Show of strength as police bust squat

Scan page 1

PHOTO: Andrew Wiard (Report) Street On Sunday last the squatters of Kilner House, a large block of flats in the Oval in South London belonging to the GLC, celebrated the 100th day of their occupation in protest against the GLC's plan to sell the flats.

The celebration took place not inside the flats but outside, because two days earlier the 100 or so squatters had been removed by a huge force of There can have been little short of 1,000 police with axes, riot shields and other equipment to drive out the 30-40 last ditch squatters who held out to the end behind an internal barricade on the upper floors.

The bust was not unexpec ted-indeed the timing had been leaked from a source inside the GLC. And it followed the abortive attempt a couple of weeks before by the under-Sheriff of London to serve a court order on the squatters to get them to leave.

He said he'd come back with more police. And he was as good as his word.

Against such a large force there was little point to physical resistance once the barricade (and most of the doors of the block) had been destroyed by police axes.

So the rest of the eviction took place with only two arrests -one supporter outside for obstruction, and a highly indignant Evening Standard reporter who was later diplomatically released.

The police did, however, take time to check the squatters on the computer records before they were allowed to leave the building and one was taken away on an alleged motoring offence.

Squatters were insultingly handed a piece of paper as they left with the address of the nearest homeless aid agency; but of course they were not given cheques for £19,000 to £23,000 which would have allowed them to buy the flats which for many of them had become their homes.

After the police vandalism however, they will need a lot of repair and decoration before anyone will buy them at any price.

And the GLC direct works branch of UCATT has already said its members will black the work.

The squatters and their supporters now hope to block the sales until the Tory GLC council is, they hope, defeated in the May elections.

But already they have made a significant protest against the scandal of homelessness and council house sales.

Scan page 2

COTTON MOIN SAO MITO WAICI" the independence of iustice to ever demanded by the police for those on remand and those whatever reason. charged. : A refusal can mean imprison- The prosecution is to be ment from ten days to three given more powers and the right months and a fine of from of prisoners to appeal is to be £120-£200. greatly curtailed.

to the Vichy regime in 1943 to provoked reaction even among find such draconian police the judiciary. There has been a French police carrying out identity check under new powers. protest demonstration of magisNot even during the Algerian trates and eight of the highest war did France possess such a legal authorities have denounced legislative arsenal. the text.

1980 will also be remembe- The temperature has hotted ed as a black year for all those up since about mid November considered "marginal"-immi- with the growth of 'presidentialthose on remand or the everything which is of electoral Political discrimination is acquiesced in these attacks on blatant. A mere six months personal liberty but has often away from the French Presiden- taken an active part in pressing age Insidiously Big Brother has used 1980 to gnaw away at everyday rights in France.

The list of restrictions brought in last year to curtail liberties is an eye-opener.

*Identity checks made legal.

*Phone-tapping put on a more organised footing.

*Detention in police cells extended.

*Press censorship stepped *State control of the media reinforced.

The new measures contained in the text "Security and Liberty" which was adopted by Parliament in the autumn, will, when they become law, make it obligatory for anyone to reveal and nearo thair idontitin whanYou would need to go back tial elections advocates of independence or autonomy in France's colonies (representing at least a third of the population in each case) are still barred access to local television.

Infamous

Also in the document "Security and Liberty" is contained the provision to hold those awaiting deportation in the special prison near Marseille at Arenc.

This was revealed a few years ago as the place where the "bad" immigrants are encarcerated.

When the new infamous document becomes law it will also give even less guarantee of These measures have Wednesday them through.

The government censorship of the press has become an issue ot national scandal with the prosecution of the directeur of Le Monde Jacques Fauvet.

On 7 November the procurator of the Republic of Paris started proceedings at the demand of Alain Peyrefitte, under article 226 of the Penal Code.

This holds a punishment of one to six months imprisonment and of 500 to 30,000 franc fine for "casting discredit on an action or a legal decision under conditions of besmirching the authority • of justice or its independence."

Le Monde has long been a thorn in the flesh of the government, continually critical of its policies and charting a somewhat independent course.

The final straw seems to have been the repeating of the material carried in the satirical journal Le Canard Enchaine about the gifts bestowed on Giscard d'Estaing and his family by the butcher Bokassa.

The use of this article of the Penal Code has created a big backlash and is the source of major discomfiture for the