Suddenly the tranquility of the Dutch polder is being disrupted because highschoolkids collectively decided to stop staying in their schools. They go into the streets and create mayhem...
The past few days have been exiting in the Netyerlands because suddenly the pupils of almost all (high)schools in the Netherlands walked out into the streets and started to create a big mess.
The official reason is a new law the governement wants to install, forcing kids to stay longer in school eaven when there are no teachers available. But there is much more, education is becomming more and more boring and kids have less and less to say about it.
Last Friday there were schoolstrikes in the whole country, many kids went into the streats and were sometimes beaten by the cops.
This monday the strikes went further even though the official coopted pupilorganisation LAKS called out NOT to demonstrate. Everywhere there were kids in the streets with their main weapon: egs (ok and fireworks).
In Amsterdam riotcops on horses chased 13-year old kids over the Museumplein and applied the watercanon on them. 250 kids were arrested (in the whole of Holland). At many places small riots broke out, kids pelted buildings with egs and stones. One of the buildings attacked was that of the main media centre in Hilversum and that of the parliament in The Hague
The kids are being severely insulted by most media and all politicians, who say everywhere that they only want to riot and do not know what they are talking about. There is heavy pressure on the schools too to discipline their pupils (they want to fine schools whose pupils are faound at actions and strikes).
The governement policy was, with the embedded pupil-organisation LAKS– to first have a debate in parliament. This debate was held wednesdya-evening, nothing came out and now Friday will be strike again.
They are trying to lure the kids onto the Museumplein in Amsterdam, which will be totally sealed off and only accessible for pupils who sign a pamflet first!. Of course many won't do this.
On indymedia-Netherlands you can find some coverage, but all in Dutch. Here (if you scroll down) you can find some pictures of Monday:
http://indymedia.nl/nl/2007/11/48599.shtml
Here is a funny film in English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeCr5j-fZ1M
Of course there's tons more on youtube
And this is an amazing little film (in Dutch) especially at the end, you see a very corageaus attempt to de-arrest one arrested kid (the squaters can learn something from these 13 year old!): http://www.vk.tv/video/16117/scholierenprotest-draait-uit-op-rellen.html
Of course it would be nice if people outside Holland want to show solidarity or tell some dutch institution you disagree with beating up kids!
Meantime some solidaric parents will try to help pupils selforganise into autonomous groups
The official reason is a new law the governement wants to install, forcing kids to stay longer in school eaven when there are no teachers available. But there is much more, education is becomming more and more boring and kids have less and less to say about it.
Last Friday there were schoolstrikes in the whole country, many kids went into the streats and were sometimes beaten by the cops.
This monday the strikes went further even though the official coopted pupilorganisation LAKS called out NOT to demonstrate. Everywhere there were kids in the streets with their main weapon: egs (ok and fireworks).
In Amsterdam riotcops on horses chased 13-year old kids over the Museumplein and applied the watercanon on them. 250 kids were arrested (in the whole of Holland). At many places small riots broke out, kids pelted buildings with egs and stones. One of the buildings attacked was that of the main media centre in Hilversum and that of the parliament in The Hague
The kids are being severely insulted by most media and all politicians, who say everywhere that they only want to riot and do not know what they are talking about. There is heavy pressure on the schools too to discipline their pupils (they want to fine schools whose pupils are faound at actions and strikes).
The governement policy was, with the embedded pupil-organisation LAKS– to first have a debate in parliament. This debate was held wednesdya-evening, nothing came out and now Friday will be strike again.
They are trying to lure the kids onto the Museumplein in Amsterdam, which will be totally sealed off and only accessible for pupils who sign a pamflet first!. Of course many won't do this.
On indymedia-Netherlands you can find some coverage, but all in Dutch. Here (if you scroll down) you can find some pictures of Monday:
http://indymedia.nl/nl/2007/11/48599.shtml Here is a funny film in English:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeCr5j-fZ1M Of course there's tons more on youtube
And this is an amazing little film (in Dutch) especially at the end, you see a very corageaus attempt to de-arrest one arrested kid (the squaters can learn something from these 13 year old!):
http://www.vk.tv/video/16117/scholierenprotest-draait-uit-op-rellen.html Of course it would be nice if people outside Holland want to show solidarity or tell some dutch institution you disagree with beating up kids!
Meantime some solidaric parents will try to help pupils selforganise into autonomous groups
Comments
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Pupil Power re-born!
29.11.2007 19:00
Happy memories of the early 1970's, the Schools' Action Union, and truanting schoolkids demonstrating in Trafalgar Square against the repressive educational system and "headmaster dictatorship".
Remember: all grown-ups are paper tigers!
Glad to hear that pupil militancy is alive and well, hopefully not only in the Netherlands :0)
Little Red Schoolbook reader
More details here
29.11.2007 19:24
B Boy
New Era Community
06.12.2007 15:05
RIA
Potter
06.12.2007 15:58
Not being unintelligent I could draw an analogy between school and society, and this has come true, however society still expels and discriminates me, as did this school, and as it has expelled the soul from its system.
Balkenende was initially compared with Harry Potter which he was not; he only looks like him.
I was - another example of how simple analogies work practically, but also superficially by the spirit of the time.
There is a reason for everything. But Cosmos and the Super Mundane prescribe the course of events.
The problem is that the Netherlands have a school system which has been in trouble in trying to organise, well meaning, equality, but has achieved mediocrity, a problem of today also in Great Britain and elsewhere.
Superficially seen, globalisation has good and bad sides, but particular national or local qualities developed over the centuries are disappearing and enhance a flattening of abilities.
A new school system was created in the Netherlands at the time of the independence of Suriname, and its formula of equality was associated from the start with a post-colonial ideal of non-hierarchical principles in society, which has not sufficiently succeeded but not entirely failed either.
Fortunately I was kicked from school, for I got to meet Jiddu Krishnamurti in this way, and I went to London, England, in 1977, where I was introduced to no local but world teacher. This construction was the basis of my interest in Maitreya and a new era community.
As society also the school system of today reflects a disintegration of the old forms.
New forms cannot be successfully developed without some leading inspiration; there is a difference although between leading and ruling, inspiring and instilling.
And as Krishnamurti said: following is not the same as intelligence.
Dutch society looks like not so much like a high school but rather like elementary school.
Society has lost the way.
The teacher knocks but does not force an open door.
Barricades don't help either.
We can still choose until there is no choice left. But don't expel a messenger with valubale information and a road map.
Look at the optimistic signs and act on these now this is still original, before these signs are entirely gone and we can only follow to save ourselves.
Harry
FAO Little Red Schoolbook Reader
25.03.2008 17:18
Sally Heaven
e-mail:
sally.heaven.01@bbc.co.uk