Amsterdam: Het Kløkhuis wins court case

By: fawda - April 2nd, 2019  Filed under: Communique, News

It was yesterday April 1st but it’s not a joke! We, the Kinderen van Møkum (Children of Møkum), were told yesterday that we won the lawsuit against the State. On February 22nd, the Klokhuis, building squatted by the Kinderen van Møkum on sunday september 30th 2018, received a letter of eviction from the public prosecutor. This despite the fact that the building has been empty since the beginning of this century, has been squatted several times and the owner would continue speculating if we were to leave. To fight this, we filed a lawsuit against the State and went to court with more than thirty young people. Here we have argued for a complete ban on eviction and this has been granted to us! Hooray! The Kløkhuis Amsterdam may stay! Big thanks to everyone who supported us!

Kinderen van Møkum, Het Kløkhuis
Zeeburgerpad 22, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
https://squ.at/r/6ixz [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Mobiele Eenheid Evicted from Gedempt Hamerkanaal 86

By: fawda - February 6th, 2019  Filed under: Communique, News

On Friday first of February, the Mobiele Eenheid left Gedempt Hamerkanaal 86 and the adjoining Spijkerkade 2 following an eviction ruling from civil court proceedings. Six people have been made homeless and Amsterdam has lost yet another non-commercial social space.

The original eviction verdict was made on the basis of the property owner’s supposed plan to begin renovation works on the building for the purposes of building a hotel.

Though the owner has a permit from 2013 – prior to the city’s policy not to build more hotels – he has taken no further steps since this time, nor did he present any concrete plans or contracts in court demonstrating this intent. The contention of Mobiele Eenheid was that the owner has been speculating on the property for the more than 12 years in which it has largely been empty, since it was last squatted in 2006.

Mobiele Eenheid argued that the owner’s true intention was to await the municipality’s forthcoming development plan for the Hamerkwartier in 2020, whereupon it is anticipated that much of the area will be redeveloped for housing. At this point, the owner will attempt to sell his property at the higher land value commanded for a hotel, having played the system for his own benefit at a cost to the city. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: ADM sleeps on the Dam square

By: fawda - January 20th, 2019  Filed under: News, video

Yes people it is true. Dark days have fallen upon the city of Amsterdam and with it came a wave of oppression. ADM R.I.P. Tonight several ADMers and other groups will take there homelessness to the Dam square for a good old fashioned street sleeping action. Join us and lets keep the cold streets heated with our passion for freedom.
19 January 2019, 18:00, Dam square Amsterdam with live music, speakers, talks, hot food, drinks, games. On the program: Bucket Boyz, The Ex (half acoustic), queer choir, Rhythms of Resistance, Please bring tents, sleeping bags, warm cloths, snacks, instruments, candles, anything else to enjoy a night under the Amsterdam winter sky. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: ADM eviction

By: fawda - January 7th, 2019  Filed under: News

The ADM eviction has started on monday morning, 7 january 2019. Time line, pictures, videos and more news are to be found on Indymedia Nederland. No statement at the moment about this eviction on the ADM website. More news to follow as soon as possible…

PRESS RELEASE, Amsterdam 9 January 2019
Municipality of Amsterdam observes large-scale destruction of Community ADM

Mayor Halsema of Amsterdam today received through neighbourhood director Ferry den Edel and the visibly concerned civil servant Ivar Schreurs the observation that most of the houses, properties and workshops belonging to our community ADM yesterday were destroyed ‘by third parties’. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: ADM claims “eviction is cancelled by United Nations’ Human Rights Committee”

By: fawda - December 27th, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News, Press release

On December 27th 2018, civil servants were met by a welcoming committee at the entrance of the ADM terrain. As announced previously by the mayor, they were sent to check if the ADM was empty of its inhabitants. They were not let in and were asked to make a new appointment which they refused.

