizers have not
dared to make any moves on the residents.