Dozens protest in Brighton against squatting ban

11:10am Monday 2nd April 2012 in News

PROTEST: The demonstration travels through Brighton PROTEST: The demonstration travels through Brighton

Protesters took to the streets in opposition to legal changes that will outlaw squatting.

Dozens of protestors walked through Brighton from Victoria Gardens on Saturday in a protest launched by the Squatters Network of Brighton (SNOB).

The demonstration followed the House of Lords vote on a law to criminalise squatting in residential buildings. Hove MP Mike Weatherley has been campaigning for the change since his election in 2010.

A SNOB spokesman said: “The criminalisation of squatting in residential buildings represents a persecution of the homeless and vulnerably housed population of Britain.

“It creates a costly mess that will burden the taxpayer while exacerbating the problems of homelessness, overcrowding and worsen an already escalating housing crisis.

“Nearly 7,000 privately owned homes were reported as being empty for more than six months across Sussex recently.”

What do you think?

Comments(27)

Crystal Ball says...
11:28am Mon 2 Apr 12

So that's a protest against occupying a property that someone else owns and you have no real right, be that legal or moral, to be in there?

Show them some shampoo and soap to really give them something to protest about.

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jimbobmaginty says...
11:35am Mon 2 Apr 12

They are not persecuting the homeless, the homeless actually live on the streets, the word Squatters is used to identify scumbags who move into empty properties without permission and trash the place!

It will not burden the Tax payer. Unless you house them and give them benefits!

The majority of squatters are drug taking hippies that can’t be bothered to be part of normal society and when they can be bothered to go out they go and protest against animal cruelty and Arms factories

Let them live on the streets and see how long it will be until they pull their fingers out and join society!

It’s about time this law came into place. Who do these scumbags think they are? Anyone that supports them must have a screw loose! This even costs Landlords money to get them moved on so whoever supports them needs help! No one ever thinks of the cost to the home owner?


If you own a property and want it empty then it should be down to you! You should not have to worry about hippie scumbags legally moving in!

I am all for this law! Hurry up and pass it!

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jimbobmaginty says...
11:44am Mon 2 Apr 12

Crystal Ball wrote:
So that's a protest against occupying a property that someone else owns and you have no real right, be that legal or moral, to be in there? Show them some shampoo and soap to really give them something to protest about.
Yeah then they will probably protest against having to buy the soap and shampoo!

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Man With No Name says...
11:48am Mon 2 Apr 12

whats the difference between gypsies and squaters?

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Ballroom Blitz says...
11:52am Mon 2 Apr 12

This is the law that certain people on this board have said will never get passed.
Yes it will - and not before time, in my opinion.
Squatting is theft. Pure and simple.
and look at the photo. The caption says 'dozens'. There are barely two dozen, so you can see how much support they have.

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jimbobmaginty says...
11:55am Mon 2 Apr 12

Man With No Name wrote:
whats the difference between gypsies and squaters?
Although i don’t like gypsies neither at least they pay for their own home! The problem we have with gypsies is they park their caravans on illegal grounds! They don’t steal someone’s home!

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Old Ale Man says...
12:15pm Mon 2 Apr 12

Ballroom Blitz wrote:
This is the law that certain people on this board have said will never get passed. Yes it will - and not before time, in my opinion. Squatting is theft. Pure and simple. and look at the photo. The caption says 'dozens'. There are barely two dozen, so you can see how much support they have.
Totally agree BB squatting is theft, so how come Lord Bassam and all the other squatters have never been charged?
Now there's a thought???

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All 9 of me says...
12:33pm Mon 2 Apr 12

Man With No Name wrote:
whats the difference between gypsies and squaters?
squatters can spell squatters ?

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sdhgfhfuyt says...
12:40pm Mon 2 Apr 12

nothing wrong with Squatting if you're not hurting anyone or their property, but not sure whether all of the above are homeless, I'd probably say at least some have their old bedroom in leafy suburbian family homes available with no real need to squat other than partake in some bizarre smash the system one-upmanship

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onedaytheleftwillburn says...
1:31pm Mon 2 Apr 12

sdhgfhfuyt wrote:
nothing wrong with Squatting if you're not hurting anyone or their property, but not sure whether all of the above are homeless, I'd probably say at least some have their old bedroom in leafy suburbian family homes available with no real need to squat other than partake in some bizarre smash the system one-upmanship
So nothing wrong with squatting in somebody's private house which they have worked hard for. It amazes me how some people think that squatting is ok. Im guessing these idiots think its okay to steal as well. They can all have free accommodation in jail. Soap dodging scum.

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Para2805 says...
2:50pm Mon 2 Apr 12

So it should be criminalised! I'm sick of people having a free ride.

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ripmaxman says...
3:32pm Mon 2 Apr 12

I thing the word dozens used in the article should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Homeless people actually live on the streets, the word Squatters as far as I am concerned means lazy scumbags who move into empty properties without permission and trash the place leaving the owner with a large bill to clean and repair the damage caused.

Take a look at what Squatters have done to Medina house on Kings esplanade in Hove, it is a disgrace to our city.

