Amsterdam (The Netherlands): October 2012 Joe’s Garage program

By: Hlulome - October 1st, 2012  Filed under: News

If you are ever standing under the rain, in front of a closed door at Joe’s it is because nobody has volunteered to open the space, cook some food, make coffee. We do everything D(o)I(t)Y(ourself) and your active participation is really needed in this squatted social center. We are swinging back into action after the summer and your energy is needed now more than ever! Contact Joe’s now! Email to joe [at] squat [dot] net

Another serie of benefits is announced in October: DJP Defend Job Philippine, Kurdish Dutch Cultural Centre Amsterdam (KNCCA), Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Campaign, Red Nose Delicious Arab Spring, Zapatista Autonomous Community. And Jeffrey will of course be back with a film from Olivier Assayas, Cold Water.  Keep an eye on-line for updates. [Read More]

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Amsterdam (The Netherlands): September 2012 Joe’s Garage program

By: Hlulome - September 1st, 2012  Filed under: News

Will Joe’s Garage open 6 days a week in September? Are you ready to give some of your time, put some creativity and subversion into Joe’s? We are waiting for your active participation, there is plenty to do, cooking and helping every monday and thursday with the Volkseten Vegazulu people’s kitchen, running every tuesday the Kraakspreekuur Oost (Squatting Assistance), (de)socializing every wednesday afternoon during the the Lonely Collective Day Cafe, helping out every saturday afternoon at the Give Away Shop, programming, organizing film/info nights every sunday. Come along with your ideas. Click here and get involved at Joe’s Garage. Keep an eye on our program and on Radar, more events will be announced. You also can get involved a bit further in the neighbourhood, at the Valreep, at the Bajesdorp, at the Roomtuintje Oostbos, the recently squatted gardens in the Dapperbuurt, on the Pieter Vlamingstraat 86.

The coming benefits this month: Leonard Peltier,  Screen Print Studio, Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Campaign, Volkskeuken Zeeburgerpad 22, Anarcho Queer Punk Festival. Films to be screened: Incident at Oglala, Diamonds of the Night, The Miners’ Hymns. [Read More]

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Netherlands: Squatting not dead yet

By: sisulscz - July 16th, 2012  Filed under: News

You might think that squatting in the Netherlands has died a death since criminalisation in 2010. But that’s simply not true!

All over the country unused buildings are still welcoming new inhabitants and things are still happening:

  • Whilst things have become tougher in Amsterdam with the new mayor who says a law is a law and must be enforced, squatting continues, with two new places successfully cracked this weekend in the east of the city. You can read the neighbourhood letter of one place, Ringdijk 8, here. It was squatted by a large group and welcomed by neighbours. Earlier in the day, fifty squatters helped to take another building, on Pieter Vlamingstraat 98, which has stood empty for years. [Read More]
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Netherlands: Conversation with filmmaker João Romão on Dutch squats

By: sisulscz - June 11th, 2012  Filed under: Interviews

By Our man in Amsterdam
A new documentary on the squatters’ movement by João Romão, a Portuguese economist and activist living in Amsterdam, has just been released. Squatted Freedom, a one-hour limited-budget film, combines archival footage and interviews with current and former squatters to examine the history and politics of the movement as well as the wave of recent, violent evictions of squats in Amsterdam.

Squatted Freedom is a fascinating film. The story of the squatters’ movement, past and present, is both captivating and inspiring. Violent confrontations between police and squatters have been taking place since the 1980s and continue into the present. Squatted Freedom reaches its climax during an intense standoff and eventual confrontation between squatters and riot police attempting to evict a prominent Amsterdam squat, a scene which Romão and his colleagues were lucky enough to capture on film. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Persistent resistance at the 01-11-2011 eviction wave

By: liberation - November 1st, 2011  Filed under: News

Today, the 1st of November 2011, there were quite a few squats on the list to be evicted in Amsterdam, including a popular social centre and squats where the owners did not start a courtcase yet.

After the successful “reclaim the hood” manifestation (posting in dutch language, but with photos) the squatters in Amsterdam started preparing for the “eviction circus” on 1/11/11, and that went very well.

It took the cops more than a full 12 hour day to evict more than five squats where people were inside with lockons (photo from webcam). This was a clear victory for the squatters.

