The first year of Anti-Mipimism
From 10 to 13 March 2015 the annual MIPIM is taking place in Cannes. Twelve months ago housing rights groups for the first time raised their voice to protest against this international real estate fair. “25 years of Mipimism is enough” they stated.
Half a year later people in London took the slogan and delayed the opening of the MIPIM UK. Then some transnational actions against the sell-out of housing to mutinational funds followed. "This year we will leave the Mipimists alone with their oysters, champagne, yachts and security guards in Cannes", activists from the network stated. "This is the exclusive world they are creating for themselves, but they should not get too comfortable in their pop-up gated community. Our struggle is everywhere, and it is becoming more and more connected." In the next days we'll try to give examples how.
Here we start:
MIPIM 2015: Concentration in the German financialized housing sector
While inhabitants in Spain are facing a new wave of mortgage sales to private equity funds like Blackstone, a current main trend in the German residential property sector is the concentration of housing capital in a few listed joint stock companies. Most of them – and also their big shareholders -are present at MIPIM 2015, looking for more investors or foropportunities to buy up more assets.
The first year of anti-Mipimism in London
London since many years is facing unprecedented levels of housing marketisation and commodification. No wonder that local activists took the slogan against the MIPIM 2015 in Cannes when the business planned a Mipim UK in last October. Here, broad and loud protests really had some effect and disturbed the opening of the official fair. An improvised alternative conference in a squat was totally overcrowded with people interested in the analysis of financialisation, international linkages and new ways to organize for better housing. But these events of course were only a moment in the developemnt of local struggles.
http://www.reclaiming-spaces.org/2015/03/the-first-year-of-anti-mipimism-in-london/