Amsterdam: Spinhuis update

By: fawda - October 22nd, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

Spinhuis Newsletter Week 7
Dear all,

It’s been some time since the last email. Quite a lot of things have happened in the last week that require an update, but lets start with this week’s program. At this moment a group of people participating in the workshop Situationist psychogeography are confusing themselves and the tourists around them through the rain in central Amsterdam. This Thursday 20.00 we have an exciting storytelling evening with stories that you do not hear from the news or the papers, stories from people who occupied places and tried to change things for the better. Besides stories there will also be great klezmer music from Caspian Scratch! On Friday evening there will be music in the Spinhuis as well, with To Twelve (and maybe more) playing some funky tunes [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Response to UvA board threats to legal action

By: fawda - October 2nd, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

As many of you have probably noticed, the media have reported that we’ve received a letter from the UvA in which they threaten to take judicial action against our use of the Spinhuis. Firstly, we want to take away any fears by declaring that we will stay open for at least the next few weeks. If the board of directors of the UvA do indeed decide to follow up on their threat it will take a while before we will be evicted from the Spinhuis. In the meantime we we will continue offering a full programme (to be found below), especially because more and more people and groups come to us to organize events. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Vechtstraat eviction court case

By: sisulscz - September 3rd, 2014  Filed under: News

The arrested have been acquitted! Yesterday morning some of the people arrested at the eviction of Vechtstraat/Amstelkade were brought to court with the charge of squatting. Due to several mistakes by the police during the operation, the eviction has been declared illegal and the arrested have been acquitted.
[Read More]

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Amsterdam: Vechtstraat/Amstelkade eviction account

By: sisulscz - July 24th, 2014  Filed under: News

Tuesday morning the police evicted the 16 squatted apartment on the Vechtstraat and Amstelkade (including the social centre De Strijd). 8 people were arrested and released tonight (july 23rd). This evening, during the noise demo in solidarity with the arrested, 3 people were arrested and are still detained.

– Background
[Read More]

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Amsterdam: 16 squatted apartments evicted on Vechtstraat

By: sisulscz - July 22nd, 2014  Filed under: Communique

EDIT story here

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Amsterdam: The refugee group ‘We Are Here’ opened a new building

By: fawda - July 10th, 2014  Filed under: News
2014-07-10 03_Amsterdam_Wij_Zijn_Hier_VlUCHTOPVANG_GEOPEND

Wednesday night (July 9th), after the eviction of the VluchtMarkt, of the VluchtHaven, and the short tent-camp in the Oosterpark, the ‘We Are Here’ group opened a new building on the Linnaeushof 4, Amsterdam: the VluchtOpvang.

The building is owned by the speculator W.M. Honselaar Onroerend Goed BV. The same company facilitated the eviction of the social space of the VluchtMarkt (Ten Katestraat 49) by signing a contract agreement with the owner, ‘Peters and Van der Vloodt’, to develop an hotel. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Undeportables on the streets again…

By: fawda - July 7th, 2014  Filed under: News
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Half of Amsterdam’s 200 + rejected asylum seekers, will likely be evicted from two buildings this week. In their 2 year long political struggle they exposed Dutch deportation polices as the worst of northern Europe, and stopped even worse policies, generating support from many unexpected corners. But with crucial parliamentarians silenced by social democratic leaders, soon they will sleep rough again, in fear for deportation.

Untill now, unified under the banner We Are Here, they occupy three buildings:

First a former prison, end 2013 turned into a temporary mayer’s-shelter for undeportables, evicted from a squat. During spring the mayor started to arm twist the undeportables into ‘voluntary deportation’. But then the facts about their undeportability started to shine in his face: Deportation destinations were indeed much more dangerous then thought, foreighn embassies obstructed deportation routes, new wars broke out, and many refugees could prove that crucial parts of their rejected stories were indeed true. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: VluchtHaven update

By: fawda - July 6th, 2014  Filed under: News
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Van der Laan have announced that the eviction will take place on Thursday, July 10. He also said that anyone who will be found still inside will be arrested by the ‘foreign police’.

Lawyer Pim Fischer appealed (urgent appeal) against the verdict of the court on the eviction about the Vluchthaven. The verdict and the next steps were discussed on Friday together with the group of refugees living in the building. The lawyer also asked for suspension of the sentence (and thus delaying the eviction) until the appeal will take place. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: VluchtMarkt to be evicted on July 8th

By: fawda - July 3rd, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News
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The Vluchtmarkt (Ten Katestraat 61-63) has lost the court case against the state, and it will be evicted next Tuesday, July 8.

The verdict of the Vluchtmarkt court case is negative. The judge argued that although the people who live in the squatted buildings are undocumented migrants who have no right to work, to welfare and to a roof, this is a social problem that does not have to fall on the backs of private owners.
The judge evaluated the ‘proportionality’ of interests between the squatters and the owner, and ruled that the owner has the right to access its properties at any time. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: The Kraak Spreek Uur, autonomous squatting assistance

By: xxx - June 25th, 2014  Filed under: Interviews

An interview with Rogier from the Eastern KSU and Maks from the Student KSU, in Amsterdam (Wertheim park, July 28th, 2013). The interviewers are Y & Z, two Frenchies involved in the squatting movement in Paris. You also can find a French translation of the interview on the French pages of Squat!net.
[Read More]

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Amsterdam: Summary VluchtMarkt Court Case

By: fawda - June 19th, 2014  Filed under: News

In the court case of the State (Openbaar Ministerie) against the VluchtMarkt, lawyer Uppal argued that although since 2010 squatting is a crime, the decision of evictions must be evaluated as proportionate to the interests of the squatters and the ones of the owners. Apart from a few technical exceptions, so far no judge has ruled in favour of the interests of the squatters. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: VluchtMarkt Court Case – Ten Katestraat 61-63

By: fawda - June 18th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

Tomorrow, Thursday 19th, at 10.30 AM court case for defending the VluchtMarkt

The squatted buildings on Ten Katestraat 61 and 63, owned by Rochdale, are under threat. The officer of justice Otto van der Bijl has sent the 8 weeks notice, which means that not the owner, but the state itself is taking initiative against the refugees. It is the first time that a ‘We Are Here‘ squat is treated with the criminal law. According to local politicians, Rochdale still seems to have no plans and no permits to renovate the properties, while the people occupying them have spend many weeks re-building the spaces (including toilets, showers, electricity, floors and ceilings) and made them safe and liveable. [Read More]

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