[artinfo] Art Center Sredisce - After the Storm

[birgit at eipcp.net]

Art Center Sredisce - After the Storm

Request for Help


On November 11th 2006 at 10 am, after a long-lasting siege (access to our
own bank account and telephone denied, contracts deliberately 
unsigned and bills
unpaid, etc.) the active members of Art Center Sredisce were met by a court
messenger and his companions: eleven policemen, a locksmith, Sintal security
service, a property register, a veterinary and two witnesses (residents of
village Sredisce). They court order they brought stated that Art Center
Sredisce can be evicted by any means necessary and without prior notice. We
were forced to take our personal belongings and clear the rooms in Art Center.
Our dog was taken away. The only inhabitants left are our six cats. Since 2 pm,
the property of Art Center Sredisce is abandoned after six years of on-going
projects and activities.

The eviction was well prepared. Two days ago we were visited by a local police
representative who came to see how many people were currently staying here and
how many of us were foreigners. A week before that, we lost our internet
connection since our phone line has been permanently disconnected by our
newly-installed director, Ms. Pika Petra Pevec. All means of communication with
the rest of the world were intentionally disabled. Art Center Sredisce is
located between two small villages in the far North-East of Slovenia by the
Hungarian border - away from (almost) all eyes...

The initiator of our eviction is the Community of Moravske Toplice and its
mayor, Mr. Franc Cipot. Even though the Community of Moravske Toplice is one of
the founders of Art Center, Mr. Franc Cipot was eager to tell Radio 
Val 202 that
the Community has invested nothing in the development of Art Center since 2000.
In spite of this, he takes the privileged of illegally overtaking the 
Art Center
and appropriating everything we created with countless hours of voluntary work.
He takes this privileged as granted in spite of the fact that the active
members of Art Center and other members of Association Onej represent the
founding majority with 66% ownership. In spite of the fact that we have
successfully ran the Art Center as a residential centre for six years and also
initiated the projects listed below; without any assistance from the
Community of Morose Teplice:
1) Youth Center (financed by Republic of Slovenia's Office for Youth)
2) Multimedia Center (financed by Ministry of Culture and European Foundation
for Regional Development)
3) European Voluntary Service (EU programme Youth)
4) other EU projects (DG Enlargement in ECF, financed by European Cultural
Foundation)

All these contracts were signed by Art Center Sredisce; the same Art
Center that successfully evicted its own place on November 11th 2006 to
;protect its property. The new leadership of Art Center
deliberately obstructs the functioning of its own space and thus works against
itself; not to mention that only one of the mentioned projects is worth
more than 7 million tolars (30.000 Euros). They have evicted its own people;
those people who have been taking care of Art Center's development and
artistic production since 2000.

The active members of Art Center Sredisce demand the following answers fro

This is a request for help. Please support Art Center Sredisce, that is, its
evicted active members! Spread the word and help us with other possible
actions.

We suggest that you present your own points of view and statements. Share them
with the active members of Art Center. It would be helpful if you also write
which organisation or group you are part of and explain what kind of activities
you do. Please, also explain your reasons for opposing the eviction of Art
Center's residents.

We support the work of non-governmental organisations and individuals who work
in the non-governmental sector. We support all people who recognise the value
of voluntary work, who oppose the capitalist logic in any way possible, who
oppose the rigidness of political systems and micro-nationalisms. We will
continue to fight for free spaces, the right to artistic expression with a
responsible social attitude.

Thank you for your support in advance!

Signed,
the active members of Art Center Sredisce and Association Onej.

*
Art Center Sredisce is under attack. They need support. Please 
circulate this information.
We ask you to send your e-mail complaints to the mayor
of Community Moravske Toplice, the Minister of Culture and to the 
Prime minister.**
* *
*Major of Community Moravske Toplice Mr. Franc Cipot*: 
obcina at moravske-toplice.si <mailto:obcina at moravske-toplice.si>,
*Minister of Culture:* vasko.simoniti at gov.si <mailto:vasko.simoniti at gov.si>
*Prime minister:* Janez.Jansa at gov.si <mailto:Janez.Jansa at gov.si>