Ghent: The verdict gives Pandemistes 8 days to leave as soon as the City sends the bailiff

By: fawda - March 29th, 2023  Filed under: Communique, News

An expected deadline. Because property rights are greater than the right of residence. Makes sense, right? That is certainly the logic of the rich. For those who do not have a home, this makes less sense. “But that’s their problem.” Among the Pandemistes there are effectively a number of people who will no longer have a home, but fortunately can go somewhere temporarily. This is less obvious to those who are undocumented. “But that’s their problem.”

We might have been able to get a longer term from the judge if we had put more effort into PROVING our positive impact on the neighborhood. But frankly, we much prefer to focus on BEING a positive influence on the neighborhood. By organizing countless events and giving people a taste of the freedom of such a place. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: update from Binnenkadijk 478

By: fawda - March 28th, 2023  Filed under: Communique, News

We, the new residents of the apartment at Binnenkadijk 478, were approached by Alliantie on Monday 27 March and invited for a talk. By squatting this apartment, we are supporting a pre-existing struggle and protest around Alliantie’s plan to sell 140 social rental homes in the Entrepotdok complex (a unique project designed to jointly house social housing, housing groups and middle-class tenants), and to provide ourselves with housing in a city that has become increasingly unlivable for people with lower incomes.
Given the supposed mission/vision of Alliantie as a housing corporation to provide residents of Amsterdam with affordable housing, we hoped for a friendly conversation aimed at finding a solution that is beneficial for all parties involved. Unfortunately, nothing came of it. The flat had been vacant for seven months for no apparent reason (the previous occupants were evicted for bureaucratic/legal formalities) and no plans for the future were made public or even communicated to the residents. Coincidentally, shortly after the occupation, Alliantie informed the residents of the complex for the first time about various possible future scenarios for the apartment. This is not the first time such a coincidence has occurred. Despite the fact that Alliantie’s plans for the housing are in the early stages and are only ideas at the moment, they plan to evict us as soon as possible and thereby make us homeless. A curious approach for a housing corporation, which contradicts their own core values and, moreover, with usual legal standards that are applied to squatting cases. The right to housing is – at least in theory – only taken away from people if there is a concrete future plan for the housing in question (supported by evidence), which is also about to be implemented. This is clearly not the case for Binnenkadijk 478. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Binnenkadijk 478 squatted

By: fawda - March 26th, 2023  Filed under: Communique, News

The Binnenkadijk 478 apartment has been squatted in protest against the vacancy of rental properties in the middle of a housing crisis and has been occupied since Tuesday 21 March. The house is located in the Entrepotdok complex and the owner is the housing corporation de Alliantie. The residents of the complex are fighting against the Alliance’s plan to sell 140 apartments in the complex, an outrageous proposal that will reduce the social housing stock in Amsterdam and destroy a truly unique socialist project.
We have squatted the apartment to take direct action against the unjustified vacancy since the previous residents were evicted in September last year. We believe that no perfectly habitable apartments should be left vacant while so many, including ourselves, have to struggle to find affordable housing. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Woestduinstraat 72 HS Squatted – Social housing is Not For Sale!

By: fawda - March 26th, 2023  Filed under: Communique, News

For several days now, we have been occupying and living in Woestduinstraat 72 HS. Since the 25th of march we announced the occupation by means of a protest.
This social housing property has been vacant for a year awaiting sale. This action is a protest against the sale of social housing and the subsequent sell-out of the city, by housing corporations and the municipality. Lieven de Key has put this house on the market in a dilapidated state for a staggering 475,000. The house is on the ground floor and would have made a good home for seniors or those with mobility problems. But it is clear that Lieven de Key does not give a fuck about the residents of the city and cares more about gentrification and profit.
Since the 1990s, profit maximization has been the main goal of housing cooperatives. While housing cooperatives claim to build more social housing outside the center with the proceeds from sales, the overall share of social housing in Amsterdam is decreasing. Social housing associations are contributing to gentrification and original residents have to make way for people with more money. Housing is not being built for the working class and the social housing that remains is often neglected and left in a bad state. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Demonstration against Eviction of Vossiusstraat 16

By: fawda - March 24th, 2023  Filed under: Communique, News

Sunday 9 April 2023, Leidseplein, Amsterdam, 15:00 https://squ.at/r/9c98

On the 12th of April the Vossiusstraat 16 has their second court case, the appeal to the decision that was given in November and which had allowed the squatters to stay.
To show support to the squatters, and in order to voice our disagreement with the the high presence of Yandex in the Netherlands, a demonstration will take place on Sunday the 9th of April. It will start on Leidseplein at 3pm!

Volozh, the billionaire Maltese passport-purchaser, was put on the sanctions list because Yandex promoted Kremlin propaganda and passed on data about activists to the state. All while being registered as a company in the Netherlands. Yandex’s news site has in the meantime been bought by the Russian state and now the company thinks they can turn over a bright new leaf as a normal. Since the first court case, Volozh’s company Yandex has massively expanded their presence in the Netherlands. Other EU countries have banned Yandex services from operating in their country, but not the Netherlands! [Read More]

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Helsinki (Finland): Fire at Makamik

By: xxx - February 28th, 2023  Filed under: News

A fire started at [the formerly squatted and since legalized] anarchist and antiauthoritarian social center Makamik around two o’clock Saturday night (February 25th, 2023) due to reasons so far unconfirmed to us. The house suffered widespread damage. We received news on location that the fire department suspects arson. Last year fascists performed several attacks on Makamik, including the burning of a shed last midsummer. On friday, the day before the fire, the group Antifasistinen Helsinki released information about a nazi named Olli Vickström, which raises questions.
[Read More]

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Montreuil: Anarcha, queer anarcha-feminist festival. Let’s defend the places we live in!

