Amsterdam: Hotel Mokum is dead, long live Hotel Mokum

By: fawda - November 30th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

Dear Friends,

Let’s start with thank you. The support and solidarity we have received over the past six weeks, but especially this weekend, has been overwhelming. On Saturday, we were harshly evicted, with police brutality and a demonstration of power. More on this later, but for now: so much love for everyone who stood there with us. And especially so much love for the people who voluntarily exposed themselves to state violence, prosecution and very literal physical violence by the police. Many thanks to Extinction Rebellion and Comrade Twingo without whom the eviction would have been a lot easier for the police. Thanks to everyone who helped us ensure that Hotel Mokum could not be quietly swept away. But also thank you to everyone who supported us in any other way, this weekend and for the past six weeks. You are all so amazing and so fucking brave and we couldn’t have done this without you. [Read More]

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Wageningen: Students squat demolition building

By: fawda - November 29th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

Wageningen (Netherlands) – A group of students announced today that they have squatted a building in the city center. During the housing crisis, they not only want to live there, but also create a cultural place where people can meet.

The building belongs to Zideris, a health organization that has had it empty for 5 years. In times of growing housing shortage and rising house prices, the students find it incomprehensible that usable living space remains unused for so long. Especially in Wageningen, where the university continues to expand and attract companies, insufficient solutions are offered for all those seeking housing. “Squatting can really be a solution to the housing crisis,” says one of the students. “It’s weird that a lot of buildings sit empty for years while a lot of people can’t find a house.” [Read More]

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Utrecht: Squat on Croeselaan revealed during the Woonprotest demo

By: fawda - November 21st, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

On Friday 19 November, an empty house on the Croeselaan was squatted. The squatters announced this during the Utrecht Housing Protest on Sunday 21 November. The squatting of the house is part of the national housing protest that speaks out against the current housing crisis. The squatters demand immediate action and do not want to wait for the empty promises of political parties and housing corporations.

During the demonstration, the squatters invited the demonstrators on the Jaarbeursplein to come and have coffee and tea at the new squat. The property on the Croeselaan had been vacant for a long time, while the blocks of social housing next to it are scheduled for demolition.

The squatters find it appalling that local political parties advocate the demolition of social housing, while further down the street, properties are unnecessarily empty. At the same time, there is an unprecedented housing crisis, which means that people in need of a house are on waiting lists, miss out on a house because investors outbid them and, if they do manage to get a house, have to work their asses off to pay the rent. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Ringdijk 8 resquatted

By: fawda - November 13th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

Since some days now we, the Anarcha Feminist Group Amsterdam, have been residing at Ringdijk 8. We have decided to expropriate this building because we think it is disgusting that houses are being kept empty for years while we are in a housing crisis, many people are living in precarity and homelessness has doubled in the last 10 years.

In previous actions we have targeted big speculators such as Blackstone, squatted buildings in solidarity with sexworkers being pushed out of our city and against the greenwashing and promition colonialsers and gentrification done by NV Zeedijk in the red light district.

Today we take an autonomous action as part of the ongoing housing demonstrations. Just marching and hoping the government will listen to us is not enough, actually the government listened to the demands made by the housing movement and their answer has been loud and clear: no measure taken to solve the problem, but instead they sent cops to silent us, mutilating our bodies, making blacklists and arresting us.

We need to confront injustices directly whenever and wherever we see them. Today we target the housing cooperation Eigen Haard. This building, owned by Eigen Haard, has been squatted before and has now been empty and left to rot again for a long time. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Take back Mokum! Hotel Marnix squatted during ADEV

By: fawda - October 16th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

During the ADEV (Amsterdam Danst Ergens Voor) demonstration on 16 October 2021, former Hotel Marnix was squatted on Marnixstraat 382. Statement from Pak Mokum Terug! action group :

Amsterdam is in crisis. Housing is unaffordable. People with low and middle incomes are being chased out of the city. There is no room for young people. The commercialization of the center has attracted masses of tourists who make the city unlivable, while property owners, investors and large companies enrich themselves endlessly. There is no room for alternative culture. Amsterdam is losing its soul.

We, the collective Pak Mokum Terug! (Get Mokum Back!) are young Amsterdammers who have had enough. We no longer want to accept the trend that our city can only be inhabited by the rich. That economic and commercial interests are all-important. That we cannot shape our city, its culture, the way we live, ourselves. Therefore we claim the city, we claim the space for the people of Amsterdam, we take back Mokum. [Read More]

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Utrecht: Building on the Archimedeslaan resquatted

By: fawda - October 3rd, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

On October 1, 2021, exactly 11 years after the Kraken en Leegstand (squatting and vacancy) law came into force, the buildings on the Archimedeslaan 16 were resquatted. The squatters protested against the continuing vacancy of the former student housing. Although the law should prevent vacancy, the vacancy rate has only increased since then. This while squatting and the squatting movement have been criminalized and prosecuted.

The squatters want to show that squatting is still a legitimate option in addressing and fighting the housing crisis and homelessness. Indeed, squatting still serves as an effective tool against speculators and housing corporations who use houses as tools to make a profit. The squatters wonder why, in times of a real housing crisis, the development of houses is delegated to profit-oriented organizations. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: squat action attempt on Gravenstraat and police brutality

By: fawda - September 14th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

Today 12 september there was an attempt to squat Gravenstraat 26-28 on the day of the Housing Protest. Thousands of people took the streets to demonstrate against the so-called housing crisis – the shortage and exploitation in the housing market, the lack of affordable housing and the disproportionate increase in rents.

