Interview with Es.Col.A da Fontinha

Es.Col.A da Fontinha is a project in Porto, a city in northern Portugal, where activists occupied a school originally abandoned by city authorities in 2006. Regular OT contributor David Ferreira spoke with activist Violeta about an occupation that preceded Europe’s Indignados and North America’s Occupy movement.

Occupied Times: For starters, recap for readers how Es.Col.A got started?

Es.Col.A: It was a Sunday afternoon, April 10th, 2011. Some of the activists lived near the school so occupation seemed to be the logical way to give the place back to the neighbourhood. The occupiers invited the community to participate in the communal dinners and activities, for them to be present at the assembly in order to discuss the best way to develop the project.

OT: What did the Es.Col.A hope to achieve by occupying the school?

Es.Col.A: The main goal was to create a place that was truly communal, open to everyone and where anyone can enhance cultural activities; a place that is organized horizontally, commerce-free, where decisions are defined by consensus; a place where the neighbourhood feels that they are part of the project. Since the beginning, the idea was to create a space with the neighbourhood and for the neighborhood. This way, we understand their needs, their desires and work in an integrative way. The group also wanted to demonstrate that neglected public buildings should be used by communities and neighbourhoods to develop alternatives that operate in a different organisational structure.

OT: With public building closures being normalised across Portugal because of austerity, what was the initial reaction from city authorities to the start of the Es.Col.A project?

Es.Col.A: The reaction was an eviction that came one month after the start of the occupation. During the first month of activities at the school, no dialogue was established between the city council and members of Es.Col.A, so it seemed that they were not pleased with the project. The city council didn’t send any warning to Es.Col.A before the first eviction. In fact, the eviction was the first contact between the activists and the city council members.

The eviction took place early in the morning with several police officers forcing the eight activists who remained in the building – there had been information that the police would come on that day – to move out. The activists retreated to the roof and tried to peacefully resist the eviction there. Two activists were assaulted and the others were identified before being released.

After the eviction, more people came to support the project, including residents from the neighbourhood. The strong public opinion was crucial in allowing the project to retake the building two to three months later.

OT: With the contest between the authorities and Es.Col.A making headlines in Portuguese news, have any other groups in Portugal followed this example and occupied abandoned buildings?

Es.Col.A: Our project has inspired other occupations in Portugal. Some examples are the communal park “Jardins de Abril” in Coimbra and the reoccupation of “São Lázaro 94” house in Lisbon. The São Lázaro 94 house is in the city centre and was first occupied after a general strike, but it didn’t remain occupied for long. However, on April 25th, the collective decided to re-occupy the place in solidarity with Es.Col.A since the city council left the house abandoned after the eviction. The place has now been restored and some activities have resumed.

OT: This past April the city council again took on Es.Col.A after months of occupation and communal activities. How did this second confrontation with the authorities unfold?

Es.Col.A: For the recent eviction, we had prior notification from the city council. The first notification came up in February and was a letter sent to two members of the project. After that, there was a meeting between two Es.Col.A representatives and the city council. The city council said that Es.Col.A had to leave the building but that they would send us a “contract”. The next day we received the contract which said we must leave the building in June with no possibility of further negotiation. It was an eviction contract! The council said that if we didn’t sign the contract, we would be evicted. We didn’t sign the contract.

After that, the community started to organise several forms of resistance like protecting the building and organised more actions to alert the public to the risk of eviction and to show the work that the project had accomplished. On the day of the eviction a huge number of police showed up: riot police, municipal police, undercover agents. Even the fire brigade were called but they thought they were there for a simulation, they didn’t know about the eviction. It was a flash police eviction. In about one hour they cleared the building. Three people were arrested, and this time the police were much more violent than during the last eviction.

OT: A large protest march on April 25th defied local authorities and recaptured the school in Fontinha. Having reversed police evictions two times, where does the movement go from here?

Es.Col.A: We now have several tasks at hand: (1.) The legal situation of our arrestees. (2.) A formal complaint to the city council. (3.) Explore the legal aspects that can support our work in the building and our right to be there. (4.) Re-organise activities, considering that we don’t have a roof. (5.) Try to find some place near the Fontinha neighborhood to develop activities and store equipment. (6.) Occupy more public buildings that are neglected.

OT: The Es.Col.A project has been going for over a year now, and it started before Puerta del Sol in Madrid was occupied and before tents were set up in lower Manhattan. From where did the movement find its inspiration and purpose?

Es.Col.A: Most of the people who had the idea to occupy the school had some relationships with movements in the UK, Germany and Poland. So it was something natural. I think the city was also a major catalyst. Porto has a huge number of neglected buildings, some public, others private. The city is getting older and losing residents. The particular neighborhood of Fontinha is inhabited by elderly people who don’t have a place gather and talk. So, the idea was to somehow make people feel like the city was their living room. People should be proactive in their cities. I think this was the point that inspired the movement: “Free spaces, create alternatives”.

Interview by David Ferreira (@FourYawkeyWay). Read David’s article on resistance on Portugal here.