This is a platform for our affinity group, our squat Positivenest, our projects like Program Awakening, and the videos and posters manufactured by Spirit of Squatters Collective and a few others. Our idea is to bring a lot of positive messages and constructive solutions to the alternative movement. We try to avoid pessimistic news, except when we are fighting for freedom of speech. Real life starts when we turn off our computer, our tv, etc. If you want to contact us, email mgriks@gmail.com
Call out for decentralized, direct actions starting from the 1st of October 2010.
From the 1st of October 2010 we will have the squatting ban, so we have to choose between being homeless or criminals. This choice is not suitable for us! We won't live on the streets or in the prison! We are human beings and we deserve respect! We will fight for our dignity! We will not leave this attack on us, that is performed by the dutch state, unanswered.
Our answer is RESISTANCE AGAINST their rotten and inhuman LAW! Coming squatting ban will not stop us! We will continue to OCCUPY empty BUILDINGS and RESIST each coming EVICTION!
We call everybody to DO DECENTRALIZED, direct ACTIONS starting from 1st October...Time to radicalize our performance in the political theater...
De Amsterdamse PvdA-raadsfractie steunt burgemeester Eberhard van der Laan (PvdA) niet in zijn harde aanpak van krakers. De fractie pleit voor minder ontruimingen dan Van der Laan voor ogen heeft. Hiermee is een meerderheid van de gemeenteraad tegen het voornemen van Van der Laan (PvdA) om vanaf vrijdag tweehonderd kraakpanden te ontruimen.
De PvdA laat weten niet tegen het ontruimen van kraakpanden te zijn, maar vindt dat het bestrijden van leegstand meer prioriteit moet hebben. Vanwege het beperkte aantal beschikbare politieagenten is het volgens de sociaaldemocraten, die deel uitmaken van het college, onhaalbaar om alle kraakpanden te ontruimen.
Eerder spraken de fracties van GroenLinks (tevens collegepartij), SP en D66 zich al uit tegen het voornemen van de burgemeester. In totaal zijn nu 32 van de 45 raadsleden tegen de ontruimingsplannen van Van der Laan. Collegepartij VVD en het CDA zijn wel voor handhaving. Op 1 oktober gaat het kraakverbod officieel in. De naleving hiervan ligt in handen van gemeenten. Meerdere gemeenten hebben al aangegeven het verbod niet actief te gaan handhaven.
Persbericht demo tegen het kraakverbod, 1 oktober, amsterdam, 17.00 uur, spui.
PERSBERICHT -Demonstratie tegen het kraakverbod 1 oktober 2010 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kraken crimineel? Kom ons maar halen!
Amsterdam - Vanaf vrijdag zijn alle krakers crimineel verklaard door de politiek. Het verbaast ons niets dat de politiek, met haar wetten, die zijn bedoeld om het bedrijfsleven en economische groei te beschermen, nu ook de aanval op ons opent. Maar wij kraken níet omdat de overheid ons dit toestaat, wij kraken voor onze idealen. Net als in de rest van de wereld, waar kraken nooit legaal is geweest, zal deze wet krakers niet terugschrikken.
Daarom gaan wij vrijdag 1 oktober de straat op, kom ons maar halen!
A US soldier accused of being part of a "death squad" which randomly killed Afghan civilians for sport has appeared in court as videotape emerged of him blaming his superior for the atrocities. The men are said to have shot their victims and then tried to cover their tracks by making it look like an attack was imminent. http://garizo.blogspot.com/2010/09/death-squad-killings-soldier-blames.html
A US soldier accused of being part of a "death squad" which randomly killed Afghan civilians for sport has appeared in court as videotape emerged of him blaming his superior for the atrocities. The men are said to have shot their victims and then tried to cover their tracks by making it look like an attack was imminent. Corporal Jeremy Morlock, 22, is among five members of the 5th Stryker Brigade who are charged with premeditated murder and conspiracy. If found guilty of all the charges against him, he could face the death penalty. Prosecutors also allege that members of the platoon mutilated Afghan corpses and even collected fingers and other body parts, and that some posed for photos with bodies.
