Note from LeftEast editors: This article is published in a collaboration with Eastern-European leftist media platforms ELMO – East Left Media Outlet.
On Saturday, November 6 at 6 pm CET, the growing network of Eastern European leftist media platforms, ELMO – Eastern European Left Media Outlet, is inviting you to participate in a public online roundtable about the financialization of housing, the Berlin referendum vote to expropriate large-scale landlords, and housing activism in Eastern Europe.
The value of global real estate makes up nearly 60% of the value of all global assets, with residential real estate comprising 75% of the total. In a September referendum that was the result of years of organizing, Berlin residents overwhelmingly voted that the Senate should “introduce all measures necessary for the transfer of real estate and land into common ownership, for the purpose of socialization under Article 15 of the Common Law.” While the referendum is not legally binding, it is significant for working people in Berlin, and is likely to have repercussions across Germany, Europe, and the world. Using the referendum in Berlin as a reference, this roundtable that gathers activists from movements in Romania, Serbia, Hungary and Germany will discuss the financialization of housing, the work of the invited speakers’ movements to struggle for the right to housing in this context, the potentials for organizing transnationally to transform it, and how internationalist left media could play a role in amplifying the voices and supporting the organizing efforts.
Invited speakers:
Anisia Petcu and Andrei Belibou (Deutsche Wohnen & Co Enteigen, Berlin, Germany)
Ana Vilenica (Radical Housing Journal, Serbia)
Zsuzsi Pósfai (Periféria Policy and Research Center, Hungary)
Mihail Dumitriu (The Common Front for Housing – FCDL, Bucharest, Romania)
Moderator: Mary Taylor (LeftEast, ELMO)
The discussion will be held on Zoom and livestreamed on the co-hosting organizations’ pages. To join the Zoom call, use this link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89620435207 (Meeting ID: 896 2043 5207)
The event is part of the ELMO network’s annual meeting funded by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung and it is also the launching event of ELMO’s new social media platforms funded by the Culture of Solidarity Fund of the European Cultural Foundation.