The sooner the bill is passed the better!!!!!!!

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ripmaxman says...
3:36pm Mon 2 Apr 12

Ops sorry about the TYPO Should say: I think (not thing)the word dozens used in the article should be taken with a pinch of salt

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whereisthe...? says...
4:16pm Mon 2 Apr 12

u morons. its a legal right to squat - better than you rich toffs having empty second homes

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Joshiman says...
4:16pm Mon 2 Apr 12

Take a video.On long term sickness benefits perhaps?

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cookie_brighton says...
4:23pm Mon 2 Apr 12

About time.
Any other person entering a property ( entering only) would be arrested for tresspass and prosecuted as such.
What right have these people got to enter someones property without permission and say they are squatting.
IMO most squatters are visitors to Brighton......studen
ts.
Instead of spending their grant money on drink and drugs....find a place and pay rent....like most honest working people have to do.

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cookie_brighton says...
4:28pm Mon 2 Apr 12

whereisthe..........
....................
...at the moment it IS........read the story again...that is soon to END.
BTW im not a rich toff....I am working class and have had TO WORK bloody hard for what I have got.

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fedupwithgreens says...
6:24pm Mon 2 Apr 12

Good at long last the governments changing the law! Bit like me owning a car and leaving it parked up for Months,you dont have a right to occupy it ! Get off your lazy ****,shower and get a job you filthy scumbags!!! Live in the real world,not cloud cookoo land!!!

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fedupwithgreens says...
6:26pm Mon 2 Apr 12

onedaytheleftwillbur
n wrote:
sdhgfhfuyt wrote:
nothing wrong with Squatting if you're not hurting anyone or their property, but not sure whether all of the above are homeless, I'd probably say at least some have their old bedroom in leafy suburbian family homes available with no real need to squat other than partake in some bizarre smash the system one-upmanship
So nothing wrong with squatting in somebody's private house which they have worked hard for. It amazes me how some people think that squatting is ok. Im guessing these idiots think its okay to steal as well. They can all have free accommodation in jail. Soap dodging scum.
If squatings ok so must shoplifting,cos its not harming anyone? Right? ..... Wrong!!!!!

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onedaytheleftwillburn says...
7:33pm Mon 2 Apr 12

fedupwithgreens wrote:
onedaytheleftwillbur

n wrote:
sdhgfhfuyt wrote:
nothing wrong with Squatting if you're not hurting anyone or their property, but not sure whether all of the above are homeless, I'd probably say at least some have their old bedroom in leafy suburbian family homes available with no real need to squat other than partake in some bizarre smash the system one-upmanship
So nothing wrong with squatting in somebody's private house which they have worked hard for. It amazes me how some people think that squatting is ok. Im guessing these idiots think its okay to steal as well. They can all have free accommodation in jail. Soap dodging scum.
If squatings ok so must shoplifting,cos its not harming anyone? Right? ..... Wrong!!!!!
Eh?

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
8:04pm Mon 2 Apr 12

Goodness, they might be homeless but they aren't going short of food by the look of them.
Try spending your money on a flat instead of food fatty freeloaders.

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onedaytheleftwillburn says...
9:29pm Mon 2 Apr 12

whereisthe...? wrote:
u morons. its a legal right to squat - better than you rich toffs having empty second homes
soap dodging scum

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D360 says...
12:31pm Tue 3 Apr 12

To say that "dozens" took part is extremely generous. What was particularly satisfying to me was all the heckling from those people that contribute to society (ie everyone else).

I cannot wait for the day this law is passed, I only hope the courts will adequately sentence these wasters once there actions ate finally confirmed to be legally, not just ethically wrong.

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Dribblethwaite says...
10:28am Fri 6 Apr 12

gosh what a surprise, an argus story with loads of armchair critics spouting off biliously about something they fail to understand.

squatting clearly is not theft, squatting is using empty buildings which can be lived in or employed for better purpose than dereliction. just look around on this website for recent stories - a squatted shop selling fresh fruit and veg by donation in st. james street, a group of people living in an block of flats which tescos wants to leave empty so they can build another supermarket on london road.

emptiness should be criminalised, not squatting.

and i'd say there were more like a hundred people on that march.

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Robotkin says...
3:57pm Fri 6 Apr 12

Abandon all hope all ye who make it this far down the comments list.

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Sumzy of Brighton says...
11:43am Thu 12 Apr 12

Morning everyone. My best friend is a squatter as are many of my other friends. I've also been in many 'clean' squats myself, where people clean up after themselves and actually look after the place and each other. It's unfair that your all being so judgemental, it's just a lifestyle, they're not bad people and don't go out of their way to cause trouble or harm. I understand that some are bad, but you can't put them all down as all the same or scum. There are many beautiful buildings that are just left and no one does anything with them, if these people are homeless and they've got a chance of having some sort of roof over their heads of course they're going to squat.. if it's such a problem then don't leave building abandoned to get squatted!

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Sumzy of Brighton says...
11:56am Thu 12 Apr 12

whereisthe...? wrote:
u morons. its a legal right to squat - better than you rich toffs having empty second homes
spot on!

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