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From Malmö to the whole of Europe: heading for the World Assembly of Inhabitants

Almost invisible in the city, except during the final demonstration of the forum, the 15,000 or so participants at the Malmö ESF (European Social Forum) created new links as the social movements of the North encountered groups from all across the continent, Russia and Turkey included.

The success of the inhabitants initiatives addressing the right to housing and the city should be highlighted, attracting over 300 participants from Sweden, Finland, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium, Hungary, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Basque Country, Bolivia, the United Kingdom and Greece.

New discussions were initiated at the “Reclaiming the City” seminar, where, notably, the Union of Coordination of the Russian Soviets and organizations opposing the housing demolitions in Turkey were able to address the atrocities caused by neo-liberalism in the cities.

The spotlight was on the demolitions in 45 areas in Istanbul, part of the urban renewal plan which is in the process of expelling the working-class sections of society in the name of remodelling the town. One example is the destruction of the 500-year-old historical district of Sulukulé, one of the oldest Roma settlements in the world.

From Russia came news of citizens taking a stand against households being evicted, the streets barricaded in protest against property corruption, and demonstrations against uncontrolled privatisation, from Astrakan to Perm, Saint Petersburg, Moscow and various other cities. And we should mention Sochi, situated just north of Russia’s southern border, where the authorities unleashed a wave of property expropriations at ridiculous prices with the intention of taking over the areas that would be considered wise investments in the run-up to the 2014 winter Olympic Games. Elsewhere, tenants in Germany, Belgium and other countries campaigned against privatisations in order to keep their housing and oppose rents hikes.

It is worth emphasizing the role played by the public authorities, which generally get involved in conflicts and intervened with a heavy hand to deny housing rights, as was the case in Turkey, where inhabitants were divided and moved several kilometres away from the city.

Neither is the European Union setting a great example, as denounced at a seminar hosted by the Swedish Tenants Union and the International Tenants Union: in the name of freedom of competition, the European Commission wants to reduce the public housing sector so that it can only be used by the most deprived, whereas in Sweden a wide-based system works well, counterbalancing the costs and insecurity involved on the private housing market.

On the other hand, certain local authorities uphold housing rights to such a point that it creates conflict with other government authorities, as demonstrated by the anti-eviction decrees pronounced by the Bobigny local council, the leading French municipality in terms of solidarity, presented at the “Housing rights everywhere and for everyone in Europe” seminar.

These examples lay down the foundations for concrete follow-up action at the European States General for Housing Rights, introduced at the European Parliament in 2007, which brings together all the topics, movements and organizations that share the principles of solidarity.

Where are we heading? The seminar “What future do we want: a neoliberal metropolis or a space for life in common and solidarity?” organized by several groups (CGIL, IAI, AITEC, Zone Onlus, and others), attempted to provide some bold answers, above and beyond the need for urgency, without taking refuge in the theories that will remain on paper. This diverse group declared itself to be available to inhabitants organizations and movements for urban social reform.

These groups are not well established and, brought together at the final ESF Assembly, ratified a document that committed them all to organising together the European Urban Forum, a joint platform where inhabitants and groups can come and debate, share experiences and ideas, as well as support each other in the campaign for the right to housing and the city without borders.

We will be taking firm steps northwards towards the 2011 World Assembly for Inhabitants, which needs to be organized with care at the regional level with the help of collective web sites and mailing lists as well as a schedule of European political actions.

Noteworthy events include participation in the World Zero Evictions Days in October, initiatives in parallel to the European housing ministers meeting (November 24-25, 2008, in Marseille, France), and initiatives planned for 2010, when Istanbul will be the cultural capital of Europe.

The programme will be continued at upcoming social forums, starting with the American Social Forum, with a first assessment planned for the World Social Forum in Belem in January 2009.

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