Den Haag: Criminalization and silencing of De Vloek, judge also prohibits demonstration

By: fawda - December 4th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

The demonstration planned for this coming Saturday against the eviction and demolition of De Vloek has been banned by the Mayor of The Hague. Even the judge decided to support the city’s fallacies. We are calling on everybody to come this Saturday at 15:00 to the Kerkplein to NOT demonstrate together.

Protesting has been made impossible and we will also let this be known. We will assemble on the Kerkplein with tape on our mouths. Demonstrating has been prohibited, but coming together on the Kerkplein is not forbidden. To be able to demonstrate, one needs to have a right to free speech, and this has been taken away from us. We will symbolically illustrate this.

Because this demonstration would have involved many different people, including children and the elderly, we are canceling the demonstration. We have absolutely no faith in the empathy of The Hague police, and we don’t want children and elderly people to be beaten up by them. [Read More]

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Den Haag: Mayor prohibits demonstration route. Stop the criminalization of De Vloek!

By: fawda - December 2nd, 2014  Filed under: News, Press release

This Saturday, De Vloek and its supporters will demonstrate against the planned eviciton and demolition of the social center in the Scheveningen harbor. The protesters want to march a route from the Kerkplein through the city along places such as the site of the now demolished squat the Blauwe Aanslag and the office of the Christian Democrats. Mayor of The Hague van Aartsen has banned the route of the demonstration, on the basis of fallacies and is criminalizing De Vloek.

About a month before the planned demonstration against the eviction and demolition of social center De Vloek, the city and the police were given a heads up. However, the city kept delaying its response and the official limits placed on the demonstration were not made known until Wednesday November 26. The demonstration will not be allowed to follow the planned route, and we will also not be allowed to assemble at the Kerkplein. The reason that they gave was that actions centered around De Vloek have an increased chance of disturbing the public order because people were arrested at earlier actions, such as the squatting action at the Pier. From these imposed limits, it is apparent that the mayor wants to put a definitive stop to all future demonstrations by De Vloek and their supporters. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Living group and neighborhood center thrown out for some anti-squatter artists? Confuciusplein court case

By: fawda - December 2nd, 2014  Filed under: News

On September the 13th we squatted the spaces on Confuciusplein 6-8 and 14 in Slotermeer, Amsterdam West. We transformed these dilapidated spaces into housing and a lively meeting spot for locals. Our Neighbourhood centre ‘Pluk van de Senecaflat‘ opened with a free shop, film screenings, food nights, story telling events and workshops for children. A large group of neighbours opened a teahouse.

Housing corporation Stadgenoot left the spaces empty for several years, but now they want to evict us. To do so, they found two artists to sign a dubious anti-squat contract. This is one of many examples of how housing corporations continue to behave more like speculators instead of fulfilling their obligations in social housing.

This Wednesday, December the 3rd at 15.00, we are going to court to claim our right to this city. People should have access to affordable housing in Amsterdam without waiting for 15 years. This city is not just a fancy party for yuppies, and housing corporations should get back to the task they were created for: Affordable housing. [Read More]

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Utrecht (NL): Prinsesselaan threatened with eviction

By: sisulscz - November 30th, 2014  Filed under: News

In 2007 the former site of Wijkpost East, Prinsesselaan 20 in Utrecht was squatted. Since that time, there has been a unique live / work / care project for Utrecht, namely the Prinsesselaan. A living / residential care area where support, guidance and 24-hour care is given, along with a place where bicycles are recycled and workshops are given. We also have a neighbourhood garden.
[Read More]

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Zaandam (NL): Cultural centre OVB evicted

By: sisulscz - November 30th, 2014  Filed under: News

This morning Botenmakerstraat 16 (OVB) in Zaandam was evicted by the special unit of the ME [riot police]. They took more than 2 hours to enter. Ultimately, there are three people arrested and at the station.

[Read More]

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Maastricht: November 29th, squatters demo, De Vloek stays!

By: fawda - November 24th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

Squatters, alternative people, artists, vegans, students, grown-ups, children, youngsters, employed, unemployed and everything else that lives!

We invite you to join us the 29th of November at 13:00 hs to protest in Maastricht! We are taking our voices to the streets, because we no longer stand it that freezone after freezone is is taken away from us. Hotel de Ossekop and Mandril have been erased from the Boschstraat last year, recently De Valreep in Amsterdam has been evicted and now De Vloek in Scheveningen faces the same threat…

De Vloek has been squatted 12.5 years ago and in this time the building has been developed to an amazing space where everyone can go for cultural, social and political activities or to enjoy some nice food. Now De Vloek has to make space for a top sailing centre, while another new sailing centre in the same street for a big part is empty. Again a bottom-up social initiative has to move for a propaganda image of the elite, so the social, open vibe of the location will disappear. When will we start creating a society in which solidarity and great initiatives from the people come before money, power and elitist behaviour? [Read More]

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Utrecht: Nov. 29th/30th, squatters gathering weekend

By: fawda - November 24th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

Coming 29 and 30th of November a squatters gathering will take place in Utrecht! This weekend will be filled with workshops and discussions, including a LOK (landelijk overleg kraken – a meeting and discussion on squatting between people from different cities). Due to the recent wave of evictions we have seen in Utrecht, but also in different cities in the Netherlands, we feel it is time to all meet up to exchange ideas and discuss the future of squatting.

