PRINTED ON RECYCLED CARD

Dimensions A6 (105MM X 148mm)

Know as the ‘Prog palace,’ on the 4 November 1972, hundreds of young people stormed Hagahuset on 4 Södra Allégatan to stage an occupation. When a journalist asked how long they intend to stay in there? They shouted back

‘You shouldn't ask us about that. Ask the bourgeois state and power apparatus.’

And so began the ‘Battle for Haga.’ The Hagahuset had been a hub for musicians, Political lectures and a workshop for artisans. When Gothenburg City council threatened the venue with closure, an occupation ensued. While the city council claimed that the venue was just unsafe, many people understood the closure as an excuse to stifle political activism and finally get rid of an eye sore which they thought was characterised by drug users and loony lefties.

Demonstrators occupied the building for 2 days, with supporters smuggling in food parcels. The demonstrators, mainly motivated by the ugliness of the violence they had seen, decided to vacate the premise while singing ‘The International’. It is worth noting that as much violence came from people sympathetic to the right who had only distain from the protesters, as by the actual occupiers themselves

All was not lost though. Many of Hagahuset's the activities were simply relocated to the nearby Sprängkullsgatan, a venue which continued to be a focal point for Prog Music and political activism well into the 1980’s.