It is of course clear, that the actions of politicians range from spineless to intentionally pro-capitalist. The important part of putting pressure on them is not so much the possible result of them eventually seeing the light, but the message that sends to many 'normal people' for whom it demonstrates how legitimate our demands are, and how the political representatives they have voted for deal with those demands. In the course of recent years I have noticed growing alienation and disgust among citizens when it comes to politics, due to such campaigns.
Also, I do not think it wrong to refer to white-collar criminals. Just because squatting has been criminalized does not bring squatters closer to those people. Not everything the state declares illegal is automatically a good thing, just like the opposite isn't true either.
Furthermore, it shows that state power does not even follow it's own rules of crime and punishment by selectively evicting squatters but hardly ever doing something against the people who play dirty games with basic necessities of people, like housing. (the big FIOD action last monday being a very welcome exception). All this is not aimed at legitimizing the state by petitioning them, but to expose them in the public perception as the self-serving powerplayers they really are.
If you can explain to me how all of that ruins the result of neighbourhood work, I would be very interested.
As far as the named squatting groups go, they are examples, and luckily not the only ones. That things went bad at the last Schijnheilig eviction is of course true, but in terms of public perception it was a success. For once the issue of foreigner's detention has been broadly been reported on in mainstream media due to the sacrifice some people made for their ideals
@ reaction
It is of course clear, that the actions of politicians range from spineless to intentionally pro-capitalist. The important part of putting pressure on them is not so much the possible result of them eventually seeing the light, but the message that sends to many 'normal people' for whom it demonstrates how legitimate our demands are, and how the political representatives they have voted for deal with those demands. In the course of recent years I have noticed growing alienation and disgust among citizens when it comes to politics, due to such campaigns.
Also, I do not think it wrong to refer to white-collar criminals. Just because squatting has been criminalized does not bring squatters closer to those people. Not everything the state declares illegal is automatically a good thing, just like the opposite isn't true either.
Furthermore, it shows that state power does not even follow it's own rules of crime and punishment by selectively evicting squatters but hardly ever doing something against the people who play dirty games with basic necessities of people, like housing. (the big FIOD action last monday being a very welcome exception). All this is not aimed at legitimizing the state by petitioning them, but to expose them in the public perception as the self-serving powerplayers they really are.
If you can explain to me how all of that ruins the result of neighbourhood work, I would be very interested.
Personally I consider it a success if even Geenstijl is dragging the cops through the mud, and RTV Noord Holland can only find neighbours complaining about the police
As far as the named squatting groups go, they are examples, and luckily not the only ones. That things went bad at the last Schijnheilig eviction is of course true, but in terms of public perception it was a success. For once the issue of foreigner's detention has been broadly been reported on in mainstream media due to the sacrifice some people made for their ideals
This is how changing public opinion works.