Morlock's lawyers say his statements were made under the influence of drugs As the case began at Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, a video of Morlock being interviewed by investigators was shown on US television. In it he blamed his squad leader, Sergeant Calvin Gibbs, for the killings. The other three suspected of involvement in the "death squad' are Specialist Adam Winfield, Specialist Michael Wagnon II and Private Andrew Holmes. Morlock claimed Gibbs - the highest ranking soldier accused - planned "scenarios" during which they could kill civilians.
For example, Morlock said, if they came across someone in a village that had previously been flagged as having Taliban influence, they could throw a grenade at the civilian and claim they had been responding to a threat. Morlock said: "He (Gibbs) just really doesn't have any problems with ....killing these people. And so we identify a guy, Gibbs makes a comment, like, you know, you guys wanna wax this guy or what? "He pulled out one of his grenades, an American grenade, you know, popped it, throws it, tells me where to go to whack this guy, kill this guy, kill this guy." He claimed Gibbs carried a Russian grenade to leave next to the body to make it look like the soldiers were under attack. He added: "Gibbs had pure hatred for all Afghanis and constantly referred to them as savages. "Sometime after Christmas 2009, Gibbs gave me a (fragmentation) grenade and told me that if the situation presented itself that we should go ahead and run with the grenade scenario that he had briefed to us."
… the right to housing goes further than the right not to be subjected to arbitrary or forced eviction. It also involves a duty on the State to take effective action to enable its people to meet their need for a safe and secure home where they can live with dignity.
… the right to housing goes further than the right not to be subjected to arbitrary or forced eviction. It also involves a duty on the State to take effective action to enable its people to meet their need for a safe and secure home where they can live with dignity. That is not achieved easily or overnight, but … it is now internationally recognised that States must take appropriate steps to ensure the realisation of this right.
Nelson Mandela Former President of South Africa
The right to housing is one of the most widely violated human rights. Over one billion people are inadequately housed. The United Nations estimates that a further 100 million people worldwide are without a place to live. One third of humanity (more than two billion people) live without security of tenure, adequate legal safeguards against forced eviction and without access to clean and affordable drinking water in the home.
COHRE is a Geneva-based, international non-governmental human rights organisation founded in 1994 as a foundation in the Netherlands (Stichting COHRE).
COHRE is the leading international human rights organisation campaigning for the protection of housing rights and the prevention of forced evictions.
COHRE's mission is to ensure the full enjoyment of the human right to adequate housing for everyone, everywhere.
The organisation maintains registered offices in the Americas (Brazil and USA), Asia (Cambodia and Sri Lanka), Africa (Kenya) and Europe (Switzerland and the Netherlands). Since 1996, COHRE has directed its activities from it's Geneva-based International Secretariat.
COHRE began as a small network of committed human rights advocates working to raise the profile of housing rights within the international human rights community. Over the past fifteen years the organisation has grown considerably, and today it includes dozens of international human rights lawyers, community activists, and other land and housing rights experts and advocates. The COHRE staff comprises over 20 different nationalities.
The organization has a Board of Directors consisting of highly respected leaders in their respective areas of expertise within the international human rights community. COHRE is also able to call on advice from prominent human rights experts on its Advisory Board.
While COHRE has broadened the spectrum of its work, the essential focus of the organisation remains unchanged. Since its inception, COHRE has consistently and comprehensively applied a human rights approach to housing and living conditions throughout the world with a view to redressing violations of housing rights, promoting compliance with international standards and preventing future infringements of housing rights.
COHRE was granted special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in 1999. Since that time, COHRE has continued to enjoy close working relations with various United Nations bodies and agencies, including the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN Habitat (the United Nations agency for human settlements), the High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, other UN treaty-bodies, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the Commission on Human Rights and its Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, and the Commission's successor organization – the Human Rights Council.
am*dam Anarchist scholar David Graeber speaks Sat Oct. 2
World-renowned anarchist anthropologist, David Graeber, will speak on Anarchism, Direct Action, and Urban Politics, on Saturday, October 2nd, 18:00 at Joe's Garage. Graeber has written Direct Action and Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology. This discussion is part of a day long event celebrating the 5 year anniversary of Joe's Garage, autonomous squatted neighborhood social center in Amsterdam Oost.
a*dam Celebrate Joe's Garage 5 year b-day Sat Oct 2 14-22 Neighbourhood centre Joe's Garage is five years old and that's a reason to celebrate. We are going to continue after the introduction of the squatting ban! The party will feature a continuous stream of food, theater, lectures and music. Each hour, a different Joe's cook will serve unique vegetarian tapas. Come to Joe's on October 2nd, starting at 2 PM and ending at 10 PM, to celebrate this autonomous neighborhood social center's past five years of successfully flourishing defiance.
