The building now known as Avtonomna Cona Molotov (AC Molotov) was squatted in December 2001. The collective that lives in and co-created AC Molotov in Ljubljana had been formed three years ago, when our first squatting action took place, in an old and deserted factory - the old Cukrarna. The house “On the Tracks”, as we called Molotov at the beginning, was squatted because we lacked a place for hanging out , creating and living. The place was abandoned for the last fifteen years with temporary visits of junkies and homeless.

At the time of our occupation a part of the house was still used by Railway Museum and we had reached an oral agreement with the manager of the building (from Slovenian Railways) about certain things. He showed us the water valve, we even had a common key of the front door. Slovenian Railways denounce this as lies and deny any knowledge about any contacts or agreements.

Since it had been squatted AC Molotov has been offering conditions and place for various activities and groups. It offered a rehearsal place for musical bands that otherwise have big problem to find it. Food, Not Bombs collective is preparing the weekly project of free vegetarian warm meal for the needy in Ljubljana. An autonomous area has been used by many associations and individuals for various projects. We have put together a small library, concert hall, rehearsal room, computer room, kitchen, living room, personal rooms with the furniture and workrooms. Concerts were nonprofit and therefore easily accessible to everybody interested in culture. We have organized also several solidarity happenings to raise money for legal help, reconstruction and material.

It has been the only place in Ljubljana besides Metelkova Mesto (another autonomous cultural center) that has offered conditions for organizing workshops and activities on nonprofit basis. Juggling, photography and painting among others. Our purpose is not only to create an alternative but also to live it. Following this idea, Molotov has become a home for 15 people and is based on communal principles. We try to live by anarchistic principles, where everybody has a responsibility towards him/herself and to the environment around. We are not organized hierarchically which means that everybody takes responsibility for his/her own actions and tries to bring the most to the community. We needed long, 3 years, to come to the present stage - it is hard to break away from ties of the type of conformity capitalism is imposing on the society. Doing this we have made a case for our personal revolution and proved that a free society can live freed of coercion and formal authority.

Fundamental human rights law in Slovenia defends squatters, the property rights law. There it is stated that an occupant gets a possessing right over a building after he had been for more than 48 hours in a deserted building.

This in practice means that the owner can evict occupants only through the court ruling. In the case of AC Molotov Slovenian Railways, the owner of the building, had tried to conceal the fact that people have lived in the house for six months already. It they would prove their case they could throw us out themselves, but now they have to do it through the court. That was our first victory. Possession rights law is being ignored quite often in Slovenia, it is a common misperception that it does not really exist here. Also the police says when it comes to us: "You are illegally here, we also." The police cannot enter a building without a court warrant (except in extreme and very specific situations). The police of course tend to ignore this fact. Often they don't even identify themselves if they are asked to give their names, which they have to do by the law.

POLICE RAID, 7.7.02

It was 23:30, a quiet Sunday night when a police squad broke in AC Molotov.

We were around fifteen people in the squat at the time, sitting in the living room and watching television. Then our dogs became alarmed and the police ( there were more than 30 involved in the raid and accompanied by several police dogs) invaded the room. They started to yell and forced us to leave the room. They lined us up at the wall (face to the wall, widened legs and arms) and started investigation of us and of the rooms as well. Doing this they were yelling and insulting us, we had to lock our dogs in the living room.

During the whole procedure no police officer ever said neither the reason why they are here nor the police station they come from. I (resident of Molotov) fooled the police that I have my documents in the room, so I managed to go to "pick them up" and called for help. After ten minutes the surroundings of Molotov has been crowded with people also the media, that came on our help. At the very moment, when a first video-camera entered the house, a police investigation stopped and they moved out of the building to the backyard. During this time media were prevented to enter the house, which is a violation of the law.

After two hours the police went away. Throughout these two hours they haven't given us any information. We noticed that there is one plain clothes man with them, that tried hard to hide his face from our view. Later we found him at the gas station near by - he was a homeless that had already been in Molotov before and the police forced him to go with them, they even chained him. The next day the police issued a report that they had found 3 plants of [supposed] marijuana and that they will start a procedure against the unknown suspect. After we have provided a lot of information concerning the issue, the story quiettened down and the police did not react on the violations that have been committed by G7 guard after 11th July. They washed their hands and ignored our calls.

How come that the story suddenly got quietened down? Maybe because of the illegal treatment of the homeless? How come that we have not received any record about supposedly confiscated plants? Why has the police chose exactly Sunday night, when it is the most calm time of the week? How come that the police did not want to identify themselves and refused to give us any reason of their presence? How come that they have stopped the procedure when the media showed up?

