The activist occupiers are determined to keep possession of ‘Baile Hoose’ in Tradeston for the duration of COP26 and hope to be able to provide free accommodation to anyone wishing to attend the summit.

By Sam Doak

The Hamish Allan Centre closed permanently at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over a year and a half later, the L-shaped collection of buildings in Tradeston are once again in use. Hastily abandoned rooms have been cleared and new bedding brought in.

A small crowd comprised mostly of locals and a number of police officers assembled outside the complex on Wednesday afternoon. Those inside had sealed both entrances with bike locks in an attempt to prevent their removal from the premises. When the police left at 4pm, those remaining celebrated by playing the Italian resistance anthem Bella Ciao as an individual emerged from an upper window waving a black and red flag.

Activists, frustrated by accessibility issues stemming from a lack of accommodation available in Glasgow, have occupied the compound.

Dubbed The Baile Hoose, this is a grassroots effort to provide accommodation to those wishing to attend COP26. Activists, frustrated by accessibility issues stemming from a lack of accommodation available in Glasgow, have occupied the compound and pledged to make it available to anyone in need of somewhere to stay for the duration of the summit.

“It's shocking and shameful that there are literally thousands of people here who can’t get accommodation.”

Greater Govanhill visited the occupation and spoke to some of those involved in repurposing the vacant property. One activist who wished not to be named made it clear that it was not the work of one organisation, stating:

“We’re a group of people that just care about what's happening in the world – not just the climate crisis and biodiversity loss but also all the social pressures that we are facing such as the lack of housing and the austerity measures that are literally killing people.

“It's shocking and shameful that there are literally thousands of people here who can’t get accommodation. Not just protestors but delegates from around the world.

“We just wanted to provide a space for rest and recuperation and for people to feel welcomed in Scotland.”

Another expressed their frustration at those who have profited by taking advantage of the high demand for accommodation that Glasgow has experienced in the lead-up to COP26. The individual, who also wished to remain anonymous, argued that those present were motivated by the desire to provide a free accessible space, saying :

“You can’t profit from activism. That's why we’re autonomous. All these people have come here out of goodwill and wanting to do something. None of us are profiting from this, the whole aim of this is to provide the space and an education as well, not just in terms of climate but also social issues.”

They went on to outline what they hoped to achieve in the space, should they manage to hold onto it for the duration of the conference, stating they had been inspired by the temporary autonomous art fair in London:

“It's a squatted building where anyone can rock up and install a bit of art. I thought we could probably do a similar thing here. Not with artwork but with talks and workshops. And if people walk past it and want to contribute to it, they should be able to do that.”

Since announcing their presence, the occupiers at the Baile Hoose have received support from a number of local figures and organisers in the climate movement. Glasgow’s Depute Lord Provost, Councillor Christy Mearns, responded to the announcement of the occupation by tweeting:

“I’m inspired by & support the grassroots-led effort to accommodate visitors to our city, including indigenous people who don’t have anywhere to stay during #COP26. The council should have done more to address this as their voices on the climate crisis are so critical.”

This sentiment was shared by MSP for Glasgow region Paul Sweeney, who wrote: “This is excellent. Just a pity the city authorities didn't make the provision in the first place when it became clear there was an accommodation crisis.”

It is currently unclear whether activists at the Baile Hoose will be able to maintain their presence at the site for the duration of COP26. On Thursday morning, police returned and began preventing the free movement of people in and out of the premises. Those inside have responded by asking those in the area to make their way to the occupation in a show of support.