EKH squat (vienna) update 1st July

international | housing | news report Friday July 01, 2005 20:46 by finn37

The Ernst Kirchweger Haus (EKH) in Vienna, Austria was squatted in 1990. During the past 15 years it became an internationalist, anti-fascist, self-run space.
Since midnight, 2/3 of the house is without contracts again, so the people inside are now preparing for the case of eviction and mobilise to make public pressure for a written, law-valid guarantee.

EKH will stay!

The Ernst Kirchweger Haus (EKH) in Vienna, Austria was squatted in 1990. During the past 15 years it became an internationalist, anti-fascist, self-run space. Including an autonomous living space and numerous political as well as cultural initiatives and groups, the project has played an important role in the radical left of Austria and beyond. Since the 20th of October 2004 it has been known that the former owner, the Communist Party of Austria (KPÖ), has sold the building for much less than its worth to speculators from the extreme right-wing.
The green party of favoriten district in vienna asked the minister of inner affairs (the chief of police) at the 22nd of june in parlament not to escalate the conflict and the official letter was signed by district pairlament

Also on the demonstration yesterday it was obviouse that the order of police not to escalate.
There were around 300 people on the streets, from the turkish organisation ATIGF (see: http://www.atigf.org) , which uses the house together with autonom and anarchist people.
(for pictures see: http://at.indymedia.org/newswire/display/54177/index.php)

Since midnight, 2/3 of the house is without contracts again, so the people inside are now preparing for the case of eviction and mobilise to make public pressure for a written, law-valid guarantee.
Parallel the demand for a political solution is in process, which means to get a contract for a selfformed organisation of the people who use and run the house.
Officials from the city and delegates from the house are discussing but since now there is no official paper which guarantees that the project will stay.
There is only a fax by the owner that he is willing to sell and the officials from the city say that there will be a result in two weeks.
But in this two weeks can happen a lot and it is not senseful to wait just passively for the owner, who is in the fascist scene to do us a pleasure and sell the house.

We demand a fast selling and we will stay active to fight for our right to stay.
Today will be a street party and the next days will be public actions and activities to push the process of getting a written guarantee as soon as possible, because all this does not mean that there is no eviction alert anymore.


For background information see also:
http://at.indymedia.org/newswire/display/54146