Wassenaar: Living in a Haunted Palace

By: fawda - May 20th, 2019  Filed under: Communique, News

King of Slums

Early in July 2018, the rapidly decaying historical manor house and the surrounding wooded park Ívicke at Rust en Vreugdlaan 2 in Wassenaar were squatted. Built as a little paradise — degraded to a real estate speculator’s plaything. His name is Ronnie van de Putte: a man with an eye-catching reputation in the world of real estate, infamous for speculating with prime locations and deliberately letting cultural heritage rot away for decades. In the seventies and eighties he acquired the nickname the ‘King of Slums’ and ‘Van de Beerputte’ (‘beerput’ is Dutch for ‘cesspool’). Van de Putte made a fortune buying real estate and reselling it for profit, but he never built or developed anything. For decades, Bever Holding (the real estate fund held by Ronnie and his wife Ria) has left a trail of slums and urban voids throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. Among Van de Putte’s most noteworthy achievements are the total deterioration of a former monastery in Zeeland (abandoned for thirty years) and inviting the collapse of an old horse stable in Noordwijk, creating quite a stir in March 2018, after the place burnt for the third time and the owner still refused to clean up the mess. Also his “Void of Palace” (where the Palace Hotel was located) and the Vuurtorenplein are an ongoing subject of conflict between Van de Putte and the municipality of Noordwijk. In Leiden, a little further south, Ronnie played the same game with the ‘Void of Van de Putte’, right in front of the train station. In 2005, during the kick-off of the nationwide Woonstrijd! Action Tour (‘Woonstrijd’ means ‘Fight for Housing’), the void and the neighbouring office building were squatted and turned into Vrijplaats Multipleks († 2015). Due to clerical errors, the municipality failed to expropriate the building from Van de Putte, which, in 2010, resulted in councilman Van Woensel (VVD: the liberal party) acquiescing to the ‘King of Slums’ and rewarding him handsomely for twenty years of deceiving the municipality: to the tune of 17,9 million euros! [Read More]

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Netherlands: JaKra! squatting yearbook 2018 released

By: fawda - May 20th, 2019  Filed under: News

JaKra! is initiated by KSU Den Haag (The Hague Squatting Info Centre). In this book project we would like to look back on a number of developments and events in the past year, together with squatters and housing activists in different places.
It turns out that squatting is still necessary and useful — as some of the stories in the first JaKra! issue (squatting yearbook 2018) demonstrate. Housing is a necessity. There needs to be space for autonomy. Protests against speculation, social degradation, and miserable urban regeneration are necessary. We must fight for an inclusive city with sufficient affordable housing and non-commercial places to go out and meet people.
By sharing some of our successes and setbacks on an annual basis, we hope to contribute to creating more intercity involvement and solidarity between squatters and housing activists in the Netherlands and beyond and to inspire more people to become active themselves, helping to build an effective movement for the housing struggle.
In the Netherlands JaKra! #1 will soon be available for 5 euros in the subversive bookshops Rosa (Groningen), the Opstand (Den Haag) and the Fort van Sjakoo (Amsterdam) and soon also available to download. The book is bilingual, Dutch-English. [Read More]

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Wassenaar: Rust Vreugd Terreur, benefit festival in support of legal costs

By: fawda - May 11th, 2019  Filed under: News

May 17th & 18th 2019, Rust Vreugd Terreur at Huize Ívicke, Rust en Vreugdlaan 2 in Wassenaar, a benefit festival in support of legal costs for WH7 Amsterdam, AC Den Haag, and K19 Zeist in corporation with ]LAG(

With legal fees and bills to pay and anniversaries to celebrate, Rust Vreugd en Terreur brings together an eclectic coagulation of visual and sonic experiences. Analogue and digital conjoin in outbursts of DIY and antifascist spirits, resonating sweet harmonics and harsh noises. Two days of performances, workshops, bands, vj’s, dj’s and more in the subverted pinnacle of bourgeois decadence that is Huize Ivicke. All capital accumulation will be redistributed towards the below three court cases.
Two arrestees of the Wijde Heisteeg are in threat by time in jail, fines and DNA samples. Four arrestees of the Autonomous centre in The Hague are still proceeding against fines and probation. Five arrestees of Zeist are summoned.
All arrestees of the above cases were temporarily taken into custody for squatting and are now being prosecuted. Their living spaces remain empty, or partly used by anti squat. They were evicted from places in which active autonomous subculture was thriving without any governmental support or interference. Instead of being grateful for their social function, they are put aside and criminalized [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Wijde Heisteeg 7

