Inside Saif Gadaffi's squatted London mansion, reclaimed by Libyan exiles

The New Statesman's Laurie Penny has gotten into Saif Gadaffi's multi-million-pound mansion in London's tony Mayfair Hampstead, which has been squatted by Libyan exiles. She reports on life inside the reclaimed house:

We drink stewed tea from Saif's best china and eat cheese sandwiches using his silver cutlery, while the young man, Abdulla, tells me about how his uncle was "disappeared" by Saif's father. "In Libya, people disappear all the time. There was a prison massacre where 1,200 people died. They poured cement over the bodies." Abdulla nervously adjusts his glasses. "It's important that people know we're not creating a civil war for no reason.

Nearly every room of this enormous house boasts a large, flat-screen television. The occupiers have tuned each one to al-Jazeera, for rolling coverage of the people's revolutions that are sweeping the Arab world. Televised gunfire echoes in the marble hallway as Jay, 25, explains how activists from the London squatting movement took over the Gaddafi family mansion, moving in secretly and putting up notices declaring their intention to hold the empty house under English common law. "We wanted to show our solidarity the best way we know how," he says.

"It's a symbolic and practical reclamation of private property that belongs to the Libyan people. It's about their struggle, which is why the place has been handed over to the Libyans as a place to organise and a safe space for refugees," he says. "People have been arriving in support from all over the UK..."

"Last night, at about four in the morning, someone came to the door," says Jay. According to Abdulla, "It was a well-dressed Arab person, [wearing] nice clothes and gold. When I asked him what he was doing here so late, he said, 'I want to make you an offer.' He told us: 'I have £40,000 in cash. You can have it if you leave immediately.' No amount of money could make us leave this house. It's not a financial issue."

Inside the Saif house (Thanks, Laurie!)

• [Anonymous]

  I’m with them in spirit, but I think the old adage “two wrongs don’t make a right” applies here. I just don’t see this as a very effective form of protest. It seems like these guys are having way too much fun enjoying the perks of the mansion, which, I suspect, is why they are really there.

• [Hunty]

  so, they’re turning Saif’s house into a safe house? That’s pretty poetic.

• [Anonymous]

  According to the article quoted it’s ‘Hampstead Garden Suburb’ not Mayfair.

• [Anonymous]

  Hampstead Garden Suburb is not the same as Hampstead; they are two separate and distinct parts of London (although they are quite near to each other).

• [Rayonic]

  There are probably other homes owned by dictators and/or their cronies in the UK. Just gotta look them up and take them. UK law enforcement seems to be implicitly allowing it.

• [emo hex]

  I think they need to remove their hats and sit up straight.
  (More formal attire might help also)

• [Ingmar]

  This is in England, yes? All political issues aside, wouldn’t the police be required to step in once notified by the caretakers(s)?

• [Gilbert Wham]

  That’s the nicest looking squat I have ever seen. It would appear my peers and I were doing it wrong back in the day…

• [Anonymous]

  Anon- im one of the guys in the picture and believe u me, its realllllly difficult to enjoy anything with all this madness going on in the world, this is the least us libyans can do in england