RHINO (squat)

RHINO building with the famous red horn

RHINO was a famous squat in Geneva, Switzerland. It occupied two buildings on the Boulevard des Philosophes in downtown Geneva, a few blocks away from the main campus of the University of Geneva. RHINO housed about seventy people before its evacuation in July 2007 and had been occupied by the squatters since 1988. The RHINO project (which stands for "Retour des Habitants dans les Immeubles Non-Occupés", return of inhabitants to non-occupied buildings) also operated an independent cinema in its basement, the Cave 12, as well as a bar, restaurant and concert space on the ground floor called Bistro'K.

The two buildings' facades are often decorated with protest art, usually promulgating leftist political messages or generally the right to occupy the buildings. The buildings are instantly recognizable by the large red horn (which seems to be made of papier-maché) installed on the wall.

The RHINO organisation often faced legal troubles, and Geneva police evicted the inhabitants on July 23, 2007.

External links

• Eviction of squatters from SwissInfo
• Rhino squatters won their case before the European Court of Human Rights