Statement by AFGA after squatting Kanaalstraat 128, owned by the family Uit den Boogaard.
On the 14th of May, we revealed Villa Mina to the world. This beautiful house has been vacant since at least 2017. The Anarcha-Feminist Group Amsterdam (AFGA) has been an active part of the squatting scene here for a few years.
The time has now come to find a house specifically for WLINTA* (Women, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-binary, Trans, Agender) people and to find our space. We desire a house free of sexism, machoism, transphobia, etc while more WLINTA* people are finding themselves without homes or unable to pay their rent around us. This building is thus a home for WLINTA* people only, and the new political space for AFGA.
The lack of affordable housing and the rising cost of living has made it increasingly difficult for working-class people to survive. Many of us live from paycheck to paycheck. Years of austerity policies and cuts in public services like social housing have created this “crisis”. This was a political choice, which has had fatal consequences.
The housing “crisis” has particularly affected WLINTA* people, undocumented people and people of colour. While people are continuously displaced all over Amsterdam, non-white neighbourhoods are especially affected, as gentrification comes paired with state/ police violence that disproportionally affects Black people and POC. WLINTA* are put in the most dangerous positions, as it is impossible for us to live in the streets without being assaulted. We are much more likely to experience (sexual) violence when sleeping rough or precarious and the lack of accessible housing means WLINTA* escaping abusive partners or parents can often not (financially) afford to leave. Choosing between homelessness or staying in an abusive situation is not a choice anyone should have to make. For various reasons, WLINTA* stay in dangerous situations to keep a roof over our heads. This ends up in chilling statistics: On average, a woman or girl is murdered in the Netherlands every 8 days, most of the time by an (ex)partner. There are no statistics about genderqueer people, but we know that our trans and nonbinary comrades are exposed to violence on an even greater level.
Sexism, transphobia and racism on the housing market make it even harder for working-class people of colour and WLINTA* to find housing. We have realized the intense pressure upon our WLINTA* sisters and comrades to find a roof over their heads or pay their rent. Nonetheless, they are not a priority in housing actions or benefits. This is why we will use this squat to house WLINTA* and especially create space for WLINTA* comrades of colour. This building will draw inspiration from the 80s squatted ‘vrouwenhuisen’, sisterly international WLINTA* only squats, and of course our own feminist, anarchist, and antifascist values.
When we squat, we fight for our lives, the lives of our sisters,
the lives of our WLINTA* comrades.
We will not let ourselves be the collateral damage of this crisis.
We take care of us.
We stand in solidarity with our WLINTA* comrades everywhere, fighting capitalism and the patriarchy.
Until all of us are free.
Anarcha Feminist Group Amsterdam (AFGA)
anarchafemsterdam [at] riseup [dot] net
https://squ.at/r/88jf
https://afga.noblogs.org/
Some squats in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/NL/squated/squat
Groups (social centers, collectives, squats) in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/NL
Events in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/events/country/NL
Indymedia https://indymedia.nl/node/53408
