Amsterdam: first squat action of the year, Spui 11

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


Amsterdam: Court case Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 302, demonstration

Thursday 1st December 2022, demonstration, 18:00, Het Monument, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 302.

Right now, we are housing four people. If we are evicted, they are without a home, and the Monument would be left empty yet again. Once again, Slumlord Hagedoorn would get get his eviction, while he leaves property empty all over the country. The past has shown that the authorities tend to side with property against the right to housing. Nevertheless, we’re ready to fight. We demand housing justice and an end to vacancy for financial speculation! Thursday, after our court case, we’re organising a MEGA demo. If we win, we celebrate the Monument. If we don’t, we’ll show that we’re not leaving quietly. Join our demo!!!!! [Read More]

Amsterdam: update Vossiusstraat 16 squat

Last Wednesday we heard the verdict of our court case. As many of you may have heard already, WE WON! This is not just great for all the people living in the Vossiusstraat squat and organising political events in it, but for the entire squatting movement and for everyone who likes watching (Russian) billionaires get their property taken away.

Volozh’s lawyer tried to claim that Volozh’s family plans to move into the building. In that case, why did they split the building into three different addresses? Why are there SIX bathtubs? Why does every floor have its own locks?

The renovations of the building were ruled to be unlawful. If we had not squatted the building, they would have continued their works undisturbed — as per their own admittance. This makes clear that at this moment, the sanctions are not actually being upheld by the Dutch government. [Read More]

Amsterdam: come to the court case for Vossiusstraat 16

CALL TO ACTION: Come to our civil court case and support the squat on the Vossiusstraat 16!
This Wednesday 9th of November 10:30 at Parnassusweg 280, 1076 AV Amsterdam. Let’s show the judge, the owner Arkadiy Volozj (who is a sanctioned Russian billionaire) and Wolfs Advocaten that there is broad support for the squatting of Vossiusstraat 16. Volozj’s involvement in the war will not go unnoticed. We will not be intimidated by the law or the rich!

The court case is publicly accessible. You can be present for the entire hearing, or a part thereof, to show support for the action. To attend the hearing you need to show your identification at the entrance of the courthouse, but your name will not be shared with anyone besides the personel of the courthouse. It is therefore not anonymous, we encourage those who do not feel comfortable identifying themselves to the court to show up anyway but stay outside in front of the courthouse as a solidarity protest. [Read More]

Amsterdam: building from russian oligarch squatted

Today we are announcing our new home at Vossiusstraat 16. The police just arrived! Come and support.

We purposefully decided to squat this building, owned by Russian billionaire Arkadiy Volozj. As everyone knows, the Russian army invaded Ukraine this year. This is just the latest in a list of Putin’s crimes, against Ukraine, against LGBT people, in Syria, and many more. With this year’s invasion, the Russian state is finally widely denounced as criminal, genocidal, and as an authoritarian state. Volozj, who founded Russian propaganda site Yandex, has been placed on the sanctions list of the European Union since the invasion, as the EU determined he “is supporting, materially or financially, the Government of the Russian Federation and is responsible for supporting actions or policies which undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.”.

Yet this house was not frozen until a few weeks ago, because it’s owned through a company on the Virgin Islands. The billionaire’s lawyers contacted the government to inform them of his property here, but the government didn’t send it on to the department responsible for sanctions. Clearly, the Dutch state doesn’t see it as a priority to curb billionaires and oligarchs. National sanctions coordinator Stef Blok claimed that the Dutch housing market just isn’t interesting to Russian oligarchs. That’s obviously bullshit.
About 9000 properties in the Netherlands were bought through companies in tax havens. 6000 houses are owned by companies that through shady constructions are untraceable. In total, they own 10.5 billion euros worth of properties. It’s clear: There is no housing shortage, there is an excess of rich people. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Housing justice now! Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 302 squatted

Sunday 23 october, rolling out a giant banner, squatters’ collective Mokum Kraakt announced that it has squatted four days ago Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 302. House peace is set, preventing the police to immediately evict. Here their public statement:

The city is cracking at the seams. The housing crisis is far from over. On top of that the energy and inflation crises are causing daily life as such to be unaffordable. At the same time, real estate investors, landlords and speculators are being pampered while mass tourism and gentrification are wrecking the liveability of the city.

The people of Amsterdam are succumbing under capital’s dead weight. Mokum is succumbing under the lack of space for young people, working people, poor people, refugees and old people. Mokum is succumbing under the stranglehold of the rich and the proprietors and the slow suffocation of alternative culture.

But Mokum fights back. We no longer accept that our city is for the rich only. That the economic and commercial interests of real estate owners are unassailable. That we can no longer give shape to our own city, its culture, the way that we live. And that living space is wasted on vacancy and neglect when most Amsterdammers may soon not be able to afford their flats, their energy or their food. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Squatted hotel Rembrandt evicted

Squatted hotel Rembrandt was evicted on the 15th of October 2022. The eviction happened after only a few days of occupation. According to the court the building was unsafe to reside in. This decision was made in our absence, we were not given the ability to present evidence in our defense and no inspection had taken place.