[Read More]

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Amsterdam: Report from the Court Case

By: baveugel - October 25th, 2011  Filed under: News

On Wednesday the 19th of October we presented ourselves at court. The Gemeente Amsterdam realizing they did not have a strong case, ours was a civil court case. In the current climate after the illegalization of squatting in 2010, this is quite unusual. Most of the times squatters have to open a court-case against the state to fight for their right of habitation.

On the plaintiff’s side, two lawyers and their clients were present. It was easy for us to figure out who was who at first sight – the meagre man on the left from us a City Council representative, in fact Mr. Van Dijk, coordinator of Real Estate Administration at the Stadsdeel Zeeburg; the stout man to the right the former renter, Mr. Drenth from Drenth Autoschade B.V.

[Read More]

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Amsterdam: Reclaim the neighbourhood

By: fawda - October 21st, 2011  Filed under: News
't Blijvertje

Demonstration, Sunday October 30th, 14.00 @ ‘t Blijvertje, with music, speeches, food and a mobile exhibition we speak out to stop the demolitionpolitics and to preserve a fun, diverse and affordable neighbourhood. In 2007, ‘t Blijvertje, a little neighbourhood centre situated in a squatted apartment at the Third Oosterparkstraat opened its doors. This action marked the beginning of a long campaign against the demolition of social housing, the displacement of tenants and the demolition of beautiful buildings. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: 1st of October – We’re still here!

By: liberation - September 16th, 2011  Filed under: News

September 13th, 2011

Once upon a time, there was a group of people who were declared criminals overnight and who then took to the streets and said: Your laws, not ours. And they set fires in order to show that they will not go away silently, they will not surrender…  Come to Amsterdam on 1st of October to show that the fires of last year are still smoldering – and they might flare up any moment!

[Read More]

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Amsterdam: New squat Valreep wins courtcase for opening event

By: liberation - September 10th, 2011  Filed under: News

September 10th, 2011

Valreep is a new squat in Amsterdam East. People there have been working very hard to clean up all the mess inside and make it into a social centre.  The District Council (Local Government) was not amused, and came very often to do “inspections”.  The Valreep people announced their official opening happening, and then the day before the opening the District Council came with the announcement to forbid the happening, otherwise a fine of 25 000 (!) euros would have to be paid.

[Read More]

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Amsterdam: Events in Amsterdam over the last few weeks

By: liberation - October 10th, 2010  Filed under: News

09.10.2010

As everyone knew for a long time already the squatting ban finally became a legal entity on the 1st of October. How the law isto be implemented and enforced is still speculated upon. In the week before its arrival there came some very hard talk from the mayor and the chief of police.

 

The mayor stated that 300 squatted buildings and appartments in Amsterdam are to be evicted and that squatting is now a criminal offence and must be treated as so. The chief of police said “man power is no issue” and that the number of eviction waves are to be at least doubled.

 

This was very strong talk coming from the city officials and the response is as follows.

[Read More]

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Amsterdam: Netherlands after the Squatting Ban

By: liberation - October 6th, 2010  Filed under: News

Wednesday 6 October 2010

On the first of October – Squatting in the Netherlands has been criminalised

On the first of October, squatting in the Netherlands has been criminalised. The major cities, though decided not to execute this law.
When the new mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan announced a week ago to evict all of the existing 300 squats as soon as possible, people were very surprised and angry at the events.
The next day the main prosecutor for squatting cases Otto van der Bijl and the chief of the special eviction unit Leen Schaap got threatened and are now under 24 hours police protection.

[Read More]

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Amsterdam: Thinking about violence

By: liberation - October 4th, 2010  Filed under: News

Thinking about violence – A critical view on the Amsterdam street-fight in 1st of October
https://indymedia.nl/nl/2010/10/69958.shtml

In advance I want to clarify that I’m totally not a (political) pacifist. I believe in armed struggle and counter-violence against all parts of the repressive system we are living in.
So coming from the Netherlands I was positive surprised by seeing such a lot of people acting offensive against the police brutality. Even If we couldn’t help the people in the house we made clear that repression against us will be answered.

But for me acting militant is not only to use violence as one part of a diversity of tactics, it’s also about reflecting it. Because of this I want to speak about a few aspects of the actions on friday (oct. 1st).

So I don’t want to be arrogant and this is only a subjective point of view. I don’t want to seem like teaching anyone an “one and only truth”. Other people will have a different point of view and so this is just a first input for further going discussions.

[Read More]

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