The Really Free School was a collective

squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

a series of buildings in central London in 2011 to use as free schools. They organised lectures and workshops, stating "in this space, aside from the fact that you will not spend one penny inside these doors, you can also come and engage in a collective learning process directed by your own desires, ideas, questions and problems."

Bloomsbury

The first

squatted Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

free school was at 5

Bloomsbury Square Bloomsbury Square is a garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden, London. Developed in the late 17th century, it was initially known as Southampton Square and was one of the earliest London squares. By the early 19th century, Be ...

in central London, close to

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

and

Birkbeck College Birkbeck, University of London (formally Birkbeck College, University of London), is a public university, public research university, located in Bloomsbury, London, England, and a constituent college, member institution of the federal Universit ...

. Speakers included Paul Mason. The name "Really Free School" was intended to mock the contemporaneous interest from the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

(ruling the country in the

Cameron–Clegg coalition The Cameron–Clegg coalition was formed by David Cameron and Nick Clegg when Cameron was invited by Queen Elizabeth II to form a new administration, following the resignation of Prime Minister Gordon Brown on 11 May 2010, after the gene ...

) in free schools. The owner of the property, Peter Nahum, said that the squatters were "essentially nice, middle-class kids, who would go and wash at friends' flats nearby." He complained that it cost a lot of money to evict them and asked "Why have a free school in central London? Why not go to the poorer districts if you want to educate people?"

Fitzrovia

The second occupation was at 34–35

Fitzroy Square Fitzroy Square is a Georgian square in London. It is the only one in the central London area known as Fitzrovia. The square is one of the area's main features, this once led to the surrounding district to be known as Fitzroy Square or Fitzro ...

, two adjoining townhouses owned by film-maker

Guy Ritchie Guy Stuart Ritchie (born 10 September 1968) is an English film director, producer and screenwriter. His work includes British gangster films, and the ''Sherlock Holmes'' films starring Robert Downey Jr. Ritchie left school at age 15 and wor ...

which had previously been a language school. When Ritchie sued for possession, the group attended the court wearing

Vinnie Jones Vincent Peter Jones (born 5 January 1965) is a British actor, presenter, and former professional footballer. Jones played professionally as a defensive midfielder from 1984 to 1999, notably for Wimbledon, Leeds United, Sheffield United, Chelse ...

masks (since Jones has appeared in several of Ritchie's films, including

Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ''Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'' is a 1998 British black comedy crime film written and directed by Guy Ritchie, produced by Matthew Vaughn and starring an ensemble cast featuring Jason Flemyng, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Steven Mackinto ...

). District Judge Marc Dight was unimpressed by the squatters' defence, which was presented by a law student. He ordered the squatters to leave by the evening, so they organised a peaceful leaving party which spilled over into Fitzroy Square. The

Fitzrovia News The ''Fitzrovia News'' is a free community newspaper produced by volunteers living and working in Fitzrovia, London, United Kingdom. It is an example of what has been called hyperlocal media or community journalism. It is notable because it is "on ...

praised the squatters for making a stand against austerity cuts to education facilities.

Later occupations

The group then occupied two pubs, firstly The Black Horse at 6

Rathbone Place Rathbone Place is a street in central London that runs roughly north-west from Oxford Street to Percy Street. it is joined on its eastern side by Percy Mews, Gresse Street, and Evelyn Yard. The street is mainly occupied by retail and office pre ...

and then The Hand & Racquet at 48 Whitcomb Street. The Black Horse was in

Fitzrovia Fitzrovia () is a district of central London, England, near the West End. The eastern part of area is in the London Borough of Camden, and the western in the City of Westminster. It has its roots in the Manor of Tottenham Court, and was urban ...

and received support from the Fitzrovia Neighbourhood Association when bailiffs attempted an illegal eviction. The Hand and Racquet was in central London, next to

Leicester Square Leicester Square ( ) is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. It was laid out in 1670 as Leicester Fields, which was named after the recently built Leicester House, itself named after Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester ...

and behind the

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current Director o ...

. The

Daily Telegraph Daily or The Daily may refer to: Journalism * Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks * ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times'' * ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...

wrote that "A ragtag bunch of up to 40 activists and undergraduates has exploited legal loopholes to live for free in a string of historic buildings in London. Dressed in scavenged clothes and ripped vintage tweed jackets, the squatters have struck four times in the past six weeks."

References

{{Authority control Squatters' movements Squats in the United Kingdom Defunct organisations based in London 2011 in London 2011 disestablishments in England Evicted squats Anarchism in England Anarchist collectives Social centres in the United Kingdom 2011 establishments in England Infoshops

Bloomsbury

Fitzrovia

Later occupations

See also

References