The police in Amsterdam, together with the magistrate, successfully managed to circumvent the right to fair trial, and evicted a squat in Amsterdam north.
Housing crisis
We are in the middle of a housing crisis. Everyone’s working their asses off, and nobody has money for a house. A studio apartment in the city costs 2k per month. A house for less than half a million you won’t even find in a village in Groningen where the ground shakes occasionally.
Social housing cooperatives, with the task of housing the population, still opt for the sale of social rent apartments. Overdue maintenance is order of the day. Homelessness is rising, just like the number of people living below the poverty line. Of course, it’s a time to crack down on the squatters again.
Wet Handhaving Kraakverbod
The latest “Law Enforcing the Squatting ban [1]” has enabled squatters to be evicted more quickly since July 2022. The procedure goes like this:
– Owner of the building files a report to the police
– Officer of Justice assesses the case, if this one thinks there is legal reason to evict immediately, because for example the owner has direct plans, or there is a rental contract, asks the magistrate permission to evict the property.
– A hearing is planned where the squatters can tell their story to the magistrate, usually a few days later.
– The magistrate assesses whose interest is more important. That of the owner to get access to the property, or that of squatters to exercise their right to housing.
We’ve all been used to this for a while, and often the magistrate judges in favor of the squatters, because owner can’t prove enough that there is a direct need to evict.
The news, squatters don’t get heard.
A number of homes have been squatted for a while in the Vogelbuurt in Amsterdam Noord. These are social housing apartments which were empty for a some time without clear reason. There’s a “Real-estate improvement project” running nearby. Start date: Q1 2028 [2].
Also the house on Zwaluwstraat 9-B. On 21 May, the Public Prosecutor orally requested the magistrate to obtain an authorization to remove the persons. Normally the squatters are informed about this and given the opportunity to challenge this claim. This time, however, the magistrate decides that there is indeed a “urgent need” and gives the Public Prosecutor immediate permission to evict. This means that, in principle, immediate eviction is allowed from that moment on.
On May 23rd the police came to the door to report that there is a verdict to evict the building. Neither the squatters nor the squatter’s lawyer have been presented this verdict.
On May 26th, the police are back at the door with the announcement that it is going to be evicted. The squatters are asking for a written ruling. Police indicates to come back later with the verdict to execute the eviction. An hour later, the police returns without a verdict, and and proceeds to evict the place. Nobody gets arrested.
A few days ago, the squatter’s lawyer found the court’s ruling.
See the included pdf for the full verdict. The following is stated:
“In view of the urgent need, the persons mentioned in the action were not heard by the Judge Commissioner.
This urgent need lies in the fact that the suspects, who are suspected of the crime as defined in Article 138a of the Code of Criminal Law, cause a serious disturbance of public order in the vicinity of the home, because it is likely that squatters are currently moving from property to property in the Vogelbuurt. Because the squatted property is a social housing in a neighbourhood in which squatters swap one property for another one, it is urgently necessary to stop this practice.”
Although there is a legal basis for this argument, it sounds like a strange reasoning. Since several empty houses are being squatted in the neighborhood, this causes a public disturbance, causing the squatters to lose their right to be heard before a judge to discuss the actual content of the case. There is no mention of that actual explanation of the owner’s urgent interest in possessing this property.
An important part of our laws is the right to defend yourself in court. This right has been seriously violated.
In the past, the police have often tried to find new ways to evict buildings. We haven’t seen these before. Let’s all stay sharp.
Stay sharp!
Prepare your actions well, make sure you have a lawyer who is well informed and ready to assist you. These criminal lawyers can advise and assist you:
https://jebbinksoeteman.nl/
https://vanlunen.en/
Stay informed, discuss it in your local squatter bar, keep your baricades on the door! ACAB!
[1] https://repository.wodc.nl/entities/publication/fe0e9e46-c358-43a9-8736-a775bdf04fd7
[2] https://www.stadgenoot.nl/vogelbuurt-midden
Squatting assistance, advisory service for squatters in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/topic/spreekuur-ksu
Some squats in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/NL/squated/squat
Groups (social center, collective, squat) in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/groups/country/NL
Events in the Netherlands: https://radar.squat.net/en/events/country/NL
Indymedia, June 10, 2026 https://indymedia.nl/node/56777
