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The Atlantic Selects

When Squatting Becomes a Form of Protest

Nov 18, 2015 | 831 videos

Video by Matt Hopkins

Pete Bearder is a London-based artist who squats in empty commercial properties throughout the UK. He sees it as making use of empty buildings, a do-it-yourself solution to homelessness, and a way of reclaiming space. "Public space is being taken away from us," he says in this short film by Matt Hopkins. "That's one of the reasons why I think squatting is a powerful thing for civil society."

Hopkins has created an entire series of stories like these called England Your England, and his feature-length documentary, A Divorce Before Marriage, will be released in 2016.

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