By: fawda - February 24th, 2023  Filed under: News

Montreuil (France) – Anarcha, march 3rd-5th 2023, la Baudrière: https://squ.at/r/9aly

In France, on the 31st of March, it is the end of the winter break which protect squat and autonomous places. Here in Montreuil and elsewhere, housing squat and political mobilisation squats will be evictable on this date. In Île-de-France, it is the case for “La Baudrière”, for the “10 rue Bara”, for the “Gambetta”, fot the “Malaqueen”, for the “LEO”… and many others.
« La Baudrière » is an anarcha-feminist and “TransPdGouine” (TransFaggDyke) squat opened by and for people whom suffer from patriarchy anyhow. It’s been a year now that we’re making this place live, hosting many political events, parties, encounters, canteens… And so much more that allowed us forging precious alliances with different activisms. It is an anarchist and autonomous place of living and mobilisation which is why we want to defend it.
Lately, if a big social movement seems to take form in France, there is also new laws that threatens our freedom : the “Kasbarian” law which directly attacks squatters and unstable tenants, the “Darmanin” law which attacks those who don’t have “the good” ID documents, the Olympic law which strengthen police control and surveillance, the retirement reform and unemployment reform which fragilise our lives more and more… [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Evictions continue, Squatting will too!

By: fawda - February 20th, 2023  Filed under: Communique

Another illegal eviction. Saturday afternoon we announced a new squat on Zeeburgerpad 22. Not much later we were forced to pack our bags and leave again. Thanks to the presence of a large number of friends outside, people inside managed to get away safely without getting arrested. But of course, no one is safe if they’re sleeping in the streets, so we’ll be back.
On the 18th of February, we made it public that we squatted Zeeburgerpad 22. Many people showed up to show support and protect the occupation.
We had already been inside for a week and had evidence of this. But as some of the members of our collective are in a vulnerable position we decided to force contact with the owner/ police by dropping a banner & speaking to the neighbours. It wasn’t the first time this place has been squatted, it was squatted in 2013 and again in 2018.
After the last eviction in 2021, some renovations took place but apart from that nothing much happened, the place remained empty. The daughter of the owner and Pablo ( the neighbour and owner of the company next door) showed up and provided us with some much-needed entertainment. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Statement about the illegal eviction at Noorderdwarsstraat 9

By: fawda - January 26th, 2023  Filed under: Communique, News

On the 24th of January, a squat in the center of Amsterdam got revealed by Autonomous Shelter, a squatted appartment on Noorderdwarsstraat 9. The same morning it got illegaly evicted.

This appartment had been empty since four to six years, according to the neighbors. The neighbours were all supportive, bringing us tea and chatting with us. The beginning of the action went really calmly. We provided cops with documents showing that we had been living there since the 21st of February, and neighbors told us they could indeed confirm our house peace if the cops asked them.

After over an hour of waiting we suddenly got the message that they would evict us and that we had 5 min to leave. 5 police vans appeared and suddenly 30 cops were standing in the small street. When we asked why they wanted to evict us they first stated “because squatting is illegal”. Only after, one of them told us it was for heterdaad, meaning that they claimed to have caught us in the act.
This is total bullshit as all our documents and the statements from the neighbors showed that we had house peace. [Read More]

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Ghent: The Pandemistes occupy ‘t Vredeshuis!

By: fawda - January 20th, 2023  Filed under: Communique, News

Peace, love and a little revolution.
Since January 2023 we occupy ‘t Vredeshuis!
The government tries to sell our public places without us noticing.
But the Pandemistes are back from never gone! We take direct action and fight against the privatization of our city!
‘t Vredeshuis was a place for international solidarity with a lot of organisations involved. We continue with this mission from bottom up and work together with organisations like Rojava Congres Gent, Woman life freedom, …
The biggest changes in the world came out of small initiatives from big dreamers. We take back ‘t Vredeshuis and welcome everyone to fight
together for what is ours: THE CITY!
Come join this new social-cultural centre! there’s a lot of space for a lot of projects!

Friday 20 january, reception, grand opening: https://squ.at/r/96ld [Read More]

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Atlanta (USA): In solidarity with the movement to Stop Cop City and Defend Weelaunee Forest

By: xxx - January 20th, 2023  Filed under: News

We call on all people of good conscience to stand in solidarity with the movement to stop Cop City and defend the Weelaunee Forest in Atlanta.

On January 18, in the course of their latest militarized raid on the forest, police in Atlanta shot and killed a person. This is only the most recent of a series of violent police retaliations against the movement. The official narrative is that Cop City is necessary to make Atlanta “safe,” but this brutal killing reveals what they mean when they use that word.

Forests are the lungs of planet Earth. The destruction of forests affects all of us. So do the gentrification and police violence that the bulldozing of Weelaunee Forest would facilitate. What is happening in Atlanta is not a local issue.

[Read More]

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Amsterdam: first squat action of the year, Spui 11

By: fawda - January 6th, 2023  Filed under: News

Yesterday, a new building was announced as squatted, a small manifestation was held on the Spui and flyers were distributed to the public. Police have been on site and said they were not planning to evict. The building housed the music store Hampe and Berkel for 179 years, last year they closed due to the corona crisis. The property will house people who would otherwise be homeless.

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

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