A collectively run building providing space and resources for people and groups working on self-organised, non-hierarchical projects for radical social change. The resources of the building include meeting-space, library, shared offices, a roofgarden, banner and prop-making space and an action information area. If you’re interested in helping out with LARC, booking a meeting-space, or otherwise using the buildings resources, please contact us at the address above … (full text Homepage).
News; Events; Resources; Networks;
anti-roads movement; Reclaim the Streets; Carnival against Capitalism;
Address: 62 Fieldgate Street, Whitechapel, London E1 1ES, UK;
Contact online.
About: When did the project start and why?
LARC was conceived as an idea by a group of friends in early 1999. Most of us had a history of involvement in direct action from the anti-roads movement, through Reclaim the Streets, to the Carnival against Capitalism June 18th 1999 and we had come to feel that the one-off spectacular actions weren’t enough to build the ‘creative alternatives’ we often talked about in our agit-prop. Along side this we were increasingly fed-up with relying on meeting in, or being chucked out from, rooms in pubs or community centres and having our offices in someones spare room.
Many of us also had a history of squatting, both for social centres and to solve our own housing needs, and as the police repression following demonstrations escalated and squatting became increasingly difficult, we wanted to create a safe space and resource for London’s direct action groups.
Because of London’s size, we’ve always faced the problems of having a social movement that is very dispersed. Therefore we hoped that LARC could go beyond simply being a building with resources, to being a catalyst for the different direct action groups in London to meet face to face, to discuss ideas and strategies together and to build up new affinity networks. It was (and still is) our aim that LARC would contribute to strengthening Londons and UKs direct action networks.
As LARC is legally owned and seen as ‘respectable’ (or at least harder to evict), one aim is also that it will work as a gateway for people into direct action politics.
What has happened since the building was bought? … (full text).