Very early this morning, police and bailiffs acting on behalf of Greater Manchester Pension Fund evicted around thirty young homeless people from its Old Colony House property, which was formerly the Pizza Express restaurant off King Street in Manchester.
The homeless people had taken refuge in the building to get off the winter streets just over a month ago and had staved off eviction as appeals were lodged with the courts (see here).
Yesterday, a delegation from the squat visited the offices of the Pension Fund asking to be allowed to stay in the building until the New Year. Today's eviction was the result.
"What makes this such a scandal is that the people that instigated the legal action also happen to be Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, while the building is owned by the Pension Fund for Greater Manchester" stated Manchester Activist Network on behalf of the homeless people
"Costing £11million, the building represents less than 1 per cent of the overall value of the Fund" the group added "We asked for a delay on any action until the New Year. They refused. Instead, using public funds, nine days before Christmas, a public body forcefully evicted a large number of people without any real offer of suitable alternative accommodation or support.
"Why?" the Network asked "Because they 'own' it. Because it is the 'law'. Because they can. Because the police force are more than happy to support the enforcement of morally reprehensible actions. When the law is wrong, we have to break it. When we find ourselves at the mercy of the state and the capitalists, we have only action and solidarity."
When the Salford Star visited the squat last month, Chris Blaine, from Salford had slated the intended actions of the Pension Fund, which is ultimately controlled by every Greater Manchester council, including Salford, as it holds public sector workers' pension monies.
"It's just another example of the two facedness of the councils that we elect to represent us as citizens" he said "These people are making us homeless. The Pension Fund owns an empty building that's not being used but is very useable for us."
Chris had, a few months ago, been imprisoned for his rooftop protest about homelessness following the Co-op eviction at Ducie Bridge pub (see here). Today he was re-arrested on a `prison recall' and might be spending Christmas in jail as a political prisoner...
For a background on the Pizza Express squat see previous Salford Star article – click here
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