Fighting for Equality!
Joe's Garage is five years old!
Doors open at 14:00 with the Weggeefwinkel, following by a continuous stream of food, music, and theater until 22:00. Fresh and delicious tapas served every hour from a different joe's chef: mexican snacks, apricot and goat cheese puff pastries, irish scones, joe's finger rolls, turkish soup, spinach borek, chocolate salami dessert, and vegan ice cream and pancakes.
Provisional program
14:00 Weggeefwinkel 15:00 Speculatie wandeling door het SPOK 16:30 weggeefwinkel fashion show 18:00 Discussion with David Graeber about Anarchism, Direct Action and Urban Politics 19:00 Arbeiders Anonymous 20:00 Humanos Magicos (concert) 21:00 Joe's vijf jaar verslag 21:30 Amarins and le gatte negre
(het nederlandse versie volgt)
Neighbourhood centre Joe's Garage is five years old and that's a reason to celebrate. The free shop, squatting advice hour and the neighbourhood kitchen are well-known, but above all Joe's is a place where people from the neighbourhood can come together to share their thoughts about life, politics, whatever, or simply for the fun of it. It's run by volunteers on a not-for-profit (and often free) basis. And this is all done in your and our limited free time!
Joe's Garage has thus far always been situated in a squat. We think that real-estate speculators should keep their fingers off other people's neighbourhoods. Too many people have already become rich climbing over our backs in this way. And that's the reason why we take over empty buildings: to make them a functioning part of the neighbourhood again. And yes, this is an open invitation: we are always looking for more people to get involved!
We are going to continue after the introduction of the squatting ban!
The people behind Joe's Garage are simply going to continue with their activities, even when the squatting ban officially comes into force on 1st October. This law was conjured up by a number of politicians that have themselves been linked to the shadowy side of the real-estate sector.
Various neighbourhoods in the East of Amsterdam are under threat of being ruined by speculation and the privatisation obsession of the housing corporations and the municipality. The promised 'mixing' of the neighbourhood has failed to materialise, the only thing that happens is that the neighbourhood slowly but surely becomes too expensive for everyone. We don't have to accept that politicians in their ivory towers continue to damage our neighbourhoods in this way.
It's time for solidarity between house owners, renters, people searching for a house and indeed everyone that in some way or other manages to live and to work in this city. These times required a structured, integral solution and not a minority cabinet. That cabinet can expect some stiff resistance from us.
Curious?
Come on Saturday 2nd October 2010 to the Onkruid Fesitval!
With music, theatre, poetry and much more in various different squats in the East of Amsterdam. We want to show -- on the very thresshold of the squatting ban -- that creativity flourishes in freedom.
Squatters are going to squat 200 empty houses!! Translation
Translation for the English speaking community in The Netherlands.
Today the police in Amsterdam have announced that the Public Prosecutor intend to evict 200 squats. Apparently the triangle OM, Police and the Council intend to defend with all force Speculation. It will make Mayor Van der Laan the first 'Empty House Mayor' in history.
Provocation and Escalation: The policy that has been published today in The Parool will evict all squats. This will roughen relations between the police and the squat movement. This serious provocation will cause a situation that nobody not the(council,police,squatters and the majority of inhabitants of Amsterdam) will be happy with, situation namely: Tough confrontations between police and squatters, an augmentation of the amount of sq meters of empty space, making hundreds of people homeless. Thousands of Amsterdammer's who live for many years in real estate complexes owned by speculators that don't give a damn about house related problems.
Witch Hunt: Mayor Van der Laan and Chief of Police Bernard Welten would like to start the witchhunt of squatters. Former Minister of Justice Hirsch Ballin disagreed with this activity back in May.
