Netherlands: what happened in May in some squats
Wanneer: 02/06/2023 - 19:45
Vogelvrij Newsletter #1
Of course these news are not complete, we just collected the different things we heard about and the information we could find. If there is something you would like to see in our next newsletter or if you notice that we got some information wrong, send us an email!
email address: vogelvrij@riseup.net
New squats
Successful squatting action on Kanaalstraat 128 by Anarcha Feminist Group Amsterdam on the 14th of May. The building is owned by Ronald Uit den Boogaard and has been empty since 2017 https://indymedia.nl/node/53408 https://en.squat.net/tag/villa-mina/ https://squ.at/afga
Binnenkadijk 478, Amsterdam owned by Alliantie is squatted since 21 March 2023 https://www.indymedia.nl/node/53207 https://en.squat.net/tag/binnenkadijk-478/
In Nijmegen Krakersgroep Jantien has squatted the upper floors on Broerstraat 37 in the beginning of May. The building is owned by Ronnie Rosenbaum, the same owner as the Takland squat in Amsterdam.
Successful squatting reveal on Tweede Kostverlorenkade at the end of May. It is an apartement owned by the social housing company Rochdale and has been empty since August. https://www.indymedia.nl/node/53444 https://en.squat.net/tag/tweede-kostverlorenkade/
On the 25 May 2023, in Delft, a former car repair workshop under the highway bridge, at Rotterdamseweg 364, empty since 2017, has been squatted. The project is called Under a Bridge. https://en.squat.net/tag/onder-een-brug/
On Kingsday (27th of May) a building got squatted on Taksteeg 8. More info further down in this newsletter. https://www.indymedia.nl/node/53334 https://en.squat.net/tag/takland-vrijstraat/
Krakenburg, new squat in Amstelveen. It was made public on 18 may 2023. Squatters say the ground is owned by the city but the city denies it. Actually, according to the kadaster the owner is Mytylstichting Amstelrade. https://www.indymedia.nl/node/53413 https://en.squat.net/tag/krakenburg/
Actions
On Tuesday the 16th of May the main hall of the UvA Roeterseiland campus was occupied by the Amsterdam Autonomous Coalition (AAC), the same group which already occupied the Amsterdam Academiche Club in January of this year. The aim of this protest was to ask for a university run by students and stuff, aiming for a decolonized curriculum and decarbonized UvA. In seven other cities across the Netherlands occupations occurred as part of the End Fossil Campaign. https://www.indymedia.nl/node/53392
Kraaktegel: An initiative which consists in placing tiles in front of squats or past squats such as Paradiso, Vrankrijk, Vossiusstraat 16. They are searching for people to help with placing tiles, if this is something you’d be interested in you can email them here: dekraaktegel@protonmail.com
Squats not existing anymore
Klaprozenweg 59, an former car repair shop in Amsterdam-Noord, was squatted since february 2023. The squatters had agreed to leave in May.
Hugo de Grootkade 11-13 was squatted on 5 February 2023. The apartment was owned by the christian charity Emmaus and had been empty for a year. Before that, it was rented out by the neighbor who had is office there, but had to leave because Emmaus wanted to raise the rent. There were no plants with the place but once it was squatted Emmaus stated that they were planning on renovating it, sending evidence for it only four days before the court-case with a contract signed the same day. The squatters left as the chances of winning the case were really low, and renovations are now being carried out, with the promise that it will become social housing.
Woesterduinstraat 72, a former social housing apartment owned by de Key which was squatted in March by Autonomous Student Struggle in collaboration with Niet de Koop. It had its court case on the 24th and the squatters left, as de Key handed in proof that renovations would be carried out, meaning that the chances of wining were close to zero. https://www.indymedia.nl/node/53204 https://en.squat.net/tag/woestduinstraat-72/
The newly squatted (since the end of March) social center by the RATS on Zaagmolenstraat 165 has been evicted on the 12th of May. They had to appear in front of the RC (rechter-commissaris) which said they had to go in one day time. It was where every week on Sunday the voku/kufa (from Pijnackerplein) was organized and with the space several other activities like movie screenings, discussions, a place where to bring and pick up recycled food and a political space to organize. https://rotterdamserats.blackblogs.org/ https://radar.squat.net/en/rotterdam/rotterdamse-rats
The HDSR-terrein, in Lage Weide, Utrecht, was squatted in April. Squatters lost a civil court case and had to leave by the 1st of June.
Court cases
Takland (on Taksteeg 8) went through two court cases. After a successful squatting action on Kingsday, the police threatened to evict on the first of May. The squatters took the state to court to fight against this eviction and won their case. Ronnie Rosenbaum (Platina Holding and Stichting Alri), failed to provide evidence of any plans he might have for the building. The judge also said the squatters had established domestic peace within 6,5 hours. The owner was also present at the court, crying shops are going bankrupt, that rents are not coming in. On the 2nd of June, they had to appear again, this time in front of the Rechte Comissaris, and lost the case. They will have to leave on the 7th of May. https://indymedia.nl/node/53334 https://en.squat.net/tag/takland-vrijstraat/
Vossiusstraat 16, the building next to Vondelpark owned by sanctioned oligarch Arkady Volozh won the appeal, due to the fact that he is still on the sanctions list. https://en.squat.net/tag/vossiusstraat-16/
Nieuwe Haven 111 in Schiedam, owned by Frans Ludwig, was squatted in April, with intentions to create an anti-specism space. Ludwig Vastgoed BV from Bloemendaal owns hundred of properties only in Haarlem itself. He threatened the squatters to come back with a squad to evict the squatters. A civil court case against the squatters took place on May 11th 2023. Squatters agreed to remain 2 more months since the owner came with a sale contract.
The Landbouwbelang in Maastricht, which has been there for 21 years is threatened with eviction. The terrain is owned by the municipality but the city now wants to gentrify the area and has plans to build luxury housing and to give some buildings to the conservatory.
Why such news, who do we want to reach out? Why do we publish this Newsletter on IndyMedia and Squat!Net?
Such news are missing on independent media, autonomous media. Many things are happening and the mainstream media is often reporting a one side story, looking for sensation, not questioning emptiness, private property, speculation, ignoring or stereotyping other struggles. Unfortunately, some squats, collectives only communicate via corporate channels, unsocial media, insta and so on, alienating more people. Lots of information is simply lost, not shared within squatters communities. Making sure we collect all this information about owners, court cases and actions is a way to organize more effectively. When squatting new places, all information we can gather is important, including knowing whether places from that same owner have already been squatted in the past and information about legal procedures.