Védegylet - Solidarity with the squatters

7th October 2005 - In accordance with civil organizations and some well-known people, Protect the Future! support the Centrum Group, who have lately tried to form a socio-cultural centre in a squat. Two organizations, Man of the Street and Air Workgroup independently declared their support for the initiative, and so did Music Export Hungary, the organization coordinating PANKK (a governmental program supporting and developing Hungarian popular music), and the Budapestrockandroll music portal.

Declaration of solidarity

We, signing this Declaration, welcome the initiative of the Centrum Group, who became well-known from Úttörő Áruház (Pioneer's Department Store), to create a place for Hungarian alternative culture. We also welcome their willingness to try to raise the public awareness about everyday problems, such as the high number of neglected and abandoned tenements in the centre of Budapest, the 30 000 homeless people and the commercializing of Hungarian youth culture.

We welcome the new attempt to form a squat in Budapest by those young people who make very hard efforts without any financial interest. Although their activity is illegal yet, but we are confident that it will prove to be worthy of legalization. If the Centrum Group fulfils its promise and will create a place where newcomer artists, non-profit groups, shelter for homeless and public kitchen all find space, independent of public finance, then we think that instead of official attacks, the authorities should provide the necessary legal framework for their activity.

Until then let the deeds of Centrum Group speak for themselves.

Signers:

Müller Péter Sziámi
Márta István
Soma - Mamagésa
Halász Péter
Földes László Hobo
Tamás Gáspár Miklós
Novák Péter
Szkárosi Endre
Szalai Erzsébet
Galántai György
Hammer Ferenc

Buds Foundation for Human and Nature Protection
Hungarian Young Greens
Protect the Future
Humanist Movement
Universal Being Association for Nature Protection
Environment Conscious Society Foundation

Background information

In the beginning of September, 2005 the building of the Flórián Cinema was reanimated from its seemingly dead state. Young people from all around Budapest were invited for the one-day-long, secret action, and local residents arrived when they saw the bustle. The organizers introduced themselves as Association of Budapest Cinema Lovers, and they were selling popcorn in paper cups and rolls formed as the squat symbol, projecting movies, organizing concerts and presenting homeless poets who were reading their poetry. The tidied up cinema could be seen almost in its original state, as if its operators had abandoned it because of a catastrophe. In fact, the event was a kind of recruitment for the next action of squatting.

The Centrum Group occupied 41 Kazinczy street on the 1st of October; before that their last action had been the occupation of the former Úttörő Áruház (Pioneer's Department Store) in 2004. At that time the owner of the building made them leave by giving false information, for no reconstructing operation has been started ever since. The Kazinczy street building can be found in the Old Jewish Quarter, but it has not been declared as a historic building, because it was built only in1880, not before 1875. In the district ÓVÁS! Association is fighting to save the unique atmosphere of the Quarter. The building itself, where once a kosher slaughterhouse had been operating, was cleaned up by the young activists; they ordered the collection of documents about people taken to forced labour service, and arranged a number of exhibitions.

Just two hours before the official opening, neighbours called first the civil guards, then the police. The squatters shut themselves in the building, then called András Hont, member of the local government, who made a promise, in the name of the local authorities, to start negotiations the next day. In exchange, the young activists left the house and gave their personal data to the policemen waiting at the gate. However, on next Monday Tamás Demeter, the vice-president of the local government was not willing to let the Group members enter his office; he met them on the street and told them that he was willing to negotiate only with officially registered civil groups.

The Centrum Group is now making a portfolio, presenting a dozen different programmes designed in cooperation with many NGOs. They plan to establish a socio-cultural centre in the future, if the local government makes it possible. According to one of the speakers of the group, if the local authorities are unwilling to talk about the group's offer on their next session, they will squat a house again.

Viktor Vida

Translated by F. Birkus Ilona