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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The Hague: Acquittal in Fight Repression case

By: fawda - December 14th, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News

On 19 November 2016 about 250 people gathered on Kerkplein to demonstrate from there against the repression that has been spreading in recent years against anarchists and anti-fascists in The Hague and beyond. Repression such as the constant prohibition of demonstrations and the mapping of anti-fascists and anarchists in order to be able to take repressive measures. And this demonstration was also suppressed with repression and violence from the police, in which 166 people were arrested.

Almost two years later, the Public Prosecution Service decided to prosecute the 166 people arrested on Kerkplein. The first 50 people came to court last month. After two full days in court, the judge ruled on 3 December. The first 50 people were acquitted. Yesterday (13-12-2018), the Public Prosecution Service announced that it would not appeal and dismiss the remaining 166 cases. [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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Maastricht: Petition for the continuation of the Mandril

By: fawda - November 15th, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News

Dear lovely people, the continued existence of our beloved Mandril is at risk! The 5 year contract that was established in 2014 to use the space in Cabergerweg 45, is ending in November 2019. We are fighting for a contract renewal so that we can continue being an open space for creative expression, collaboration, and political engagement.

One way of contributing to the continued existence of the Mandril Cultural and Political Center is through this online petition. If you care about the Mandril and the continuation of this vibrant project sign & share this petition! We need you!!! Sign this petition to show that you support and value this self-organized, autonomous cultural freezone – a space of empowerment, creation, education, connection, and inspiration.

More information about the history & current situation:

The Mandril Cultural and Political Center was originally established as a squat in 2009 in Boschstraat and forced to relocate to its current location in 2014 to the former office building of the Radium factory. With the help of more than twenty volunteers, the rooms of the building were transformed from neglected, moldy spaces, full of stuff, to become usable for the continued activities and events of the Mandril. [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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Zeist (Netherlands): Callout for support in resistance to illegal eviction

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

Yesterday the police illegally evicted the recently squatted building at Utrechtseweg 86, Zeist. The squatters had written statement from a neighbour that he had seen them in the building for over 24 hours, but still the police claimed the squatters were ‘caught in the act’, and evicted on those grounds.
The police refused to arrest or ID anyone, even when they had to forcefully evict the building. One person refused to cooperate to the point that they were forced to arrest them, but they were released hours later without charge. This unwillingness to bring this case to court proves that the police know that they are acting illegally.
Today the building was re-squatted. After long discussion between the acting officer of justice, the squatters, and the police, the squatters were given until 18.00 to leave. We will not leave!
This is a call out for support inside and outside of the building. The police in and around Utrecht are increasingly deciding to ignore the house-peace of squatters, and are finding any excuse to evict squats in the moment which they appear. We aim to gather as many people as possible inside and outside the building, to make it as difficult as we can for them to do so.
We have a working legal team, the deadline for the eviction is 18,00 today. [Read More]

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The Hague: Pand Egypte squatted and evicted

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

Today (6 november) a recently squatted house in the Archipelbuurt in The Hague was evicted. The building is owned by the Egyptian government and served for decades as the residence of the Egyptian ambassador. After more than 10 years of vacancy it is in a miserable condition. Instead of respecting the domestic peace established by the squatters, the police decided today to evict the building under false pretexts. It is already the 4th unlawful eviction by the Haaglanden police force this year.

This afternoon the squatters of Surinamestraat 20 announced to the owner and police that they have been using the building as a living space since Saturday. The Egyptian ambassador and his lads, not charmed by the action, used threatening language on the spot. They thought that the building would be on Egyptian territory and that therefore no Dutch laws would apply. The police, who had been informed of the action by a written notification and by telephone by the squatters, confirmed after consultation that the territory table did not give cause for eviction. Nor did a situation arise that made it opportune for the police to evict on criminal grounds.

Initially, a discussion between the embassy police, the squatters’ spokesperson and the Egyptians was started, but when the Hague police force started to interfere in the situation, it soon became clear that they would not be taking the facts and observing the policy line on squatting drawn up by the Public Prosecution Service so closely this afternoon. Out of sheer powerlessness, it was thrown back into a ‘red-handedness’, even though it was the squatters themselves who had informed the police of the newly started habitation. [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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Amsterdam: De Mobiele Eenheid goes to court!

By: fawda - November 5th, 2018  Filed under: Communique, News

Three weeks ago, the collective De Mobiele Eenheid squatted the building Gedempt Hamerkanaal 86, Spijkerkade 2 in Amsterdam Noord. To counteract the commercialisation, mass-tourism and precarious housing market, we have created a social centre offering a weekly program. Soon after the building’s occupation in opposition to an all-encompassing property-based violence, the end is near. Following dangerous threats, the owner of the building is summoning the collective to court, based on his supposed plan to turn the building into a hotel.

Amsterdam contains a disproportionate number of hotels and is completely over-crowded. The hotel stop decreed by the previous city government, is hardly noticeable. But the owner in question, a diamond merchant and property speculator, knows that real diamonds nowadays have two legs, arrive in Schiphol and pull wheelie bags.

His presented plans are not only problematic, but also highly questionable. In 2006, the building was squatted for the first time and already then, the plan was to build a hotel. Besides an environmental permit in 2013, the owner has undertaken little to no action hinting at reconstruction of the building. Overall, the greatest part of his property has been standing empty for many years. [Read More]

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