Blitz (movement)

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The Blitz House, Oslo.
The Blitz House, Oslo.

Blitz is an anarchist, communist and socialist youth community in Oslo, Norway, founded in 1982.[1] The group has often been criticized for their use of violent methods of political protest.[2]

During the 1980s the people around Blitz were involved in many violent demonstrations, e.g. during the visits of the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 1986 and US Secretary of State Caspar Weinberger in 1987.[3] The demonstrations turned into street battles between Blitz sympathisers and the police. During the 1990s Blitz often obstructed legal meetings of right-wing political parties such as the Progress Party, the minor Patriotic Party and Demokratene.[3]

[edit] The house

The Blitz House (Norwegian: Blitzhuset) is an autonomous house in the centre of Oslo, Norway. It started out as a squatted building in Skippergata 6 in downtown Oslo in the 1981 and has since been a centre of socialist, communist and anarchist activism.[4]

In 1982 the movement were kicked out of Skippergata and moved in to Pilestredet 30C, where an agreement was made between the city and the squatters. They were allowed to rent the house for a symbolic rent, and in return they would maintain the building. In 2002 the city council, then led by the Conservative Party, put the Blitz house on sale. The activists responded with a massive action and, among other things, battered the entrance part of the Oslo City Hall, and the sale was stopped.[5]

Among the activities of the house are a bookshop with political literature, the Anti Fascist Action (AFA) network, a group supporting Mumia Abu-Jamal, a feminist group, a Children's Power group, a non-profit printing office, a photo group and a feminist radio station, radiOrakel. Blitz also has a café specialised in vegan food. The practice rooms, sound studio and concert facilities are a centre for ska, hardcore and hip hop music. Multiple concerts are held within the house from time to time, and the price for entrance to these shows is NOK 50.[6]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Ralf Lofstad, Harald S. Klungetveit, Øistein Norum Monsen (2007-04-27). Politiet stormet Blitz-huset. Dagbladet. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  2. ^ Eiliv Frich Flydal (2007-04-27). -Ser ikke forskjell på Blitz og nynazister. Dagbladet. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  3. ^ a b Per Aage Pleym Christensen (2004-11-14). Ensidig om Blitz. Liberalen. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  4. ^ Historien om Blitz. Blitz. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  5. ^ Lang strid: Blitz år for år. Aftenposten (2007-03-07). Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  6. ^ Blitz (home page). Blitz. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.