Sydney: Eviction of the Hat Factory

Squat!net, 10 August

31 July 2014- Australia: A known squat in the territory known as Sydney has been evicted

Some courageous occupiers and supporters made the decision to barricade and defend as much as they could a space full of history, dreams and resistance.

The autonomous, liberated social centre known as the Hat Factory has for over at least 12 years hosted hundreds of events and people in its quarters – encouraging creativity, mutual aid, rebelliousness and respect.

At the time of its eviction, the Hat Factory was known for is great fundraisers, library, its free shop, where people could come and find free clothes and a whole array of tools and facilities to take care of spaces and each other.

Darwin: two teenage asylum seekers flee immigration detention

31 July: Two teenage asylum seekers have fled from detention in Darwin, the Immigration Department has confirmed.

The ABC understands the two are unaccompanied Vietnamese boys, both aged 16, who were moved by the department to Darwin from Adelaide a month ago.

The pair had previously been living in community detention in Adelaide and attending Woodville High School.

Woodville principal Meredith Edwards said staff and students were devastated that the boys had been sent to Darwin.

“These are 16-year-old boys and up until now, they’ve committed no crime,” she said.

She has been told the boys ran away while they were attending classes at Sanderson High, a school in Darwin’s northern suburbs that teaches many asylum seekers detained at the Wickham Point detention centre.

Sydney: Hat Factory Social Centre evicted by riot police

1 August: The group evicted from an iconic Newtown squat and community hub this week have vowed to find a new base.

Dozens of police donned riot gear to search the premises after smashing in the now boarded up doors of the Hat Factory Social Centre shortly after 3.30pm on Thursday afternoon. Many were wearing helmets and several in white police jump suits.

Two Aboriginal flags and several home-made banners had been unfurled along the property earlier in the week. One declared the property “reclaimed community space”.

Reading from a statement prepared by the group, resident Jack Summers-Webb said the eviction was difficult for residents, who intended to continue to reclaim unused buildings.

“This has been devastating for all of us, for the community and the people who live here,” Mr Summers-Webb said. “This is not the end for us; we’ll continue to do community spaces wherever we can.”