The police used excessive force to beat us away from the place that was to become our new home. From the moment we arrived at the demonstration, certain activists were excessively watched by the police and even arrested for wearing an anti-Nazi symbol. From the beginning, the police were out to repress and arrest activists. Police brutality escalated as soon as we arrived at Dam Square. We were beaten up, dragged out of the crowd by silent cops, and some of us were even beaten to the ground and walked over by cops until we were bloody. The police deliberately chose to escalate and we even heard them say that they deliberately “went full on”. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Joe’s Garage, sweet sixteen and still angry!

By: fawda - September 9th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

Joe’s Garage was squatted 16 years ago. The squatting group East has been active in the Transvaal neighborhood for about 20 years, starting with the squatting of Pretoriussstraat 28 in 2001. We are open to the neighborhood on a weekly basis, with the give away shop, the squatting assistance, movie nights and the people’s kitchen.
In addition to our activities as a squatting group with other squats such as Het Blijvertje and de Valreep, we’ve also supported initiatives in East such as Bajesdorp in the Amstel district, the Nieuwland in the Dapper neighbourhood and soon the Nieuwe Meent on the Archimedesplantsoen, in which buildings were acquired in collective ownership and combining activities for and in the neighbourhood.

Despite all this, in Amsterdam East and the Transvaal neighbourhood, social housing and other affordable housing is under great pressure from speculation in the housing market, with more and more people finding themselves financially struggling. Increasing uncertainty of your housing because of precarity and affordability make people desperate.

Good affordable and secure housing is not a luxury item, but a necessity for everyone! [Read More]

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Uithuizen: Villa Tocama squatted

By: fawda - July 27th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

Uithuizen, the Netherlands – Since last weekend Villa Tocama is inhabited again. Concerned citizens have occupied the historical building on the Dingeweg 3 in Uithuizen, also the land around it.

Activist Jan on the reasons for occupying Villa Tocama:
”The property has been bought by the Woonbedrijf Aardbevingsgebied Groningen Foundation (SWAG). Swag is 100 percent owned by the Dutch state and is financed by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and is used as a purchasing tool for the various buyout programs. According to their own website, they act in the public interest and without a profit motive, have a specific focus on the liveability in the area and manage the acquired properties to prevent vacancy, deterioration, squatting and vandalism. Unfortunately, it remains with this general vision, because practice shows a very different picture.”

Currently, the foundation owns 35 properties. Of those properties, 3 are used as temporary housing and 8 are in use through vacancy management (anti-squat). Of the remaining 24 properties, no use, destination or future vision can be found in the foundation’s overviews. [Read More]

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Netherlands: New Squatting Law. Squat Wars IV, Return of the squatting ban

By: fawda - July 6th, 2021  Filed under: News

The Dutch government recently passed a new law, Wet Handhaving Kraakverbod (or law to Enforce the Squatting Ban), with the aim of evicting squatters more quickly. There is a lot of confusion and uncertainty about what exactly this law will entail and especially what influence this will have on squatters and their housing rights.

Unfortunately, this text will not be able to answer all questions since this law has been written by politicians who see squatting as a terrible thing and want to get rid of it, without actually seeming to have much understanding of the legal protocols and procedures. The result is a law that says that from now on, squatters must be evacuated more quickly without clearly establishing exactly how this should work. Both the Public Prosecution Service, the Council of Judiciary and Bond of Lawyers strongly criticised the proposal and called for this law not to be adopted, nevertheless a large majority voted in favour and this law entered into effect on 19 May, 2021. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Anarcha-Feminist Group Squat a building on Kinkerstraat 16, Medusa Squat & Social Centre

By: fawda - July 1st, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

Today we announce our new squat on the Kinkerstraat 16.

We have been living on the Kinkerstraat 16 for about a week now. After many tries it seems that we have now managed to avoid a speed eviction and we might actually be able to stay for some time- though all squats are temporary and under neo-liberal, late capitalism, precarity has become the norm, something that does not just apply for squats. The time to get organised, to built alternative structures that are directly opposed to and in conflict with the structures of the state – is now! We call on all Flint* people who agree with our manifesto and who have a willingness to participate to join us. This space belongs to all that struggle against capitalism, the state and the patriarchy. For us that dream of a world where we can all be free and equal, without hierarchies and cages. If you have an idea for an event, want to use to space to organise in, or want to help out, please get in touch by writing an email. [Read More]

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Amsterdam: Anarcha-Feminst Group squat building on Sint Willibrodrusstraat

By: fawda - June 5th, 2021  Filed under: Communique, News

New chapter in the zero tolerance policy towards squatting in Amsterdam. In the evening of friday 4 June 2021, many people are taking part in a squatting action in the Pijp. A house is squatted, banners hanged, slogans chanted, fireworks lighted up, a neighborhood letter handed out. Cops are showing up in big numbers, claiming squatters are caught in the act. They want to evict right away. The big group and neighbors are all together pushed away from the area. Later in the evening, riot cops won’t find anybody inside the squatted house which is ending boarded up by a private company. No arrests are reported.

Statement by the Anarcha-Feminst Group Amsterdam:

Today we squatted Sint Willibrodrusstraat 15 owned by ‘evil corp’ Blackstone. This building has been empty for a long time. today we ended this situation of emptiness and speculation by giving the house back its purpose.

Fuck Blackstone, eat the rich!
Stop speculation, squat the world

We are told that there are not enough houses for everyone, that there are not enough spaces for the refugees and migrants coming here fleeing imperialist wars and economies that have been destroyed by (neo)colonialism. It is unacceptable that the media blame migration for the fact that we all seem to struggle to find a home.There is no problem of a lack of space, there is no “housing crisis”, the only problem is the unequal distribution of wealth. The problem is capitalism. [Read More]

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