Evicted squatters call for housing rights

A dramatic stand-off between police and a group of squatters took place at the main campus of the University of Sydney on September 16. The squatters, who had been living at the abandoned St Michael’s College, staged a protest action during the eviction.

The group of about 15 had lived in the college for nearly two months. Many were members of an inner-Sydney squatting collective consisting of students, artists and activists. They wanted to point out the waste of empty accommodation and community spaces in the inner-city, despite the need for affordable housing and the lengthy time on public housing waiting lists.

The squatters started to create a community space. They had cleaned the building and made it habitable, restoring power and water and creating a small garden at the back of the building.

The college, which has been used in the past as a seminary and to house international students, is owned by the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney. It said the building had not been used since about 2003.

The land that the college rests on is owned by the university, which has apparently tried to buy the college for several years without success. With the eviction of the squatters, the building is empty again.

The day before the eviction, the group was discovered by campus security, who then notified the police and the Archdiocese authorities.

The group negotiated so that the squatters could have 24 hours to leave the building, as ordered by the Archdiocese authorities.

The next morning the squatters barricaded themselves in and emergency services were called to deal with the situation.

What resulted was the sectioning-off of a large part of the campus in the areas surrounding the Student Union Building and a section of City Road, which is on the other side of the college.

Bizarrely, the reason given for this by police was the notion that the squatters might blow-up the building or set fire to it.

In total, there were at least four Public Order and Riot Squad vehicles, two police emergency trucks, two ambulance emergency response teams, 20 to 30 riot police, and other assorted police and security personnel.



As the police stormed the building, seven of the squatters staged a protest action on the roof. They draped banners over the front that declared “housing is a right, not a privilege”, and “all power to the people”.

The seven were then removed from the roof by police, taken into custody and charged with criminal trespass.

One of about 100 supporters cheering the squatters from the roadside was arrested for “offensive language”. Another was arrested earlier in relation to the eviction.

A statement issued by Greens senator Lee Rhiannon condemned the police response, describing it as a “huge over-reaction”.

She said: “These people are legitimately highlighting the housing crisis faced by students and others on low incomes living in Sydney…

“This situation should be used as a catalyst for the government, university, Catholic Church and student body to urgently address how to ease the burden faced by students.”

One of the squatters commented that for the price of the efforts to evict them from the college the group could have stayed at the Hilton hotel in the Sydney CBD for the night.

Greens Sydney City Councillor Irene Doutney campaigns around issues relating to public housing availability in New South Wales. She said it was appalling that people were being evicted from university property when there are many vacant buildings and Housing NSW premises sitting vacant, and people have to squat, couch surf or be left homeless.

She said: “It’s shameful that rents are now so high only the rich can afford to live in Sydney while those on low incomes are priced out of the city and liveable space is wasted.”

The squatters and the two arrested supporters face court in October.