On 1st December 1968, the London Squatters Campaign took over luxury flats in Wanstead, followed by a Leyton vicarage 2 weeks later. Their aim was to test public and political reactions before moving homeless families into empty houses in Redbridge from January 1969. The ensuing battled saw violences between squatters, bailiffs, National Front, and police, as well as barricades and makeshift weapons.

The Redbridge campaign was relatively successful in securing council housing for some of the homeless families and raising the issue of properties remaining empty and un-used in a housing crisis. However, the campaign also set important legal precedents for squatting, by establishing so-called 'squatters rights'.

BBC drama Cathy Come Home caused public outcry when it was aired in 1966, leading to increased publicity for Shelter (established a few days after the broadcast) and the founding of Crisis in 1967.

London (2016/17)
8,108 rough sleepers 54,660 temp accommodation 20,237+ empty homes
England
115,550 statutory homeless
79,190 temp accommodation
205,293+ empty homes
UK
est. 400,000 hidden homeless

The Advisory Service for Squatters (ASS) has been supporting and advocating for squatters all over the world since 1975, sharing legal and practical advice through the Squatters' Handbook since 1977 (now in its 14th edition). Their current offices are located at the Freedom Bookshop in Whitechapel, London.

Trespass is a civil offence in England & Wales with the exception, since 2012, of residential property. So long as squatters secure sole access to a property by replacing the locks and avoid committing other crimes (such as damage or theft of utilities), they are legally able to remain in the property until a court order for eviction is secured.In Scotland, trespass has been a criminal offence since 1865, as part of measures to prevent squatters returning to land taken through the Highland Clearances.

Squatters have made use of laws designed to protect occupiers, in order to defend their homes from intrusions by the state (i.e.evictions). So-called 'squatters rights' are still listed on 'legal notices' displayed outside squats, warning police of a legal right to stay in the building until a court order is granted.

Squatting is also part of a doctrine of adverse possession in the UK. This creates a claim to property through possession, allowing squatters to apply for ownership after a certain period of time (currently 10 years). The intention is that un-used or under-utilised property can be put to better purpose.

Since 2002, the Land Registry has been required to check possession applications with property owners and, since the criminalisation of residential squatting in 2012, courts have also been unwilling to grant possession to those who have committed a 'crime' in order to take a property.

The London Street Commune was established in September 1969 at 144 Piccadilly. In stark contrast to the London Squatters Campaign in Redbridge, who were seen as fighting for the 'real' homeless who'deserved' shelter; Hippdilly was associated with the drug and youth counter-culture of the late 1960s and framed as dirty, work-shy, layabouts. This division between 'deserving' and 'undeserving' squatters is one that is still used by the media, politicians, the public, and some activists today.

In 1973, squatters occupied Tolmers Square (next to Euston Station) which was under threat from being developed into office blocks.

Stock Conversion - who had purchased the houses from Camden Council - had been neglecting the properties for years hoping it would make it easier and cheaper to evict tenants. In response, the squatters repaired the houses, eventually embarrassing the council into buying back the buildings.

It is estimated that empty commercial buildings in London alone could create 420,000 new homes. That's in addition to 500 hectares (750 football pitches) of empty industrial land across the capital. It remains to be seen if this number increases after Britain leaves the EU in December 2020.

In January 1976, squatters from the Family Squatter Advisory Service (FSAS) occupied Centre point - an office block which had been empty since completion in 1963 - demanding it should be requisitioned for housing. Their decision to keep this occupation short and symbolic was criticised by other groups who campaigned outside the tower for the occupation to remain indefinitely.

The ten luxury apartments between the 53rd-65th floors of the Qatari-owned Shard have remained unsold and empty since completion in July 2012.

On 15th October 1975, squatters from all over London successfully barricaded Elgin Avenue whilst delegates (including Piers Corbyn, brother of Jeremy) negotiated with Greater London Council (GLC). They managed to secure alternative accommodation for the 200 people living there and celebrated this as a victory. Others. however, saw their dismantling of barricades and voluntary eviction as surrender.

Compulsorily purchased by Lambeth Council in 1967 in order to be developed into tower blocks, the residents of Villa Road soon found their neighbourhood neglected and falling into disrepair. Refusing to leave, they barricaded the street in order to protect their community and the 19thC buildings there. Eventually, they managed to turn the council around: from demolition and forced evictions, to co-operative housing management.

For some, squatting is simply a way to secure housing (such as the first wave, or the re-emergence of squatting in Redbridge) and therefore victory might mean saving a building from demolition, or it could mean achieving concessions from the owners (state or private) who either allow the squatters to stay there, or find suitable alternative accommodation.

For others, however, squatting is a 'victory' in its own right, by continually challenging private property, by making an event possible (e.g. a rave or art exhibition), by establishing a much-needed social center or local service, or as a means to other ends (such as supporting alternative living arrangements, as affordable studio space, or as headquarters for organising actions elsewhere).

As well as demonstrating that squatters are actually attempting tore-purpose neglected properties (rather than steal them), undermining stereotypes of being lazy and work-shy, repairing and renovating houses also gives many squatters new skills, such as roofing, decorating, plumbing, and wiring.

The 'do-it-yourself' squatting ethos, which continues in the movement today, offers both social and individual benefits. Such work demonstrates that, rather than being after 'something for nothing'; squatters are actually after 'nothing for something'.

When compared to the sheer amount of resources spent on keeping people out of empty or under-used properties (including defensive architecture, CCTV, security firms, and property guardians); squatters can offer a cheap, inclusive, and pro-social alternative to getting neglected properties back to use.