Even though the biggest part of the building is safe to live in and the stripped part had been closed off, the court decided to evict without a hearing. We wonder if it has something to do with the extremely expensive lawyers of the owner?

The police came by on the 14th of October to announce that we would have to leave, our lawyer confirmed they made this decision and going into high appeal would not call off the eviction. They gave us 3 hours to pack our stuff.

Autonomous Student Struggle (A.S.S.) called for a demonstration in front of the building, to protest against this ridiculous verdict to protect the landlords of the city from homeless students.The police decided not to show themselves until the next morning when they evicted us with their special forces. Resistance ensued in the form of barricades, the occupants could escape before being captured. The owner hired private security to stand in front of the door for the rest of the day. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Wijde Heisteeg 7 call out

On the 9th January 2016 a squatting action took place in the center of Amsterdam. WH7 Wijde Heisteeg 7, a 6 story building in a pretty bad shape. This action was done for two reasons, the presentation of the squatting manual and as a living/social space.
The building was chosen for being a famous example of emptiness for speculation. It is owned by P. W. Hagedoorn, A well know speculator from the city who was also involved with the Spinhuis eviction.
The house was previously squatted in 2007 till 2011. Then was evicted to remain empty for five more years till it was squatted again.
The project hosted numerous people as well a social space with a free shop and different activities. It also worked together with the neighbours and Vereniging Vrienden van de Amsterdamse Binnenstad to fight against the owner and his new project. He wanted to make a renovation that was met with opposition of both groups for different reasons. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Mokum Kraakt starts fundraising for comrades arrested during Hotel Mokum eviction!

We are Mokum Krrraakt, a squatting collective regrouping Hotel Mokum, Kinderen van Mokum, and other squatters.

We are currently located at Nicole (Kinkerstraat 304). We house people and organize nonprofit, open and free cultural and political events to fight against the growing monoculture of the city. We squat as a protest against violently incompetent urban housing and planning policy, against gentrification, and against the unaffordability of the city.

On the 26th of November 2021, Hotel Mokum on Marnixstraat was evicted. During the eviction, several people were arrested for peacefully demonstrating, some of them violently. For their solidarity with Hotel Mokum and the squatting movement, they were violently arrested and threatened with fines and court cases.

We want to support these people by covering their juridical costs. But we can’t do this alone. The little income we generate goes to cleaning and rebuilding Nicole, where we organize free events. That’s why we’re organizing this fundraiser, and we need your help! [Read More]

Amsterdam: Film afternoon about housing struggle in Oost

Film afternoon about housing struggle in Oost at Joe’s Garage from 16:00 till 18:00 on 20 july 2022.

On the basis of footage of residents’ actions by the Squatter Group East (Kraakgroep Oost) and the Tenants’ Association East (Huurdersvereniging Oost), we will discuss many years of resistance against this still ongoing attack on affordable housing.
The program also includes a new film about Frans Ondunk, chairman of the Tenants’ Association East, but also known as the Sheriff of East, who fired at landlords on a daily basis.
Throughout the history of Amsterdam East, the squatting movement and the local tenants’ association have propagated the same message with regularity. The property owners whose properties were squatted were often the same as those of the properties in which tenants were terrorized. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Ceintuurbaan 39 squatted

RAAK (Radikale Anti Anti Kraak) had made a call out on Radar for a demonstration against gentrification in the Pijp in Amsterdam on saturday 9 july 2022.

In the wake of eviction of Ferdinand Boldstraat 14, a new ground floor was squatted on Ceintuurbaan 39. This old vitamin store was empty for 8 years and is around the corner from the Ferdinand Bolstraat.
In this building the give away shop will move from the Ferdinand Bolstraat and we will organize events, also together with the neighborhood.
The new squatted building was made public during the anti-gentrification demonstration in the Pijp. The participants of the demo moved the give away shop and free soup was handed out.

Squatting goes on, all the yuppies out of the Pijp! [Read More]

Amsterdam: demonstration against gentrification

Call out by the Radikale Anti Anti Kraak (R.A.A.K.) for a demonstration against gentrification on saturday 9 July 2022, 16:00, at Marie Heinekenplein in Amsterdam.

Gentrification does not just happen. It is a direct result of state policies and the system we live in: large corporations see potential to make money off a neighbourhood, and the state creates space for them to do this. Social housing gets sold and becomes private housing, more expensive stores are opened, and soon the original residents realize that they cannot afford to live in their neighbourhood anymore. More and more people with low income, especially people of colour and migrants, are forced to move to the outskirts of the city, and wealthier people take their place. Public spaces are no longer public but only affordable for people with high income. Gentrification does not solve poverty, but creates it, while moving it out of sight from wealthier people and tourists.

On the 13th of June, we squatted an abandoned building owned by the municipality in the Pijp, one of the most gentrified neighbourhoods in Amsterdam. Besides housing people, we are creating a much needed space that does not revolve around money. We are providing a place for people to relax, drink coffee and tea, or enjoy free food, as well as a free shop for people to bring and collect clothes, and a place to do laundry for those who cannot afford to wash it somewhere else. We are taking direct action against gentrification, rather than waiting for the municipality to solve the problems that their own policies helped to create. [Read More]