In contrast to the UK, where squatters after 10 years of occupation of the property can (theoretically) apply for a possession, France does not offer such an option. The squat can have two endings: either legalization and turning into creative workshops with the rent payments or eviction without providing alternative accommodation. In France, squatters does not even have a "winter truce" (la trêve hivernale), a law prohibiting eviction of defaulters in the cold season. All illegal invaders might be ruthlessly exposed to the winter frost.
Speaking about cold weather, it is worth mentioning that in abandoned houses, there is generally no heating, no electricity, no running tap water. Squatters live in 19th century conditions using candle light, arranging stoves and composting toilets, bringing water in buckets from wells… This way of life in some ways merges with a modern-day environmental philosophy. So, it is not surprising that you can find vegan restaurants serving meals from unsold products donated by restaurants and grocery stores near squats.
That's right, next to the respectable bourgeois and office workers, on the same streets, in the neighbouring houses, there is a strange life of people who explored beyond the boundaries. Look around, you may notice an unusual façade, decorated with graffitti, open gates, green door in the wall - you can either pass or you can discover a whole new world and offer , food, shelter, clothing - and who knows - maybe even take part in amazing adventures.
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