This article originally appeared on VICE GermanyThe kids who have been occupying Squat Bochum since the 19th of May seem to embody the most cliche characteristics attributed to their generation – starting with how they operate their squat. They have a Twitter account where they call for solidarity, equality and donations, mention a phone number for press inquiries in their Twitter bio and sell tote bags at the ground floor of their building.
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Squats in Germany are usually cleared within 24 hours, but Squat Bochum has been occupied for more than six weeks. What's more – Squat Bochum is in, well, Bochum. Bochum is number 16 on the list of largest cities in Germany, rent is at half of that in Berlin or a third of what you'd pay in Munich, and the last time a building in Bochum was squatted was 20 years ago. So why is this squat still standing, and why is it standing in Bochum?To find out more, I call the number in the Twitter bio, but the person on the other end isn't eager to give their name or talk on the phone. "You can come over to Bochum and introduce yourself personally," they offer.
So that's what I do – I pack a sleeping bag, take a train fro Berlin to Bochum and introduce myself at 131 Herner Straße. Of course, whether I can stay and write about the squat has to be put to a vote – the squatters have a meeting and collectively decide I'm allowed to stay. Starting the next morning, I can stay and do as I please in the squat for 24 hours, but I have to guarantee complete anonymity for everyone there. While the squatters already go by aliases, I have to call everyone I speak to by another made up name.I return the next morning, climb up a ladder and go in through a small window. The squatters won't tell me how they originally got into the building or how they got hold of the keys of the shop on the ground floor, but at least I'm inside.
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Simon is not very chatty, but quite insightful: "They never vacate squats during the day, we're more at risk between 3 and 6 in the morning." I assume that's some sort of psychological warfare on the part of the police, but Simon says it's more pragmatic than that. "Blocking off the street at this time of day? That would create too much chaos. And honestly, I don't think the police even knows how to deal with the situation. "The squatters are all aware that what they're doing counts as trespassing, which could lead to a year in prison. But walking around in the squat, it's hard to feel worried about it – the squatters' biggest concern right now seems to be that the tobacco could run out at some point.
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He's happy something is finally happening with the building. He even cooked up a huge pot of pasta for the squatters – "But I hadn't known a lot of them were vegans." Other locals and supporters donated a fridge, a mobile cooker and a working dishwasher. Cars beep their horns while driving past. The driver of a dustcart waves his fist out the window. It seems that Germans generally appreciate a bit of anarchy – as long as they don't have to actually join in.Most of the squatters here are very young. There are kids with braces, some of them come only in the afternoons because they still go to school. I ask Ephraim if his parents know he's here. "I invited my mum to visit but she hasn't shown up – at least not yet," he says."I live on my own anyway, my mother isn't bothered," Flex says. None of the squatters are homeless, they all rent their own flats, live in a flat share or with their parents. I ask Flex what they hope to achieve by squatting this building, exactly. "We want to take back the building from the capitalist exploitation of the government and create a free space for the people of the city."Weasel's answer sounds a bit less rehearsed: "I used to just be a drunk punk, but I recently became more politicised. In my opinion, freedom is everything. If something isn't being used for such a long time, why can't we just take it and turn it into something good?"Three police cars drive past, but that doesn't seem to worry anyone. "Naw, there's a police station by the motorway exit," Weasel says.
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