Last week Freedom reported that the Picton Lane site in Bristol was facing eviction after having been given a notice to leave. The notice was not a court order and was delivered only a day into the lockdown 2.0. Picton Lane site is a home to a number travellers & friends.

The current government lockdown guidelines state that evictions mustn’t happen unless it is a case of “emergency”. There is no emergency on Picton Lane: the owner of the site has been applying, unsuccessfully, for a planning permission since 2017, and the decision to evict people from here during the covid pandemic is more than inexplicable.

Below, we publish a short report from Picton Lane residents, who resisted the illegal eviction attempt with the support from others.

Awake most of the night, we were pleasantly surprised to see supporters begin arriving as early as 5am. However, the bailiffs were not so keen. Even police reacted quicker, with a few officers coming down at around 7.10am.

The group outside continued growing until maybe up to 50 people stood outside, including some media. In high spirits, we assumed the Andrew Wilson & Co bailiffs would simply not show.

Eventually, past 9, one gained access to us by going through the back of a shop on a nearby street and speaking to us through the fence. They never even attempted entry via the front. Clearly not happy about the situation, he explained the eviction would not occur that day and that, in time, it will be done via a court possession order. Another victory for Bristol’s dirty squatters!