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NPR did and interesting story on a Woman who is a British Squatter . It seems they don't have trespassing laws like we do. It isn't illegal to occupy an "abandoned" building. The owner has to evict you. The woman in the story apparently is doing better financially but prefers her status as a squatter.
Builders had been working at the property until October and Mr Mosedale, 45, last went to the house on 17 December. The house was also fitted with burglar alarms and locks. The Mosedales were in Essex on Boxing Day when a friend called and said he had seen people going into the house. Mr Mosedale said the squatters moved in on Boxing Day
On 3 January Mr Mosedale found the locks had been changed. He said he was discouraged by the initial police response as they treated it "as a civil matter". "We were warned not to approach or gain access to our property and risk immediate arrest."
I wondered whether the builders had any immigrants (legal or illegal) from Romania on their crew, who were aware the home was vacant?
What I found very upsetting was that the police would threaten the true homeowners with 'immediate arrest' if they were to approach THEIR OWN HOME!
With the building works nearly over, Julian and Samantha Mosedale and their three children were looking forward to moving back into the home of their dreams.
But their hopes have turned into a nightmare because a group of Romanians occupied the property over Christmas.
To add insult to injury, police told them that they were being 'racist' for questioning the squatters' right to live in Britain on benefits.
With the building works nearly over, Julian and Samantha Mosedale and their three children were looking forward to moving back into the home of their dreams.
But their hopes have turned into a nightmare because a group of Romanians occupied the property over Christmas.
To add insult to injury, police told them that they were being 'racist' for questioning the squatters' right to live in Britain on benefits.
Great Britain is hopelessly screwed-up with it's political correctness and blind favoratism of immigrants over citizens...
They've allowed their rights to be trampled by their politicians - and they now have to fight to regain them...
I've always felt that Great Britain was a shadow of it's former self - that it lacked the will and courage to be a strong democracy any longer... and this article is just further proof that they are on the border of going under...
They allowed this mess to develop - now they can correct it on their own - or suffer the consequences.
NPR did and interesting story on a Woman who is a British Squatter . It seems they don't have trespassing laws like we do. It isn't illegal to occupy an "abandoned" building. The owner has to evict you. The woman in the story apparently is doing better financially but prefers her status as a squatter.
It is a bit more complicated than that. I so personally think that they go a bit too far but it has more to do with their history than anything because traditionally they have had buildings set up specifically for squatters. I know confusing but I am not going to go into it, look it up. Basically it is NOT legal for squatters to break into a place. They are not allowed to break windows, beat down doors, etc. They don't have a legal right to do whatever they want. That is a clear cut case of trespassing BUT it also is not a criminal matter. As in, if there is no clear cut case of breaking and entering then it goes through the courts vs the police. That doesn't mean they condone squatters it just means they have made it a civil vs a criminal matter. Again, that doesn't mean that squatters have rights to do whatever they want. It is very hard for Americans to understand different laws and cultures in other countries, that is part of the problem. Americans can only see in terms of the US culture and law, they see things as black and white, right and wrong instead of just DIFFERENT. I am American myself and perhaps because I have English parents and have traveled extensively I can just see how things are different, not better not worse. I don't know but I just get highly irritated that when people don't agree with something, particularly people that are politically far right (note I did not say conservative, there is a big difference IMO), it is because they are too liberal, or too PC, or whatever.
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