Over 150 course participants, facilitators and activists from the Autonome Schule Zürich (ASZ) turned Sechseläutenplatz into a classroom this Friday afternoon, November 6. The self-organised education project is still looking for a new school building.

Lessons in the open air – here we go! #zuerimachplatz for the #asz! pic.twitter.com/h5e4Xrbjfd

— ASZ (@aszbfa) 6. November 2015

Education for all – that is what the ASZ stands for, regardless of a person’s origin, gender or financial means. However, every class, every school needs space – and the ASZ has been lacking it since the middle of this week. Following the evacuation of the school building at Bachmattstrasse 59, the school is now homeless. That’s why this Friday afternoon, November 6, over 150 activists, course participants and facilitators turned Sechseläutenplatz into a classroom – and did what the ASZ always does: offer a space for exchange and education where everyone can learn from each other.

This afternoon between 2 and 4 p.m., the German lessons therefore took place in an unusual location: directly in front of the opera house in the open air. The school had brought blackboards and a few benches, but the free chairs on the square and the slates on the square were also used for the lessons.

About the discussions with the city

In the talks with the left-green city government, it became clear that efforts were being made to find a solution to the school’s space problem. In these talks, the ASZ always emphasized that the central location of a new school building is very important. The only offer currently on the table is still anything but concrete.

For the time being, we have to stick with it: There is currently no spatial offer available in which we can continue to run our school. What is certain, however, is that we will not be displaced.

An important meeting place in the city

Over the past 7 years, the ASZ has become a central meeting place for undocumented migrants, refugees and other migrants and locals. The free German courses make up a large part of the school’s activities, as well as other languages courses and a range of additional projects such as its own newspaper, cinema, exhibitions, readings, concerts and much more. The ASZ operates according to the principle of “Education for All”: everyone has a right to education regardless of their origin, gender or financial means.

The ASZ is a place of exchange and is characterized by a consistently anti-racist attitude. Course participants, facilitators and activists from all over the world work together to create a new society. The ASZ stands for an emancipative culture of learning and discussion in which everyone has the right to participate: “Everyone who is here is from here!”

The ASZ is indispensable for the city and deserves a permanent place in its center – now. We will not be displaced.

You can see some initial impressions of the campaign at tsueri.ch. We will soon be posting our own photos online.
You can find a press review in the timeline of our freely accessible Facebook page.