The Amsterdam public prosecutor ignores the overall public prosecutors opinion in The Hague that do not want the eviction of houses/offices if they will remain empty after eviction. With Vann der Laans policy the empty house/office situation will rise to unheard of historical proportions.
To Squat Houses: Van der Laan (who in the past Law Practice has supported squatting groups) knows very well that squatters squat not because it is allowed but because sqautters are against speculation. Squatters will not leave their squats and if necessary will re-squat. Also the squatters make clear that they will continue their policy of continuous squatting.
Do not evict for empty space: Cohen forced the situation of non eviction if the house/office will remain empty after eviction. With this policy many confrontations were prevented and houses kept their status as a place to live in. Cohen dared to force this policy with confrontations with Welten. Van der Laan seems to follow a hard line point of view. It does not matter to him if he cannot win the fight against the rightwing political parties in de "Tweede Kamer" or that he doesn't care that the empty house situation and specualtion will get a boost.
The "Leegstand Burgermeester Van der Laan" has apparently chosen a path of Provocation and Escalation.
Onder de leus 'STOP HET KRAAKVERBOD, ANDERS KOMT MIJN KIND WEER THUIS WONEN', zal een groep solidaire ouders zich tijdens de demonstratie op 2 oktober in nijmegen manifesteren. Zij vinden het belachelijk dat de huidige generatie, net als de hunne in de jaren zeventig en tachtig, geen kans krijgt op de woningmarkt, en dat speculatie en stadsvernieling nog steeds aan de orde van de dag zijn. Daarom steunen zij hun kroost in de strijd tegen het kapitalistisch systeem, zelfs als dat ze crimineel maakt.
Daarom roepen zij op aan alle ouders van krakers om zich te verenigen in het Ouderblok tijdens de demonstratie in nijmegen. Ook wordt aan krakers gevraagd om hun ouders aan te sporen om te komen. Krakers: help je ouders een handje met spandoeken maken, dat kan hun rug niet meer aan he ;)
WIJ WILLEN ONZE HOBBYKAMER NIET OPGEVEN, KRAKEN GAAT DOOR!
raamposter
p.s. voor alle ouders met verplichtingen zijn er twee raamposters gemaakt, print ze uit, hang ze op!
Op zondag 27 september 2010 hebben wij de oude Brandweercentrale aan de Weesperzijde in Amsterdam gekraakt. Met deze kraak maken we van dit schitterende pand een mooi Sociaal Centrum. Deze aktie is bedoeld om aan te geven dat we NIET stoppen met kraken op 1 oktober. Kraken gaat door!
Dit nieuwe Sociale Centrum is een plaats waar iedereen welkom is. Het is een vrijplaats waar iedereen kan komen en vrijheid kan ervaren. In het Sociaal Centrum houden we workshops, variërend van capoeira tot software ontwikkelen. We zijn een plaats waar kunst, creativiteit en zelfexpressie voorop staan en waar mensen kunnen aanschuiven in de veganistische volkskeuken. Met deze aktie creëren we een plaats waar mensen hun ontspanning mogen vinden en waar we los kunnen komen van de huidige stressvolle maatschappij.
Met deze kraak geven we als kraakbeweging aan dat we doorgaan met het maken van deze vrijplaatsen. Kraakverbod of niet, wonen is een basisbehoefte en we blijven via deze weg aandacht vragen voor het woning- en werkplektekort.
13:00 Spirit of Squatters collective – action filming workshop
Spirit Of Squatters Collective
Spirit Of Squatters Collective : This is solidarity action (like most of our videos). The solidarity is stronger when it is seen by as many people as possible.So...Please use it ! Pass this info to everybody who could be interested !!! Feel free to embed,link it,send it,screen it etc. Use it=don't loose it. Reclaim the media with us !
