'Five-star' squatters take over historic building near to Buckingham Palace
FIVE-star squatters have taken over a historic building once used by the Institute of Directors.
A group calling themselves the Autonomous Nation of Anarchist Libertarians have occupied the palatial six-storey office block since last Friday.
The drop-outs have dawbed offensive slogans across walls, ripped plaques from the walls and hung anti-capitalist banners and posters across its frontage.
The 133-year-old building, 123 Pall Mall, sits just yards from Trafalgar Square and is a minute’s walk from Buckingham Palace.
It was used as an administrative block by the IoD until last summer when it gave up the lease.
The IoD still has its headquarters two doors away.
Estate agents Cluttons, which is marketing the multi-million pound building for its owners, said it was unable to comment on the matter.
Today, there was a rag-tag bunch of about 50 anarchists hosting workshops, film screenings and a soup kitchen for the homeless in the “radical space.”
One 28-year-old, named only as Dominic, said: “We call ourselves Borgeouis Squatters.
“The main point for us all is that there are million, even billion, pound properties standing empty.
"It is disgusting that these buildings are left empty when there is a housing crisis going on in London.”
Despite clear signs of graffiti and damage to the interior the man, who has served a prison sentence for assaulting a policeman, insisted the group “respected” the building.
The plush building was refurbished for the IoD and officially reopened in 2001 by the then Prime Minister Tony Blair.
A description of it on Cluttons’ website states: “The property was substantially modernised and upgraded in 1989 together with a newly reconstructed rear section which is open plan.
“Various features of the original front section of the building were retained although the majority of this accommodation is in open plan allowing for full flexibility of occupation.”
The main point for us all is that there are million, even billion, pound properties standing empty
In an official statement about taking over the building, the anarchist group said: “The Institute, now a few buildings down the road, functions as a lobby group for business leaders and CEO’s who wish to exercise influence in all areas of social and economic policy.”
“The building has been renamed the Institute of Dissidents.
"Dissidents are squatters, rioters, grass-roots journalists, community activists.
"In our age of mass exploitation and state violence, dissidents are those who resist the hierarchy summarised so crudely by this building’s previous owners.”
The Metropolitan Police today said it had not been alerted to the problem by the property owners.
As it was not a residential building, officers have no authority to step in unless there had been a breach of the peace or other crime committed.
