Amsterdam: Violettenstraat 10-12 squatted

Neighborhood letter

Dear neighbors,

We are your new neighbors living in Jordaan. We are group of four young people, who are not rich enough to be able to find a roof over our heads in what is fast becoming “Disneyland Amsterdam”.

We are here today to bring life to an unloved, derelict place. We intend to collectively renovate a space left to rot by the squander of a profit hungry corporation and transform it into a quiet, cosy home.

The property we are squatting has been empty for 2 years. Libra International BV, a real estate speculation company, is the owner. This company owns more than a thousand properties in the Netherlands and is well known to operate in the area “between illegal and legal”; they perform house-price raising “property swaps” between their numerous shell corporations; they deliberately render buildings unlivable and leave them empty, degrading, in order to speculate on the land value; they deliberately refrain from their duties as a landlord, withholding their obligated basic maintenance of properties as a means to pressure renters who get in the way of their plans to leave. They render homes into mere sums of money to speculate over, making the city unaffordable, and unlivable for common people. [Read More]

Amsterdam: We Are Here squats a house for a woman and two children

Refugee collective We Are Here has squatted a house at Rudolf Dieselstraat 72 for a woman and two children, together with people who now live under harsh circumstances in the church in the James Wattstraat.
After more than 5 years of fighting for a normal life, we know what it means to live on the street or to continuously move from one place to another. It means that you loose all the time, your life looses sense, you are affected. Six of us have already lost their life. The pressure is rising. A solution has to come now.
The women’s building on the Burgemeester Roëllstraat 70, where 25 women of We Are Here are living since a year and a half, can be evicted by the housing corporation from the 10th of April.
Most political parties have agreed that no building of We Are Here will be evicted as long as they negotiate about the new board. We invite them to work together on a stable place and a real Amsterdam-style solution.
We are here and we need a place to live. [Read More]

Amsterdam: ADM wins court procedure

Another court-case took place on January 24th, ADM asking for an interim measure in the appeal court-case of Chidda versus The Municipality of Amsterdam, about evicting the ADM.

Today February 7th 2018, we did get the interim measure so this means that we can await the verdict in our appeal case that is expected to take place in the summer of 2018. ADM stays!!!! You can read the verdict in the interim measure court-case here: https://www.raadvanstate.nl/uitspraken/zoeken-in-uitspraken/tekst-uitspraak.html?id=93981&summary_only=&q= [Read More]

Netherlands: Squatting Office Hour The Hague

Gentrification and the sale of council houses are causing renting to become more and more expensive, while the private housing market remains out of reach for many people. Despite the critical shortage of affordable housing, many houses in The Hague and its surrounding needlessly remain empty for a long period of time. Against this background, anti-squat (property guardian) companies portray themselves as the solution, but by housing people in precarious situations they only further dismantle tenant rights.
Government and private companies won’t solve the housing crisis. As long as there has been housing shortage, there are people who claim their right of residence in vacant spaces. This worldwide phenomenon is called squatting: the act of taking into use abandoned buildings or sites — without permission of the owner. Up until today squatting offers solutions; from providing housing to the creation of spaces for social initiatives.
KSU The Hague is such an initiative. We want to be an information point for people with questions about housing rights in general and the theory and practice of squatting in particular. Please don’t hesitate to drop by or send us an email!

Every Wednesday from 19:00 till 21:00
Spui 277, 2511BR, Den Haag
ksu-denhaag [at] riseup [dot] net
https://kraakspreekuurdenhaag.noblogs.org/
https://radar.squat.net/nl/den-haag/kraakspreekuur-den-haag

The Hague: 1st february, support De Vloek 10! Come to the Court of Appeal!

On the 1st of February the appeal of the 10 people who resisted against the eviction of De Vloek. The city of The Hague (Netherlands) tries to impose a fine of 50,000 Euro against the 10, earlier the 10 were convicted to pay 33,000 Euro. The court case will start at 09:30am at the court in The Hague.
On the February the 9th, 2015 the free space De Vloek was evicted. De Vloek was squatted for 13 years and offered people a place to live, a vegan and organic eat café, a space for concerts, several working spaces and the development of extra parliamentary politics. After a one and a half year campaign to save De Vloek the free space was evicted for a sailing center.
During the eviction 10 people were arrested. All arrestees were prosecuted, five of them were imprisoned for 2 weeks. The city of The Hague now also demands 50,000 Euro “damages” from the 10 in a civil court case. The claim for damages by city authorities is a repressive way to punish the 10 people double who resisted against the eviction. This absurd claim must be off the table!

Come to the court case and support De Vloek 10!
Date: 01/02/2018 Time: 9am
Location: Paleis van Justitie, Prins Clauslaan 60 , The hague, Netherlands
[Read More]

Netherlands: January 24th, new court case for the ADM

Another court-case is coming up: ADM asking for an interim measure in the appeal court-case of Chidda versus The Municipality of Amsterdam, about evicting the ADM.

In this upcoming court-case we ask the Raad van State, an administrative court of law, that we can await the verdict of the appeal court-case that we started, together with the Municipality, against the verdict in the court-case that was started by Chidda Vastgoed BV & Amstelimmo BV (The heirs of Bertus Lüske), which orders that the Municipality has to start enforcing the ‘bestemmingsplan’ (=> the zoning of the area, “It’s not allowed to live in this part of the harbor”). The initial verdict, given in July 2017, in fact orders the Municipality to evict us, and they started the process by handing us all a letter on August 5th. 2017 stating that we have 6 months to stop violating the zoning of the area. So in fact, for now, the Municipality has to start the eviction of the ADM any day from February 5th. 2018 onward… (!)