The British Black Panthers (1968-72) - part of the British Black Power movement - adopted slogans and cultural signifiers from the U.S. (as part of trans-Atlantic struggle); but also directly addressed local issues, such as education, health,employment, police harassment, and housing.Broadly Marxist, the Panthers also sought to address the racism of the British left (who focused on the white working class) whilst raising black consciousness through poetry, music, and film.

Olive Morris (1952-1979) was born in Jamaica before later moving to join her parents in Brixton. She dropped out of school to join the black power movement, but still managed to study social sciences at Manchester University, travel the world,and establish many organisations against racism and sexism (including the Brixton Black Women's Group and OWAAD - Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent) before her tragic early death at 27 years old.
Together with Liz Obi (Turnbull), Morris was the first to squat the now infamous 121 Railton Road in 1972, establishing the Sabaar Bookshop as a meeting place and infoshop for black groups.

Caught between exploitative informal renting and being denied access to adequate social housing, whilst simultaneously facing daily racism and violence, some Bangladeshi families also turned to squatting in the early 1970s. The Bengali Housing Action Group, together with the Tower Hamlets Squatters Union, opened up several empty blocks, with the Pelham Buildings having almost 200 families squatting there.

The 'hostile environment' that underpins the Windrush Scandal- where black British citizens are being stripped of their citizenship -predates Theresa May's policies as Home Secretary. In direct contrast, however, squatting has regularly been used as a way to create 'hospitable environments' in the context of wider racism, by providing housing, cultural centres, and opportunities to organise.

In addition to the Black Panthers, Brixton's Railton Road was an important centre for gay squatting, with the South London Gay Community Centre established in a squat in 1974.

Today, 24% of homeless young people identify as LGBT+ and 77% of this group believe coming out to their parents was the main factor (Albert Kennedy Trust, 2018).

In the early 1970s, councils did not recognise women fleeing domestic violence as homeless, and denied any duty to house them. State-run refuges were often overcrowded and of poor quality, and some therefore decided to turn to squatting in order to find shelter and support through communal living.

Women-only squats, such as Trederwen Road in Hackney, allowed solidarity and communal support at a time when women and lesbians alike had few legal rights. Such squats provided space to live outside the patriarchal and hetero-normative 'suburban dream' of mainstream post-war society.

From the mid-1970's onwards, an eclectic mix of freethinkers, hippies, anarchists, punks, creatives, artists, writers, actors, drop-outs, activists, homeless, and drug addicts began squatting a cluster of semi-derelict houses on the corner of Freston Road, Notting Hill. By October 1977, threatened with a regeneration project, they decided to declare independence from the UK and became the Free Independent Republic of Frestonia.

Writing to the UN, they requested peacekeeping troops in order to prevent an'invasion' (eviction). As well as establishing a National Film Institute, the republic opened The Car Breaker Art Gallery and The Apocalypse Hotel. Frestonia was also home to the Mutoid Waste Company, from which came artists that are now involved in the Arcadia spectacular (a permanent fixture at Glastonbury Festival).

Much of the music culture we enjoy and count amongst our heritage today was made possible by squatting: Joe Strummer's first band - the 101ers - were named after the squat in which they lived and rehearsed (101 Walterton Road, Maida Hill, near Elgin Avenue). The Clash rehearsed and recorded tracks for their seminal album 'Combat Rock' at Frestonia. Motorhead also rehearsed there. After being evicted, Johnny Rotten moved into a squat with Sid Vicious before the Sex Pistols shot to fame. Bob Geldoff lived in a squat in London whilst trying to get the Boomtown Rats off the ground.

Both Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart (Eurythmics) lived and rehearsed in squats early on. It is rumored that they could only afford the synthesizer to write 'Sweet Dreams'because they didn't have to pay extortionate bills and rent. Richard Branson, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits), Boy George, Green Gatside, Scritti Politti, all squatted at some point. As did members from Depeche Mode, My Bloody Valentine, Stereolab, Crass, and The Levellers.

Early dub and reggae sound systems held events in squats, as did riot grrl, punk, post-punk, new romantics, and goth bands, 80s electro-pop outfits, and DJs from early rave and dance culture. Spiral Tribe and Orbital (named after raves around the M25) developed out of the rave scene of the late 1980s. Criminalised by racially-targeted policing of black urban culture, Grime and Drill musicians continue to rely on squats today, in order to find spaces for events.

In 1971, Greater London contained 23,100 empty houses awaiting demolition.
29% of this stock was built before 1875 and 67% before 1919. Many had been obtained by local authorities through compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) as part of the Greater London Development Plan (1969).

By 1975, delays meant many of these homes were still empty and thousands had been reclaimed and repaired by Squatters.
By 1976, it is estimated that some 20-30,000 people were squatting in Greater London.

The Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 established a legal duty for councils to provide housing for certain 'at-risk' groups of homeless people (including families, pensioners, the disabled, the sick, and pregnant women). However, a last minute addition (the 'Calderdale Clause') provided a loophole by allowing councils to refuse to help people who made themselves 'deliberately homeless'. The ambiguity of this has allowed councils to continue avoiding a legal obligation to house people.

By 1977, the Conservatives had gained control of the Greater London Council (GLC) with an aim to end the city's direct role in providing housing. However, realising the impossibility of evicting an estimated 7000 people from squats in GLC property, they offered a squatter amnesty, where those who registered within a month could stay as tenants.

1300 properties took the deal, but squatting remained widespread.

The Campaign Against A Criminal Trespass Law (CACTL) protested the criminalisation of squatting and trespass in the build-up to CJA 1977. They built solidarities across squatters, gypsy travellers, workers and students, arguing the act threatened the use of picketing and occupations as part of protest.

Stopping short of criminalising squatting and trespass outright, the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) 1977 made squatting much more difficult. The act was justified by false accusations and media hype that squatters took over houses that were still in use by residents, or that they were preventing families on the waiting list from moving in.