Squatting in the shadow of Harrods

If you think the squat movement is dead, perhaps you should reconsider because there’s one right on our doorstep, at 221 Brompton Road, just a few streets from Harrods.

The former sushi restaurant, now pop-up community centre, has been open for just over a week but will probably be boarded back up by Saturday, after being served eviction papers.

The squat is an initiative of the Radical Housing Network, self-identified as a “network of groups fighting for housing justice, based in London”. The space, which must be constantly occupied to stave off eviction, has been turned into a warm and welcoming social hub aiming to spread the word.

“We’re using this building to draw attention to the housing crisis. We’re in one of the richest parts in London which is one of the richest places of the world and there’s massive inequality here. There’s loads of really expensive properties which are left empty so someone can make money out of them, while there’s lots people who don’t have a home at all”, says Christine, one of the network’s members.

Within you can find a pillowcase banner making station, a calendar filled with events ranging from poetry nights to academic lectures, a children’s play area and even a counter stocked with food reclaimed from skips. The rest of the space is covered with flyers, banners and signs and filled with the soft buzz of friendly conversation.

The squat can accommodate as many as 40 people at a time, mainly from the Radical Housing Network but the initiative is aimed at a wider audience. As put by Christine, “Unless you’re really rich in London, you are affected by the housing crisis… You might not be sleeping on the streets but you still don’t have anything that you can call a home”.

The network will be marching on Sunday the 13th of March to protest a new housing bill aiming at finishing off social housing.

Video by Jamie Brown, Alexandra Cauvi and Alberto Alica