Here news and statements published by ADM on the 27th:

Eviction of the ADM cancelled by United Nations’ Human Rights Committee (December 26th. 2018)

We received great news that the United Nations will stand up for our rights, yeah!
This is the statement of our wonderful Human Right’s lawyer Electra Leda Koutra:

“Great great news for “free spaces” across the world. Fulfillment and relief (for now). The ADM Amsterdam stays!!! NO EVICTION TO ANY SPACE THAT DOES NOT RESPECT INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS CAN TAKE PLACE. The Complaint of 60 ADMers has been communicated to the Dutch Government with request for observations that have to be submitted until 26 June 2019. Then we will comment on them.
The Amsterdam Municipality had adopted a superficial “law and order” approach, based on the final decision of the High Court which was ordering their eviction. However, the Municipality obviously disregarded its own obligation, as regional government, under international law to ensure that an eviction is compatible with international standards and showed intolerance to the applicants’ socio-cultural minority status and the need for relocation of the whole community as a whole (unregistered residents and house boat residents too) in “a site better than the current one”. Not temporarily, but permanently. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: The Kløkhuis squat threatened

By: fawda - December 18th, 2018  Filed under: News

The Kløkhuis squat threatened by Hagatex BV, the textile company of Maged Hagagg.

On 30 September 2018, we squatted an empty building, the Kløkhuis, on the Zeeburgerpad 22 in Amsterdam. The building, owned by Appelbeheer BV since the end of 1990, has been rotting away for the most of the time. The building has been squatted several times since then. The building has finally been taken back into use by us as a social place and living space. We had to clean the terrible mess left inside and throw away more than a hundred garbage bags of waste.

This was the state in which we found the property, a complete ravage. And yet on 16 December, we received a very informal letter stuck on the door. In this letter Hagatex BV claimed that it is their business premises and that if we had not “delivered and evacuated” the next day before midday the police would take us by force out of the building.

They came with tools to break the door open, threatened to do so if we didn’t leave ourselves and started to pull the lock out of the door. Hagatex has lost a lawsuit with the owner after sub renting the property and renting it to students for parties. Such a company on no account has the right to access the property and claim that in the havoc in which we found it, their business is nestled. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: ADM Christmas Newsletter 2018

By: fawda - December 16th, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News

Update: Tuesday 18 december 2018, 14:00, Appeal Court-case ADM vs. Amsterdam’ municipality

ADM is appealing the issuing of an environmental permit to the Koole Maritime LCC company, by the Municipality of Amsterdam, despite the fact that the activities of this asbestos removal company are NOT complying with the Perpetual Clause, which rests on the ADM terrain. In our previous court-case this case was dismissed, because the court ruled that we can’t be a party in the interpretation of that Perpetual Clause.
The Perpetual Clause, which is part of the buying contract in 1997 by Bertus Lüske states:
– When the ADM is being sold, it should be offered first to the Municipality of Amsterdam
– On the ADM terrain is only a ship-wharf or ship-wharf related activities allowed
This Appeal court-case starts at 14.00 at The Court of Amsterdam
Address: Palace of Justice, IJdok 20, 1013 MM Amsterdam

Early November the ADM residents received the official letter of the mayor, in which everyone is ordered to leave the terrain before the 25th of December. De municipality offers the sludge-fields in the North of Amsterdam as a temporary emergency solution. This terrain does not provide a solution for the many ADM people who do not have a mobile house or who live on ships and houseboats. Only for 2 years this terrain will be available, it is nearly impossible to build anything (It is forbidden to dig poles into the polluted soil) and winter is is starting to kick in. A humanitarian drama, but nobody calls the municipality to account. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Mobiele Eenheid visit to the City Council

By: fawda - December 12th, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News, video

We went to the City Council to talk about empty buildings, the shrinking of free spaces, speculation and Amsterdam’s tendency to keep prioritizing projects that the city doesn’t need. Like, for instance, more hotels.