Judgment Day 11.7.02

As soon as we had gotten the first information about the supposed demolition of the building that host AC Molotov, we tried to contact the owner - Slovenian Railway Company (SZ). At first it's representatives ignored us. All the information we gained for ourselves through various channels and after the rumors started to appear.

We had one conversation with the representative for public relations, Aleksander Salkic. We explained the situation to him and called for a dialogue before the demolition gets under way.

Without any preliminary warning or a note came 11. July. At 5:30 in the morning came private security company's guards and workers equipped with excavator. The guards woke up the residents and said that in two hours the house is to be torn down. Without any additional words and without any papers. We have managed to call many people and media to come to the spot immediately. Security guards had gotten an order to inform Slovenian Railway Company (SZ) when all the residents would live the building.

Fifteen people therefore persisted within the house. They could have left it but then they could not come back in anymore. Two weeks we have persisted in the house and on the courtyard, people have camped on the roof, there was a cultural program to support our cause every day (theater, concerts, fire performances, video and diaprojections), enormous number of people pressed on the Railways. The pressure, also from the media, heightened when SZ gave an order to forbid that any water or food enters the house from outside. Eventually a dialogue with SZ started, but never with those responsible for the whole course of the events, possibly because he(they) come(s) from the top circles of Slovenian government.

With a high rate of probability we state that Slovenian Railway Company received a suggestion for eviction because of our extensive political activity. Just recently we have cooperated in various political actions, including an anticapitalism Mayday events and an antiNATO campaign, that were quite noticeable in Slovenia. SZ were justifying their procedures on the day with an excuse that "they came to examine the building" and that they have hired the private security company (G7) in order to assure safety for the workers. Apparently in the past "unknown individuals" broke into the house and destroyed valuable exponates on several occasions.

COURT

Court trials began while both we and SZ issued charges on the court of law. First case we won as the court has ruled out that there has to be a court order for our eviction. These gives us time to prepare for it. SZ now try to wash their hands and blame the state because it does not have any laws about squatting. Even if there would be no possession rights law we refer to the declaration of human rights upon which every human being has a right live his life in dignity and cannot and must not be subjected to any form of torture. The police had not interfere either when a conflict between us and G7 security guards would have arisen. The police came only when it was called by the guard, rarely they responded to our calls.

SZ was granted the right to disconnect water and electricity supplies, which they have of course done. We have issued a complaint concerning this act that remains to be considered in the near future. Legal part of the story is taken care of by a lawyer from Legal Information Center (PIC). that is being paid by Peace Institute Ljubljana (Mirovni in{titut). So far the costs for the legal help have reached 200 thousand SIT ( 1350 euro) which are paid by Peace Institute Ljubljana (Mirovni in{titut).

Thus we all have decided to find a new solution as fast as possible and drop the charges once we leave Molotov. We are very curious and would really like to know who is behind this whole story and how it is allowed to take place in a "democratic" country though we are aware that the court is a part of the state also, therefore we can never win. All we can achieve is to throw away some money which we could spent in a more useful manner. We already know that there is something rotten in the holy net of the State, state owned companies, private security company, police etc etc.

NEW LOCATION

We need a new place for living and creating without a doubt. The City of Ljubljana has already offered a house to us, but we had to reject the offer, as it would be only a short term solution.

What we want is a place which is autonomous, that means that we shall not have any "umbrella" organization above our head or a sponsor of any kind. Furthermore we need a long-term solution for a period of at least a few years. The place has to be big enough to have a concert hall and other workrooms (dark room, computer room, library etc etc) If neither a City nor any other state's institution helps us, we shall do it ourselves.

I have already mention that Ljubljana desperately needs an open, autonomous place for creative young people to be able to active. At the moment around fifty associations of various kinds lost a possibility to work in AC Molotov, be it on regular or on only temporary basis. Among other things there is also a question of a living space for 15 inhabitants of the building.

What we want is that squatting is respected for positive attributes it has: all to often we see an abandoned and out of use building, all to big is the number of young people who spend their youth on the street and in the bars, all to many victims of alcohol and other dangerous drugs. The young have to have a place where they can be creative and freed from bureaucracy and financial burden. Well... not only the young while squatting is a principle of life rather than an adolescent whim. We tend to hope that the state will finally open it's longtime closed eyes so that we won't need to act on our own in order to get a new autonomous zone. But we will do it if there is no other way.

Unlike some others we do not fight for property but for the better world...a world of peace and justice.

– SQUATTING IS A RIGHT, NOT A PRIVILEGE! A C Molotov