On Saturday December 6, a demonstration will take place against the approved plans of the city of The Hague to evict social centre De Vloek, and for the preservation of squatted social centres in general.
The city of The Hague wants to evict and demolish De Vloek in January 2015 to make room for a sailing center. There is already enough space for sport sailing in the harbor, but De Vloek must nevertheless step aside for the latest prestigious real estate project which nobody is looking forward to.
Even though the plan to build a sailing center for the rich
was not defeated in the city council, our campaign is still not over. The city promised to look for a replacement space for us, but the question remains whether this will happen or whether this space will be affordable. A unique quality of social centres is that financial pressure on projects and initiatives is low, allowing for more freedom for development; freedom that is difficult to find anywhere else. But our struggle extends beyond the preservation of De Vloek.
Our action campaign shall continue. Our struggle is not only to keep De Vloek, but also one against the “yuppification” of the harbor and the developmental visions of the municipality. Throughout The Hague, many beautiful initiatives organized from the bottom up have had to step aside for yuppie projects. Policy should not revolve around the interests of real estate developers, but around the people who live in The Hague. The city belongs to us!
De Vloek was squatted 12 years ago and has grown to be an essential locale in the harbor of Scheveningen, known for the diverse non-profit initiatives that have been able to develop there. De Vloek provides space for “Water en Brood”, an organic vegan restaurant, concert space “de Piratenbar”, many work spaces, studios, living
spaces, and practice spaces for bands. Everything that happens in De Vloek is kept running without subsidies and the building is self-managed. Hundreds of people come weekly to participate in the various activities at De Vloek.
Meeting place: Kerkplein, Den Haag
Time: 15:00
http://devloek.nl/6-12-2014-demonstratie-de-stad-van-ons-de-vloek-moet-blijven/