Mobiele Eenheid
Gedempt Hamerkanaal 86
1021 KR Amsterdam
info [at] mobiele-eenheid [dot] org
https://squ.at/r/6cza
https://mobiele-eenheid.org/ [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Support Mobiele Eenheid at the city council

By: fawda - December 4th, 2018  Filed under: News

This is a call out for everyone who supports the Mobiele Eenheid to come and show up at the meeting of the city council on Thursday 6 December, 13:30 @ Stopera!
Those of you who have been following our news know that the judge ordered us to leave our current location on 1st of February. We believe that this will lead to unnecessary emptiness. The owner will definitely not begin the construction of his (unwanted) hotel by then, and is most probably waiting to see what the future of the neighborhood looks like and what effect this could have on his wallet.
We intend to make the city council aware of our situation and hold them to their promise not to evict for emptiness and their intention to limit the number of hotels in the city.
If you can make it we would very much appreciate your support and think that showing we are many may make a bigger statement. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: No eviction for hotels! The squatting collective ‘De Mobiele Eenheid’ stays!

By: fawda - November 21st, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News

Building squatted
The squat collective De Mobiele Eenheid has squatted the Gedempte Hamerkanaal 86 / Spijkerkade 2 building a few weeks ago and has started a non-commercial social centre with a program of activities almost every day. After only a few weeks that the collective released the building from the control of real estate violence, an end to this freedom was threatening: The owner, Uri Ben Yakir, stepped to court because he intends to turn the building into a hotel.

The judge ruled yesterday, November the 20th, that the squat collective Mobiele Eenheid can stay until February 1, 2019. The collective demands action from politicians and considers to appeal the decision in court and oppose the eviction.

Overcrowded with hotels
Amsterdam is full of hotels and overcrowded with tourists. There is little to show of the so-called Hotel stop that announced the previous city council. The owner of the squatted building in the Gedempte Hamerkanaal 86 / Spijkerkade 2, a diamond merchant, also knows that real diamonds nowadays have two legs, enter through Schiphol and pull roll-up luggage. If it is up to De Mobiele Eenheid, no hotel in the city will be added. As long as politics does not succeed, squatting is necessary. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: ADM Action at Chidda Vastgoed BV

By: fawda - November 12th, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News

Today we went to the headquarters of Chidda Vastgoed BV to present a cheque of 100 million euros to the heirs of Bertus Lüske in a massive golden box. There were about 50 people at the action, and none of the heirs of Lüske came out to pick up the present.

Why did we do that?
The city of Amsterdam gives an absurd gift of 100 million euros to the heirs of Bertus Lüske, by evicting the residents of the ADM.
Today we went to give a huge gift to Chidda Vastgoed B.V. on behalf of the city of Amsterdam.
Due to the evacuation of the residents of the ADM site and allowing demolition- and asbestos removal company Koole BV to move to the ADM site, while their activities are not fitting with the perpetual clause that is part of the site, the value of the site is increasing enormously. Money that shouldn’t go to the real-estate mafia but back to the citizens of Amsterdam!
The Amsterdam’ municipality can prevent this but does not dare to make tough decisions. Symbolically we therefore handed over the ‘ship with money’ on behalf of the municipality. And what is more symbolic than a sea container of the former Amsterdam’ Drydock Company. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: 15 december, demonstration against the eviction of Amsterdam!

By: fawda - November 7th, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News

15 december 2018, 15:00, Daniel Meyerplein, Amsterdam

We are angry about the sale of the city: tourism, Airbnb, gentrification, sale of the social housing stock, segregation of neighborhoods and neighborhoods, the hunt on social centers and non-profit organizations, small businesses get into trouble because of extreme rents.  The city is becoming unaffordable. Young people and students can’t find an affordable place anywhere. Amsterdammers no longer know where their children should live. Teacher shortage because there is no affordable housing for new teachers, nurses, anymore. Tenants’ rights are being eroded. More and more temporary rental contracts, good housing disappearing from the social stock, waiting lists are endless. Properties are bought up to be used as Airbnb hotels. As the city becomes more commercial, free spaces disappear to make way for monoculture. All of Amsterdam has an interest in the preservation of the ADM, as the largest international sanctuary. 150 residents and countless small businesses and initiatives, unique events and festivals that cannot take place anywhere else in Amsterdam have to make way for a nonsensical and unrealistic business plan. But that doesn’t matter because once vacated, the land and port will increase in value enormously and that’s what it’s all about. Precisely to prevent speculation, the city council decided that only a shipyard may be built on the site, but now the city suddenly does not have a hard time. [Read More]

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