Utrecht: “The Office”

New squat in Utrecht!
On the 6th of January 2016 we occupied an empty Office building in t’Goylaan 125-127, Utrecht.
There is a Soupcafe every Sunday at 7, if you want to help cooking, come by at 3.
The Soupcafe is held in the 5th floor cafeteria with panorama view, everybody’s welcome.

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The Hague: Eviction of Autonoom Centrum approaching

Ontruiming_Autonoom_Centrum_Den_Haag_op_komstEviction of Autonoom Centrum in The Hague is getting closer. The AC lost a long legal procedure in which the judge declared that AC can be evicted beginning January 30th. After the verdict, AC went into discussions with the owner of the building in order to reach an agreement, but the conversation went nowhere. It looks like AC will be evicted at the end of this month.

Last summer, we received a letter stating that we have to vacate the premises by 30 January 2016. This letter did not come from the building’s owner, but from the renter. This requires further explanation; the building which AC occupies is property of Pubstone BV, a company that owns many bars. Pubstone BV rents the building to InBev, the largest beer brewer in the world, worth billions. Inbev subsequently rented the building to a pub operator. Even when the building was abandoned and when it was squatted in 2010, InBev continued renting the building. InBev terminated its rental agreement and must in their own words hand the building over empty to Pubstone. Afterwords, InBev’s lawyers sent us a letter saying that we have to vacate the premises by January 30 2016. We did not agree to these terms and filed a lawsuit. The judge ruled in favor of InBev, despite the fact that the building would again stand vacant after the eviction and the verdict was that AC can be evicted from 30 Janaury 2016. [Read More]

Amsterdam: House re-squatted by Sociale Huur Tugela action group

On Sunday 22 November a building on the Tugelaweg 18A has been re-squatted out of discontent with the current housing policy in Amsterdam. The policy that is being fought is not a recent one. The breaking down of social housing has been going on for years. The privatizing of social housing companies, which have to handle their own finances since the 90s, has created a situation in which affordable housing is considered unprofitable both by the social housing companies and politicians. Social housing companies, whose goal is housing people, are for this reason rejecting social housing instead. Local politics see this happening but do not act. Because of this the situation on the housing market is becoming unsustainable; rents rise and waiting lists become longer and longer. Exactly those people for whom social housing is intended are getting problems because of this. [Read More]

Amsterdam: 10 years Joe’s Garage

2015_2005_10_years_joesgarageFor 10 years, Joe’s Garage organizes political action, film and debate evenings, discussions and demonstrations. Everyone is welcome whether it’s for advice in precarious housing, employment and other life issues or for a bowl of soup, a good conversation, nice music or a free raincoat from the Giveaway Shop.

As known, there is a desperate shortage of housing in Amsterdam. That is, we believe, generally not because of a lack of actual buildings but due to shortcomings of housing policy, power struggles in politics and greed in this capitalist capital. None of the 50 shades of the cabinet has ever really been able to solve this urgent problem.
Therefore we squat houses. After all, in hollow promises, one can’t live from pretty words and symbolic politics. [Read More]

Amsterdam: The New University squatted an empty office

Today at 13:00 the DNU [De Nieuwe Universiteit / The New University] squatted Oude Turf Markt 147, an empty part of an university building of the UvA [Universiteit van Amsterdam / University of Amsterdam]. The building will be a DNU headquarters, where people can meet to plan actions, do administrative work etc. For a movement, a space to organize is of great importance, this is exactly what DNU had in the Maagdenhuis, but unfortunately that did not last. It seems that the building where they are now located will be empty for longer due to the fact that the faculty of Humanities is cutting its budgets on housing and has moved large groups of administration elsewhere. The part that DNU now owns is barricaded and has its own door to the outside, meaning the rest of the building can still be used by UvA personnel.
[Read More]

Amsterdam: ADM’s 18th Birthday Festival

official festival poster ADM Blijt FestivalThe ADM is the biggest and longest surviving cultural freehaven in the Netherlands, known over the whole world due to 18 years social and cultural renewal and hospitality. It is an organically grown village in the western harbours of Amsterdam, arising from the longing to experiment in all possible areas. The ADM is a niche in the margin of organised society. A laboratory where the arrangement of our daily lives is practised as an art form, where the development of simple and sustainable solutions are automatic and innovation is not trendy but pure necessity.
The people of this self-regulating community are closely linked to each other by the space, visions and creations they share. On the terrain live some 130 people from all ages, nationalities and walks of life. Amongst them are: children and pensioners, theatre-makers and stage-builders, inventors and technicians, dancers and musicians, actors and directors, craftsmen and -women, sailors and buccaneerss, life-lovers and ‘different-thinkers’…
We improvise with time and money, test our place in the ecosystem, tinker with human relationships and build sculptures, compositions, heat sources and means of transport using another’s waste. In a direct interaction with our environment we thus create alternative ways of living, sharing, learning and growing. [Read More]

