Squatting under threat (again) in the Netherlands
dyslexic squatters untie | 26.08.2008 22:01 | Free Spaces | Social Struggles
Over the past few years, the growing right wing trend in the Netherlands has led to various mutterings about a law banning squatting. At present, if a building is empty for a year it can be legally squatted. A coalition of three parties - CDA, VVd and ChristenUnie has now put a law before the Dutch Parliament asking for squatting to be criminalised and for squatters to be threatened with a jail sentence of up to two years and eight months.
The parties appear to be worried that squatting is spreading across the nation - even to cities such as Groningen, Leiden, Zwolle and Breda they state, whilst in reality these cities have had strong squat scenes since the 1980s.
Despite the leaders of the four largest Dutch cities (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Den Haag) writing an open letter to Parliament stating that squatting is an essential part of the cultural basis of their cities and despite widespread public support for squatters, a ban could be imminent.
To steal a slogan from the OT301 in Amsterdam (a now legalised, originally squatted film academy), there is no culture without subculture. In support it is easy to point to organisations and spaces such as Eurodusnie in Leiden, Vera in Groningen, the Poortgebouw and Fabriek in Rotterdam, the Dolle Tolle in Den Bosch, ACU in Utrecht, Extrapool in Nijmegen, the Pirate Bar, the White Space and the Garage in Den Haag and the Melkweg, the Binnepret, Vrankrijk, ASCII and the EigenAardig in Amsterdam.
Astoundingly the member of the Dutch Parliament seems to be more concerned about empty buildings being occupied than the issues it should be busy with, but no doubt the squatters will keep them aware of that fact. If the law goes through there will certainly be widespread resistance.
One step back in the right direction is a White Book of squatting compiled from stories of the successes of the squat scene, which has been planned since the April2008 initiative as a response to the VVd's rather pathetic (and unfulfilled) attempt to make a black book of squatting in Groningen.
https://squat.net/witboek/ The proposal in full, in Dutch can be found here -
http://www.krakendrotterdam.org/pdf/wkl_voorstel.pdf
dyslexic squatters untie
Comments
Hide the following 6 comments
looking for contact
27.08.2008 09:37
i'm looking to speak to someone from Holland about this issue....
please email me on dissidentisland(at)risuep.net
cheers
DI.
Dissident Island
Homepage:
http://www.dissidentisland.org
Actiegroep Woonstrijd!
27.08.2008 10:02
Telnr. 071-5127429
try them!
Culture yuk!
27.08.2008 13:33
Obviously they don't have a very good analysis of the culture industry and machine. I thought squatting was about alternatives, not just an incubator for pushing alternatives into the mainstream.
A good article about how Amsterdam council and businesses use art and culture as a sneaky weapon to continue the gentrification of the city can be found here:
It doesn't take too much political nous to see that these cultural regenerations, founded party on the back of a subculture's reputation, means the eventual eviction of those who want to stay radically active and critical but incorporation and declawing for those other subcultural collectives and spaces who take the funding instead!
@
reply to @
27.08.2008 14:29
"Obviously they don't have a very good analysis of the culture industry and machine. I thought squatting was about alternatives, not just an incubator for pushing alternatives into the mainstream."
obviously the OT301 do have a pretty good understanding of the culture industry, since in 2006 they were joint winners of a presitigious art prize (35000 euros)
also they have held down an originally squatted venue for 9 years now in central amsterdam, providing a place for a music venue and groups such as an ethical printer, EYFA and Green Pepper.
of course we all want alternatives to this shit society, but we also need spaces from which to organise. perhaps these spaces then open themselves up to attack from people like you who take the position of being more radical in whatever way, but at least they are there. and they are part of the solution, not the problem.
"It doesn't take too much political nous to see that these cultural regenerations, founded party on the back of a subculture's reputation, means the eventual eviction of those who want to stay radically active and critical but incorporation and declawing for those other subcultural collectives and spaces who take the funding instead!"
I wouldnt necessarily disagree with that, but what other alternative is there? revolution? good luck! the gentrification campaign discussed in the mute article (as represented by the iamsterdam campaign) is being strongly resisted by spaces like vrankrijk, ot301 and the verbindingsblok.
for example, the verbindingsblok is a squatted block of flats in the pijp district which the owner wants to demolish to build, yes you guessed it, yuppy flats. now, in alliance with a city group which wants to preserve the building for architectural reasons, the squatters are proposing a solution which will involve a mix of social housing and yuppy properties, with some of the squatters staying in the block and also the social centre remaining on the ground floor.
i wouldnt question the political nous of amsterdam squatters, they're a clever, active bunch. i dont think we should stop cultural activities because that leads us into the jaws of the enemy, thats going a bit too far but it seems to be the direction to which your argument is headed. like it or lump it the idea of squat as 'culturele broedplaats' or breeding ground for cultural activities is one of many effective ways to argue for the importance of squats.
dyslexic squatters untie
Useful info
28.08.2008 13:26
@
Contact info Woonstrijd
10.09.2008 12:01
Also, due to technical difficulties
www.kraak-forum.nl
Woonstrijder
Homepage:
http://www.woonstrijd.nl