... So get inspired. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER !!! http://www.youtube.com/user/spiritofsquatters Spirit Of Squatters Collective is always trying to report and support good things what are happening around us. We trying at least one time a week show You some news. Our goal is to do it daily but 1st we can not be everywhere and 2nd We don't have enough time mainly to edit ( there are many projects waiting for their time...) That's why we waiting for You to help us support good things with our video channel and with creating independent media.
and that's few words from our pages: With our activities we want to make this world a better place.Reclaim the media with us.Feel free to use our videos.Now all up to you !!!Real life is beginning when you turn off the tv, computer. See you on the streets in actions !!! If You think its important and good what we are doing You can donate what can help us to find more time to improve our activity. Click here: http://www.ourmediaindymedi... OR EVEN BETTER YOU CAN OFFER US WORK.Thanks !!!
WATCH! READ! THINK! REALIZE! TALK! COMMUNICATE! LISTEN! DEFEND! DESTROY! CREATE! CHANGE! GET INSPIRED! RECLAIM MEDIA WITH US! JOIN US! FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS! SQUAT!
Krakers gaan 200 leegstaande panden in Amsterdam kraken persgroep - 27.09.2010 17:05
Vandaag heeft de Amsterdamse politie via het Parool bekend gemaakt dat er 200 kraakpanden desnoods voor leegstand ontruimd gaan worden in Amsterdam. Kennelijk is de driehoek van politie, O.M. en gemeente van plan om leegstand en speculatie met harde hand te verdedigen. Hiermee zal Van der Laan de geschiedenis in gaan als de leegstand-burgemeester.
leegstand burgemeester
Provocatie en escalatie Het beleid zoals bekend is gemaakt in het Parool poogt alle kraakpanden te ontruimen. Met dit beleid zullen de verhoudingen tussen de politie en krakers verharden. Deze serieuze provocatie zal een situatie veroorzaken waar noch de gemeente, politie, krakers en het merendeel van de Amsterdammers op zit te wachten. Namelijk: harde confrontaties tussen politie en krakers, een stijging van het aantal leegstaande vierkante meters woon en kantoorruimte, het dakloos maken van honderden tot duizenden Amsterdammers die soms al tientallen jaren in vastgoed wonen, waar speculanten –op zijn Amsterdams gezegd- geen moer mee doen.
Heksenjacht Van der Laan en zijn hoofdcommissaris Bernard Welten willen blijkbaar wel de 'heksenjacht' op krakers ontketenen. Demissionair minister van justitie Hirsch Ballin gaf is mei nog aan dat niet te zien zitten. Het Amsterdamse OM negeert met dit voornemen ook het landelijke beleid van het OM in Den Haag. Die geen panden ontruimd willen zien als deze leeg blijven staan. Door Van der Laan zal de leegstand in Amsterdam tot historische proporties stijgen.
200 panden kraken Van der Laan – wiens voormalig advocatenkantoor in het verleden ook kraakgroepen bij heeft bijgestaan - weet als geen ander dat krakers nooit zijn gaan kraken omdat kraken mocht, maar omdat krakers tegen de praktijken van de miljoenen verslindende, witwassende vastgoedjongens zijn. Krakers zullen hun panden niet verlaten en als nodig de panden weer her-kraken. Tevens hebben krakers afgelopen week met verschillende acties duidelijk gemaakt onverminderd door te zullen gaan met kraken.
Niet ontruimen voor leegstand Cohen wist in Amsterdam het beleid af te dwingen om kraakpanden 'niet te ontruimen' voor leegstand. Met dit beleid, werden vele confrontaties voorkomen en huizen bewoond. Cohen durfde dit af te dwingen bij Welten. Van der Laan lijkt hierop terug te komen. Of hij de strijd misschien niet kan winnen van de rechtse partijen in de Tweede Kamer of dat het hem niet uit maakt dat leegstand en speculatie hiermee een "boost" krijgt maakt niet uit. De 'leegstand-burgermeester' Van der Laan kiest blijkbaar voor de weg van provocatie en escalatie.
[Am*dam] Social center squatted - days of action continue! nn - 26.09.2010 19:14
Wake up - it's time for some days of action!
Today we have squatted a former main office of the fire department on Weesperzijde 99. There is an office on the top floor but the people working there have been promised access to that part of the building so they can continue their work normally on Monday morning.
It seems that some money hungry makelaar had a plan to turn the building into some kind of a yuppie collective of creative companies, but hey – we were faster! We will use this space to do our own things: creative, social and political.
