A two day conference on squatting and occupation in Scotland brings to a close the end of the year long celebration of the 20th anniversary since the Govanhill Baths occupation.

By Jack Howse

Throughout 2021, Govanhill Baths Community Trust has been celebrating the 20th anniversary of its occupation. The Govanhill Baths occupation occurred after Glasgow City Council announced plans to close the Victorian bath house on Calder Street in 2001. The building was occupied from March until August when protestors were forcibly removed, marking the end of the longest occupation of a public building in British history. In 2005, the Govanhill Baths Community Trust was set up and brought the historic site back into public ownership.

To end their year of celebrations, the Trust curated a two-day conference on occupation in Scotland. The event saw a range of activists, performers and academics offer a range of perspectives on what it means to occupy and the political associations of claiming identity and space.

The first talk focused on the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders and saw a panel of academics and dockworkers discuss the 1971 Govan protest and their revolutionary form of protest. When the company entered liquidation after years of Tory deindustrialisation, rather than participating in traditional strikes and sit-ins, the shipbuilders instead organised a ‘work-in’. The workers showed that work did indeed exist and that unemployment was a political choice rather than a necessity. This was the first known work-in and has since been mirrored in many protests around the world. This insightful conversation on grassroots mobilisation set the tone for a day of lectures on similar themes.

A number of talks discussed historical occupations from across Scotland, from the Timex factory occupation in Dundee to the ongoing occupation of Faslane Naval Base in Argyll & Bute. However, nearly half the talks focussed on occupations within the Southside; a testament to the politically engaged communities in the area.

The talk took place at the Church of Scotland on Queen’s Drive | Photo by Jack Howse

The talks included a session with Helen Kyle, an original member of the Kinning Park Complex sit-in. This 55 day sit-in in 1996 saved the old primary school, transforming it into an artist-led community centre. There was also a session on Pollok Free State, a self-proclaimed nation in Pollok Park that sought to prevent the building of the M77 in the early 1990s. Activists constructed treehouses that crisscrossed the skyline of the western side of the park. The occupation, spearheaded by Colin MacLeod the ‘Birdman of Pollok’, lasted until 1995 and saw the establishment of the GalGael university and a Pollok Free State passport. A great documentary on the occupation can be found on BBC iPlayer.

Whilst both these occupations ended over 25 years ago, the change they brought can still be seen today. The Kinning Park Complex will reopen its doors after major refurbishment early next year. The GalGael Trust also still exists with its base now in Govan. They offer courses in traditional Celtic trades and crafts for marginalised communities. Colin MacLeod was quoted as saying he was not setting up a charity but “reconvening peoplehood”.

Govanhill Baths too will see its doors reopen next year as a wellness centre, giving the Govanhill community a local pool again for the first time in over 20 years.

An original banner from the Govanhill Baths occupation | Photo by Jack Howse

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These occupations have inspired recent occupations around Govanhill, from the Baile Hoose takeover of the Hamish Allen Centre in Tradeston to the new community-built skatepark that can be found under the Kingston Bridge. Govanhill, then, can be seen as a hub of community-led mobilisation. Danny from Kinning Park Complex said to the audience that occupations are always led by “communities of confidence” and that Govanhill was a politically confident community who believe they can make real change and keep public spaces in local hands.

As Fatima Uygun, the manager of the Govanhill Baths Community Trust said: “Participating in occupations will stay with you forever, especially when they get results”.