There are around 30 squatted social centres in a city that has a population of 3 million people.
Since 1996, where the CINE PRINCESA was evicted, the squat "movement" has been more and more powerful. This squatted cinema was a breakpoint in the squat history in the city.
Before the CINE not many people knew about squatting: what we do, what we want, which are our background political ideas, altough everyone has different ideas, of course, and every squat house has its own way of behaiving.
This cinema was the first squatted social centre in the city center, located in one of the most important avenues in barcelona, only 200 metres away from the biggest and most tenebrous police station, next to almost all of the most important banks, the province government of Catalonia (the region that is in the north-east of spain) and the city council.
After the eviction, that was a completely war, the mass-media looked at us and started to talk about squatters. Most of the cityzens in Barcelona saw that the behaviour of police was completely exagerated and started to support us.
In that sense the effect was the opposite for people in power: they wanted to kill us but we got much more strenght.
The Assemblea d'Okupes tries to coordinate a little bit all the struggle of squaters in Barcelona. Depending on how is the political situation is more or less active. Right now is really busy due to the fact that there are 5 social centres in danger of being evicted.
As you may know, squatting is not legal in Spain
In the Civil Code until 1996 has changed to the penal code after that time with the new reform of the Penal Code, according to the new european political (real police) lines.
The difference is that with the civil code first you had the court case and you were evicted if you lose it. Now, you are first evicted and later there is the court case, but who want to go to court once you don't have the house?.
Another exemple of the coordination we try to build up in Barcelona is the INFO-USURPA (in english info-squat). A news page with almost all the social centres in Barcelona and the surrounding area, the days of the week and the activities in each squat social centre.
In the INFO-USURPA you have also national and international news related to resistance altrough the world.
It's one year since the INFO-USURPA is working and is renovated every week, with new news and new programmes and activities of the social centres.
In Barcelona you can find this news page in all the social centres and is also possible to take it from internet: web page http://personal.redestb.es/gurmanyach/usurpa.htm.
The CONTRA-INFOS is, as well, a news page where you can find news about topics such as ecology, direct actions, international solidarity, squatting, etc. Wep page http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/1053/col.html
All this kind of organizative net we have, but, can not make you think that the squat movement is so strong or untouchable. As you read before, squatting is illegal in Spain, and quite weak in the majority of the towns in Spain, except Barcelona or Madrid, and for sure in the point of view of politicians (as in the rest of Europe), because of the European Community political (read police) lines.