Au (building)
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Au is the name of a building that has been squatted since 1983 in Rödelheim in Frankfurt, Germany. It bills itself as a 'self-organised cultural Centre and living project' (
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
: Selbstverwaltetes Kulturelles Zentrum und Wohnprojekt). Au was home to the Au Squat Festival on June 3, 2006, featuring many punk rock bands such as The Restarts. The 2007 festival was on June 9 with bands such as
Sensa Yuma ''Sensa'' is a Latin word that means "thought" or "teachings". Sensa may also refer to: * Sensa (diet), a diet aid created by neurologist Alan Hirsch * ''The Story of Sensa'', a work by Mabel Collins Mabel Collins (9 September 1851 – 31 Ma ...
and the 2008 festival took place on June 7 with headliners Life... But How to Live It?. Any profits went to human rights organizations and were also given to antifascist networks and other autonomous centres. Beside the open air festival there are many other concerts and cultural or political events during the year.


History

The Au was occupied on June 4, 1983. The Frankfurt municipality bought the building from the Deutschen Bibliothek for 4.3 million Marks in 1988.


Eviction threat

In the aftermath of the protests at the 2017 G20 summit in Hamburg, local politicians made statements about the Au. The FDP and
Alternative for Germany Alternative for Germany (german: link=no, Alternative für Deutschland, AfD; ) is a right-wing populist * * * * * * * political party in Germany. AfD is known for its opposition to the European Union, as well as immigration to Germany. I ...
(AfD) all demanded that the centre was evicted. The CDU suggested the Au paid rent. In response, the
Greens Greens may refer to: *Leaf vegetables such as collard greens, mustard greens, spring greens, winter greens, spinach, etc. Politics Supranational * Green politics * Green party, political parties adhering to Green politics * Global Greens * Europ ...
and the
SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...
cautioned against hasty actions.


Arson attacks

In late 2018, there was a spate of arson attacks against left-wing projects in the Rhine-Main region. The Au was attacked twice in November with fires started in the garden. Both times the residents were able to extinguish the flames. Nobody was apprehended. In a joint statement, representatives of Au and other autonomous spaces viewed the attacks as politically motivated and blamed the “dangerous sentiment against left projects” created by the previous statements of political parties.


References


External links


Au
{{coord, 50, 7, 17.98, N, 8, 35, 58.57, E, type:landmark_region:DE, display=title Buildings and structures in Frankfurt Squats in Germany