Blitz House ( no, Blitzhuset) is an

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not neces ...

communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

and

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

self-managed social centre in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

, Norway, founded in 1982. Having started as a squat, it is now legalized and based on

Pilestredet Pilestredet is a street in Oslo, Norway which begins in the Sentrum, Oslo, city center and runs through the boroughs of St. Hanshaugen and Frogner. The street was originally called Rakkerstrædet in reference to the city dump being located along ...

. The centre hosts activities such as political meetings, a feminist radio station ( radiOrakel), a vegan café and practice rooms for musicians.

The house

The Blitz House is a self-managed social centre in

, Norway. It started out as a

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 ...

building in Skippergata 6 in downtown Oslo in 1982 and has since been a centre of

and

activism. In 1982, Skippergata was evicted and the squatters moved into

30c in central Oslo, where an agreement was made with the city. They were allowed to rent the house for a symbolic rent, and in return they would maintain the building. In 2002, the city council, led by 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 ...

, put the Blitz house on sale. The activists responded with protests and battered the entrance of the

Oslo City Hall Oslo City Hall ( no, Oslo rådhus) is a municipal building in Oslo, the capital of Norway. It houses the city council, the city's administration and various other municipal organisations. The building as it stands today was constructed between ...

, and the sale was stopped. The

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

(KrF) criticised the group and attempted to stop the lease. Among the activities of the house are a feminist radio station ( radiOrakel), a vegan café, a concert hall, practice rooms for musicians and bookshop and

infoshop Infoshops are places in which people can access anarchist or autonomist ideas. They are often stand-alone projects, or can form part of a larger radical bookshop, archive, self-managed social centre or community centre. Typically, infoshops offer ...

. Alongside Hausmania in Oslo and UFFA in Trondheim, Blitz is a centre for anarchism in Norway.

Protests

During the 1980s, the people around Blitz were involved in many protests for example during the visits of the British prime minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. S ...

in 1986 and US Secretary of Defense

Caspar Weinberger Caspar Willard Weinberger (August 18, 1917 – March 28, 2006) was an American statesman and businessman. As a prominent Republican, he served in a variety of state and federal positions for three decades, including chairman of the Californ ...

in 1987. The demonstrations turned into street battles between Blitz sympathisers and the police. From the 1990s onwards, Blitz has often obstructed legal meetings of right-wing political parties such as the Progress Party, the minor Fatherland Party and the Democrats. The house was bombed by neo-Nazis in 1990 and 1994. Mayhem bassist

Varg Vikernes Louis Cachet (born Kristian Vikernes; 11 February 1973), better known as Varg Vikernes (), is a Norwegian writer and retired musician best known for his early black metal albums and later crimes. His first five records, issued under the name Bur ...

allegedly planned to blow up the Blitz House and had stockpiled 150 kg of explosives and 3,000 rounds of ammunition at the time of his arrest for the murder of bandmate

Euronymous Øystein Aarseth (; 22 March 1968 – 10 August 1993), better known by his stage name Euronymous, was a Norwegian musician and a founder of and central figure in the early Norwegian black metal scene. He was a co-founder and guitarist of the N ...

in 1993. Blitz openly supported and took part in the 2008–09 Oslo riots.

References

External links

Official site
{{Authority control 1980s in Oslo 1982 establishments in Norway 20th century in Oslo Anarchist communities Anarchism in Norway Autonomism Far-left politics Former squats Infoshops Politics of Norway Vegan restaurants Squatting in Norway

The house

Protests

See also

References

External links