This interim measure court-case will be held at the Raad van State (‘The Council of the State’) in The Hague on January 24th 2018 at 11.45 (Address: Kneuterdijk 22, 2514 EN, Den Haag)

More info and background about this and other court-cases; click here [Read More]

Amsterdam: Defend free spaces – last chance for Bajesdorp

Upcoming Wednesday (22.11) is our last chance to address the city of Amsterdam: Our message is clear: We want a social city and we won´t move for hotels, speculation and tax advantages.

Come and support us at the Stopera @ 19:00!!!!! Bring a banner, yourself and else….:)
Amsterdam without Free Spaces = Almere

Very short notice: We in Bajesdorp heard today (Monday) that we are on the council agenda upcoming Wednesday. The city council will finalize the ¨bestemmingsplan¨ of the area Bajesdorp is part of) of our area.
Quick update on our situation: The Bijlmer Bajes (the prison) got sold last September to a project developer to realize city expansion. After lobbying within the council, the city granted extra points to developers (there was a competition) who would take us into consideration.
AM won the competition. AM project development made us a ¨part¨ of their plan, even advertising with Bajesdorp festival in 2021. They promised us space within their plans and alternatively, another location for us to be, work and live.
However, in the last meeting we had with them, we were told that the majority of Bajesdorp will be sold off to a third party and that half of Bajesdorp will demolished in Februari 2018 due to tax advantages. That third party will eventually build a hotel on site in 2021, but apparently needs to demolish half of Bajesdorp including our social centre three years prior development.

Upcoming Wednesday (22.11) is our last chance to address the city of Amsterdam: Our message is clear: We want a social city and we won´t move for hotels, speculation, anti-kraak and tax advantages. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Support with We Are Here against an eviction

Solidarity with We Are Here. The residents of the Nienoord 2 (squatted since April 17th 2017) received the police letter announcing their evition: Friday morning 17 November 9:00, their property must be “left empty”. The general meeting of Sunday November 12th has permanently decided: The inhabitants will not leave the house voluntarily. They call all sympathisers of their movement to come in great numbers to their house to support their peaceful resistance. Sympathisers, let us support them and show that we do not accept this degrading policy of deterrence. We are here and we need each other to fight the system that oppresses us all. [Read More]

Utrecht: Watertower squatted to protest squatban, later evicted

Yesterday (October 1) a water tower in Utrecht (in the Netherlands) was squatted to mark seven years since the criminalisation of squatting. The long empty building (which was already squatted in the past) is a perfect example of the necessity to occupy empty buildings. A big banner was put on the building saying ‘Fuck the squatban.’ Unfortunately the state responded with overwhelming force and evicted the building the same day. According to reports, seven people were arrested, six squatters and one person outside for “insulting the police”. Solidarity with the arrestees!

Here follows a (quickly translated) statement from the squatters:
[Read More]

Amsterdam: ADM’s XX Birthday Festival

ADM celebrates her porcelain jubilee!
Take a gentri-vacation on the ADM reservation

The squatted cultural freespace ADM exists 20 years in October. And that will be celebrated at the 12th, 13th and 14th of October 2017. Three days full of spectacle you do not want to miss. Artists, performers and visitors from all over the world will come to ADM this weekend to celebrate that there is still a place where unnecessary regulations do not exist, the hands of the clock are not breathing in your neck and where non-conformers walk freely.

For three years, ADM’s continued existence is under pressure, there are countless lawsuits and a lot of media attention. In early August, the court decided that the municipality of Amsterdam has to enforce the areal planning, with the result that ADM should be evicted. If this actually is going to happen is the big question, the municipality must still determine whether the so-called owner is allowed to execute the building plans. All in all, this does not change the ideals, life-lust and cultural expression of the ADMrs or the celebration of ADM’s birthday festival! [Read More]

Amsterdam: Spinhuis to be evicted. We are militant and determined to resist

On the 28th of August, almost two years after the abandoned dungeon under the bridge was squatted, the Spinhuis will be evicted. The autonomous social centre will be swept away. What will come in its place will be a closed, ostensibly ‘neigbourhood initiative’ for canal homeowners, but which is widely known to be a vessel for the ambitions of Peter Hagendoorn (son of the well-known real estate speculant).
Whoever thought that we would just let this happen is wrong. Long have we fought for a social and independent Spinhuis to remain, using all the tools we had: from crowbars on doors, to negotiations with the municipality, and all the rhetorical skills and political wrangling that come with dealing with bureaucrats. However the fate of the squat had already been decided upon. Nevertheless, we remain ready to fight. From under the bridge we will take to the streets to resist the evictions of the Spinhuis and ADM, and the overwhelming commercialisation and gentrification of our city. Here follows a reflection on the past two years and the battle that is yet to come. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Bad news for the ADM

admThe municipality of Amsterdam lost from the so-called owners (‘the Chidda’s) in the court case about ‘enforcing’ (the fact that one isn’t allowed to live on the ADM, according to the zoning plan). This means in fact that the municipality is now forced to make plans to evict the ADM and has to make a decision within 6 weeks about the time schedule. The municipality could appeal this verdict, but will they? We also expect very soon the verdict in the appeal of the ‘bodemprocedure (in depth court case) The question is then also how they’re in relation to each other. We can appeal this decision as well. More information about what we’re going to do will follow… [Read More]