By: fawda - May 1st, 2019  Filed under: News

More than two years after the eviction of Wijde Heisteeg 7 in Amsterdam centre, two people are still fighting against a prison sentence for squatting a house that it is still empty today.
The eviction was on 23 December 2016 some hours after the civil court case was lost. At the eviction 4 people were arrested and they were charged for squatting. In November 2017 two of the people arrested got a fine of 500€ and were requested to give their DNA samples. For the other two people the court has ordered prison sentences, one of four and one of six weeks and DNA samples from each.
The son of the owner filed a claim for € 106.110,60 in damages and compensation for lost rent and VAT. the court declared this request inadmissible.
The people who risk prison sentences have appealed and there is no date for the hearing yet. But we know that the son of the owner upholds his request for compensation in the appeal procedure for a house that is still empty today, except for the ground floor, which since the eviction has been rented out to a small clothing antikraak pop up store.

Background info about Wijde Heisteeg 7

The monumental house was squatted a first time 4 years long from February 2007 till March 2011. According the squatters, in 2007 the house was in bad condition, the roof leaking on several spots, some windows broken and the rooms humid and dirty. They worked on the house to make it inhabitable. Wijde Heisteeg 7 was evicted a first time on 22nd March 2011. It was the first eviction wave in Amsterdam after the squatting ban from 1st October 2010. [Read More]

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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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Utrecht: Illegal eviction at Burgemeester Reigerstraat

By: fawda - March 17th, 2019  Filed under: News

The buildings are owned by Marcel Paping, who has multiple real estate companies. He was present during the action, being aggressive and annoying towards people supporting outside. We got a lot of support from the neighbourhood. Many of the neighbours are bothered by the empty, neglected, run down buildings and shops. Although a few neighbours expressed aversion to the situation, others mentioned being happy that people finally took action against emptiness and housing need.
The 5 monumental buildings have been empty for 5 years. The owner wants to demolish them to create new apartments, a shop, and a garage, but his plans are so intrusive that the neighbours are against it.
The squatters have had house peace since 2 days, so the police was acting in name of the owner once again. This resulted in an illegal eviction and damage done to the building. After the owner did not succeed to enter with the key, cops broke windows and kicked in a door on the back, neither without a warning or wanting to talk to the spokes people or the squatters. [Read More]

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Zeist (Netherlands): Krakelingenweg evicted

By: fawda - March 15th, 2019  Filed under: News

Around 16:30 yesterday afternoon, the eviction at Krakelingweg 19 came to an end. From 8:00 in the morning onward the police, BraTra, fire brigade, together with some cherry pickers were busy getting people out of the house (including a safe!), the basement, the roof, and of tree houses built on the terrain. During the whole day, the police blocked several parts of the forests in order to prevent anyone (‘looking like a squatter’) coming close to the building. Once the eviction got called to and end, security company Andor (a dog brigade) and DGR Dienstverlening started to clean and secure the building.

According to the police, 14 people got arrested, of which; 6 people inside or around the building; 4 people in tree houses; and 4 people wandering around the forest. The police mentioned that they were not sure whether these hikers were indeed people from “our group”. Also, they mentioned that 2 people had been brought to the hospital, one becoming unwell, and one suffering from hypothermia (low body temperature). We do not know whether both people were checked by an ambulance, and indeed brought to the hospital, or if this was a rumor. As far as we know, 12 people are in the police station (and not 14, as the cops mentioned). They are all doing fine.

After tree intense weeks of resistance, building, creating, and a lot of waiting, we have lost our goddamn cold but lovely home in the forest. Although the law is not on our side and cops seem to make it a little (lot!) harder for us each time, we will not stop. [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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Trespass Journal Issue Three

By: sisulscz - January 6th, 2019  Filed under: Announcement, essay

We’re glad to finally present Issue 3 of Trespass Journal!

In this issue, which is online and freely distributed, you’ll find a translation from English to Dutch of a journal article about how a moral panic was generated to enforce the criminalisation of squatting in the Netherlands and a translation to French of a brief text about migration on Idomeni in Greece, near to Macedonia, which was previously published in Trespass 2 in Italian.

As interventions in five languages, we have an analysis of the lack of support to the ZAD in Brittany, plus short pieces about the opening of a new anarchist social centre in the Paris suburbs, community resistance to preserve a park in London, the demolition of a community gym in Athens, an (unsuccessful) eviction threat in Catania, and an eviction in Catalonia. And a report on the resquat of the watertower in Utrecht! There’s plenty more news and analysis on this website.
[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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