Den Haag: Vloek 5 court case report

Today was the courtcase against the Vloek 5. The judge ordered the release of all the prisoners, and will read a verdict in two weeks. During his ‘last word’ Kwinted Keesmaat read a great text we’re publishing below.

Dear attendants

Today we are standing here before the judge because we are being suspected of using violence. According to the Public Prosecution during the eviction of free-space De Vloek cops and buses of the riot police have been smeared with paint and the police has been violated so much by this that we are being imprisoned spread over prisons in The Netherlands for already 15 days.
I have nothing to say about the accusations of squatting and violence and leave that to my lawyer. [Read More]

Amsterdam: October 1st, Right to the City demo

POSTER-RECHT-OP-STAD-kleinWhy are we demonstrating?

RIGHT TO A SOCIAL HOUSING POLICY

The city belongs to all of us, including to the poor and to the refugees. The city council needs to focus on making the biggest medley so not only people or organizations with money, but everyone has a chance to settle at their place of choice. The heart of a city is essential part of making a city livable and therefore cheap rents for housing and shops should be preserved.

RIGHT TO COMMONALTY

A city exists out of neighborhoods. This should be neighborhoods made able by its inhabitants, neighborhoods where the grocery store, bakery and local tailor should have a place. Amsterdam is no brand, but a city where people cohabit. [Read More]

Amsterdam: De Overval, protest against the eviction

20150914_De_Overval_AmsterdamCome out to De Overval, Prins Hendrikkade 138, Amsterdam, to give a big warm sloppy old fashioned welcome to mr. Deurwaarder (the bailiff)! Let’s say ‘hi’, and make sure we say ‘bye’ to them too.
There’s coffee and tea and a rain cover, and actually the rain isn’t real too. Solidarity and resistance are! See you on the street.

Update 12:24 The police came by this morning and left after a few minutes! They did not announce a new eviction date but we will keep you posted. Everybody is still welcome for a delayed breakfast, with freeshop and music on the street!!!
Kraken gaat door!
Update 24/09/2015 De overval got evicted yesterday. Nobody was arrested.

[Read More]

Den Haag: De Vloek is being evicted. 10 people arrested

De Vloek is being evicted right now, some photos and a timeline here. Watch a live feed here: http://185.52.224.3/

06:45 Riotcops drive into the street
07:13 Water canon is throwing water on the roof, and almost hits the people.
07:15 More Riotcops are arriving
07:30 Riotcops are waiting to start the eviction. Riotcops are attacking the front wall with a bulldozer
07:40 Riotcops are starting to cut through the roof [Read More]

Den Haag: De Vloek declares independence!

According to the judge’s verdict, social centre De Vloek [previously on S!N] can be evicted as early as this Monday [TODAY]. For this reason, we find it necessary to declare our independence on this day, September 3rd, 2015! An autonomous zone where equality rules, where refugees are welcome and where capitalism is a thing of the past.
[Read More]

Amsterdam: De Overval lost the court case. OverVal Block Party, September 14th

20150914_Overval_Blockparty_Prins_Hendrikkade_138_AmsterdamLong story made short. De overval, Prins Hendrikkade 138, is getting evicted on 14th of september because the owner is an asshole and because Amsterdam licks the ass to speculants, mafia and tourists. Their plan is to destroy living spaces and our social centre and to make yet another hotel.
Come on the 14th of september, From 8AM, to show your support and solidarity, and to protest against the eviction!!

Short story made long: De Overval, was squatted on February 2015.
The owner, Mister Tol from Volendam, had already sold the building for 2.5 millions to a Chinese company that wants to build another hotel. According to the selling contract the property had to be delivered empty, but as a woman used to live on the upper floors of the building, the selling transaction never went through. The owner tried to kick her out for many years, but her housing rights always prevailed. Mister Tol tried to get her out both with money, legally and then with pressure and intimidation, but the woman did not accept to be relocated. [Read More]