Practical points:
– The LOK part of this gathering will start on Saturday at 12:30 and will take up most of the day.
– Workshops on Sunday will start at 11:30, breakfast will be available before.
– For people that do not know where to go, gather on Saturday at 11:30/Sunday at 11:00 sharp at ACU (Voorstraat 71, Utrecht). There will be people to help you on your way.
– If you plan to spend the night, be aware that there are a limited amount of mattresses and blankets available so bring your own! [Read More]

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Den Haag: December 26-27-28, Action Days for De Vloek and autonomous spaces

By: fawda - November 19th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

Because more and more autonomous social centres are being threatened and evicted, an Action Weekend will take place on December 26-28 in The Hague. The city of The Hague wants to evict De Vloek social centre in January 2015. Sometimes you have to fight for what you love, and now is the time! Stop the eviction of De Vloek, defend autonomous spaces and social centres.

Time and again, autonomous social centres have to step aside for yuppie projects. This year, De Valreep in Amsterdam was evicted to make room for a luxury Grand Café, and now the city of The Hague wants to evict and demolish De Vloek social centre to build a sailing centre. Everywhere you go, beautiful initiatives that have been built from the bottom up have to disappear for yuppies. The world should not revolve around the interests of real estate developers, but around people. That is why we are organising three days full of demonstrations and actions on December 26-28. [Read More]

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Emmen (NL): Squat!net benefit

By: sisulscz - November 18th, 2014  Filed under: News

Huize Spoorloos in the Netherlands is doing a benefit with four bands for Squat!net on November 22nd, 2014.

Huize Spoorloos
wilhelminnastraat 33
Emmen (NL)

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Amsterdam: Rent Rebels, screenings and discussion with activists from Berlin

By: Hlulome - November 15th, 2014  Filed under: News

On the weekend of the 21th and 22nd of November we are welcoming people from Berlin to screen with us the very recent film about the Renter Rebels in the Berlin, a quite popular and diverse movement that emerged in the last couple of years and that struggles against massive gentrification and forced evictions of renters that take place at high pace. That weekend shall serve as space for discussion and exchange with the people from Berlin, about experiences being made in struggle, the urban restructuring that goes on in Berlin, and the self-organisation of all kinds of people to fight against it. Besides of being inspirational the events shall also be a space to come together and exchange ideas and experiences related to the unacceptable housing situation in Amsterdam and necessary housing struggles. Descent housing in its various forms and shapes and the city itself is not for profit but for us, the people, and a basic need of everybody independent of social status. [Read More]

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Den Haag: December 6th, demonstration. The City Belongs To Us! De Vloek Will Not Go!

By: fawda - November 9th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

On Saturday December 6, a demonstration will take place against the approved plans of the city of The Hague to evict social centre De Vloek, and for the preservation of squatted social centres in general.

The city of The Hague wants to evict and demolish De Vloek in January 2015 to make room for a sailing center. There is already enough space for sport sailing in the harbor, but De Vloek must nevertheless step aside for the latest prestigious real estate project which nobody is looking forward to.

Even though the plan to build a sailing center for the rich
was not defeated in the city council, our campaign is still not over. The city promised to look for a replacement space for us, but the question remains whether this will happen or whether this space will be affordable. A unique quality of social centres is that financial pressure on projects and initiatives is low, allowing for more freedom for development; freedom that is difficult to find anywhere else. But our struggle extends beyond the preservation of De Vloek. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: 66 apartments squatted

By: fawda - November 4th, 2014  Filed under: Communique, News

Last Sunday a group of enthusiastic young people squatted 66 apartments on the Rijswijkstraat in Amsterdam. The flat was part of the failed New-West project which entailed some Housing Cooperations on the hight of their money-grabbing, privatized, Neo-Liberal Cocaine high, just before the financial crisis hit in 2009 and they were forced to cancel the project. As a result of this the flats where left to rot, until even the anti-squat where moved out.
Last Sunday a group of either recently, or almost evicted squatters decided that it was enough, and a group of ninety rode out to reclaim the space for the common interest. Since then the police has given no notice of eviction, but De Key (the official owner) has made a report to the authorities of “squatting”. A thing of note is that yesterday, a couple of people from the city came by pretending to give a fuck about our “health and safety” (yeah….). For the rest now, no news.

Cheerful greets & Squatting Will Stay!

update 04/11/2014 – 18:35 Only hours after the posting of this message we received letter for a court date……coming Friday.

Update 5/11/14 – the squat was today evicted by order of the mayor [Read More]

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