Amsterdam: Prins Hendrikkade 138-139 squatted

By: fawda - February 10th, 2015  Filed under: Communique, News

The building has been empty for several years. The owner wants to turn the building into yet another hotel. However, according to the city council, there is a hotel stop in this neighborhood since 2004. The neighbors are also actively resisting the hotel plans.

While in Amsterdam thousands of people are in need of housing, speculants and investors with the support of the city council keep on turning the city into a place only suitable for tourists and commercial activities, while sweeping off everything that does not suit their profit. [Read More]

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Utrecht (NL): New Squat

By: sisulscz - February 7th, 2015  Filed under: News

Translated from the Dutch article at indymedia.

As of today (6/2/15) there is a new place added to the squat register of the city of Utrecht.

Our research showed that the building on the Ravellaan number 7 was over a year no longer used according to the original permissions. This year someone applied for an environmental permit for the realization of a temporary event location. There would be three events held this year but at the behest of the residents association and Welgelegen, there was an objection after the first event. The neighborhood has indicated there was too much disturbance from the week long event.

We want to make clear that we will not be a nuisance. In fact, we want to provide for the area a social and cultural meeting place . We will involve both the residents, as the association Welgelegen .

We are a small group which is willing to sit down to make any agreements with the owner regarding the use of the property.

The police officeris coming tomorrow on Feb 7 to drink coffee.

The squatting peace is so respected, but for how long we don’t know….

Oh yeah and everyone is always welcome, so come round!

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Lelystad (NL): Freespace De Waaghaals unjustly and illegally evicted

By: sisulscz - February 7th, 2015  Filed under: News

Quick translation from indymedia…

The police came to tell the people that they had to pack their belongings and the property had to be empty before 14:00 in the afternoon.

Two days previously we were suddenly cut off from our electricity without notice while we busy putting our name on a bill. The same afternoon we actually had the appointment for a reconnection.
[Read More]

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Czech squatting weekend in Amsterdam

By: Hlulome - January 31st, 2015  Filed under: News

20150220_Czech_squatting_weekend_in_AmsterdamCzech squatting weekend in Amsterdam, February 20th – 22nd 2015. Klinika on tour!
Friday 20.02.2015 Klinika soli night with food, presentation, discussion & more @ Squatted autonomous space Joe’s Garage http://www.joesgarage.nl/

19:00 Soli dinner (some Czech traditional dish in the vegan style)
20:00 Presentation
21:00 Discussion, maybe some movie about current squatting theme in Czech Republic and maybe some acoustic concert

Some members of Czech squatting movement are coming to Amsterdam to present and discuss about the actual breakthrough in the squatting movement in Czech Republic. On Saturday, November 29th, an abandoned building of a former clinic in Prague district of Žižkov was occupied by a group of activists. Cleaning works, reconstruction and program started immediately. Despite widespread support, including neighbors, politicians, artists, journalists etc., the owner of the house – Office for Government Representation in Property Affairs – withdrawed from negotiations. Regarding to some sources, the “anti-extremist” department of Czech police played an important role in this decision.

20150220_Klinika_Soli_nightAutonomní sociální centrum Klinika (Autonomous Social Centre Klinika) was evicted December 9th after ten days of struggle and hundreds of people participating. Spontaneous demonstrations immediately took place in front and inside of Žižkov city hall and in office of the owner. After a few days, one thousand people demonstrated in support of the autonomous center. The building is now being guarded, but the struggle isn’t over yet. Žižkov councilors agreed that they will start negotiations with the state. The public support of squatting is now the highest in Czech history. The ministers of interior, finance and social affairs publicly admitted the possibility of decriminalization of squatting. We, as a group supporting a project of social centre, are calling for international support! A pressure on Czech state can help us to create a historical success. Every city needs it’s clinic!

Saturday 21.02.2015, Soli concert and party @ DisKontrol, Papaverweg 7, Amsterdam Noord [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Eviction letter Kerkstraat 104

By: fawda - January 22nd, 2015  Filed under: Communique, News

Today, just after the eviction of the Pieter Vlamingstraat 98, the squatted building on Kerkstraat 104 got the 8 weeks eviction letter.
The house was squatted on the 7th of December, and according to the letter it will be evicted before the 18th of March.
Will there be an eviction wave, as Van der Laan wishes to re-establish it?
If other houses got eviction letters for the same period, please let us know.
Rebel, resist, revolt! [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Pieter Vlamingstraat 98 resists eviction

By: fawda - January 16th, 2015  Filed under: Communique, News, Press release

Today, Friday the 16th, the building is not yet evicted.

The buildings on the Pieter Vlamingstraat 94-96-98 had been empty since 2008, when the tenants were kicked out. The demolition of these and other surrounding buildings started in 2009 with the exception of Pieter Vlamingstraat 98, where the owner of the coffeshop on the ground floor refused to leave. The original plan of De Key was to demolish the existing social houses for building luxury apartments for the free market. The neighbors protested against the plan, started a court-case and the project was eventually rejected. De Key then proposed to build both social and private sector apartments, but this was rejected as well. Eventually De Key proposed to build 145 apartments for students, and the projects got finally approved despite the opposition of the neighbors, who started yet another court case against De Key but lost it at the end of 2014.

In July 2012 a group of people squatted the Pieter Vlamingstraat 98 and the empty field that was left after the demolition of the buildings aside. These fields are quite common in Amsterdam Oost, where housing corporations like De Key, after demolishing entire social housing blocks, run out of money to complete the project and left only waste lands behind. At the time of the occupation, the state of the house was very poor. All the basic infrastructures were missing, and the structure of the building was rotting away. The squatters massively renovated the building to make it livable. Through these years more then 30 people have called this building ‘home’. A lively communally grew around it, and started a number of activities for the neighborhood such as a neighborhood garden (Roomtuintje Oostbos), a give away shop and a free library. [Read More]

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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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