The upcoming days are filled with different kinds of activities but there is always space for more. So come join us! Help occupy, take part, get involved!
Program for coming days. Detailed descriptions of workshops etc will follow.
Sunday the 26th
19:00 Voku and drinks 20:00 Open meeting to discuss the future of the place 22:00 Punk night and concerts. Bring your instruments and amplifiers and do your thing!
Monday the 27th
10:00 Yoga and massage 13:00 Graffiti Jam. Bring spray cans and wooden boards if you can! 14:00 Intro to free software movement 16:00 Presentation of DIY laser cutter 18:00 Barricading 101 19:00 Voku and drinks 19:30 Political campaigning 21:00 Security on the street: CCTV part 1 23:00 Movie
Tuesday the 28th
13:00 Banner painting 13:00 File sharing online 15:00 Excursion 18:00 Info talk on recent repression against activists in Russia and Belarus 19:00 Voku and drinks 20:00 Federated & secure communication systems: diaspora code review + discussion 21:00 Boy scout tricks 22:00 Movie
Wednesday the 29th
13:00 Spirit of Squatters collective – action filming 14:00 Capoeira – bring sport gear! 15:00 Security on the street: CCTV part 2 17:00 Security & privacy online part 1: IRC and Lorea 19:00 Voku and drinks 20:00 Security & privacy online part 2: GPG 23:00 Movie and DJ's
Always open:
Media Centre – space for sharing all your electronic activist material Squatters Linux User Group (SLUG) corner Art Exhibition
Studenten kraken pand op de Uithof Kraakgroep Uithof - 26.09.2010 18:22
Utrecht, 26 september 2010 - Een groep krakers hebben vandaag een pand op de Uithof gekraakt. Het pand, dat al enige tijd leegstond, is eigendom van de Universiteit Utrecht. De krakers willen het pand gaan gebruiken als woonruimte. Daarnaast willen ze de ruimte ook in gebruik nemen als expositie- en atelierruimte, voor informatie- en debatavonden en voor bijvoorbeeld een eetcafé of een weggeefwinkel.
"Er is niet alleen een enorm tekort aan betaalbare woonruimte voor studenten, ook schiet de Uithof enorm tekort in het aanbieden van laagdrempelige faciliteiten voor studenten", stelt Judith, één van de nieuwe bewoners van het pand. "Wij hopen met deze kraakactie niet alleen woonruimte te creëren, maar we hopen ook een sociale functie te kunnen gaan innemen op de Uithof."
De woningmarkt voor studenten is nog steeds enorm gespannen. Recent werd bekend dat er een tekort van 20 000 studentenwoningen is. Tegelijkertijd staat er nog steeds honderden vierkante meters woonruimte leeg. Ook in Utrecht is betaalbare woonruimte nog steeds schaars. "Het is natuurlijk belachelijk dat men kraken nu gaat verbieden terwijl de situatie op de woningmarkt nog zo scheef is", vertelt Judith, "mede daarom zal kraken ook door blijven gaan. Verbod of geen verbod." Met deze kraakactie verwachten de krakers aan tien tot twintig studenten en andere woningzoekenden woonruimte te kunnen bieden.
In de komende weken willen de krakers aan de slag gaan met het bewoonbaar maken en opknappen van het pand. Daarna hopen zij met enige regelmaat open te kunnen gaan voor publiek. "Maar in de tussentijd zijn geïnteresseerden altijd welkom om langs te komen voor een kop koffie of thee en om te komen helpen natuurlijk."
Zondag 26 september hebben een paar mensen, met hulp van kraakgroep Emmen, een Huis gekraakt.
Het gaat om Spoorstraat 73 (naast een Yuppen cafe, Groothuis). Het is een woonhuis omgebouwd en uitgebreid tot kantoor. Het huis stond al minimaal 1.5jaar leeg, en zal door een paar mensen bewoond gaan worden. De politie, die na een telefoontje binnen een uur terplaatse was, heeft (met verbazing) leegstand conconstateerd. En maakte nog ff iets duidelijk;"we zullen nog wel eens zien na 1 oktober".
A beautiful spot at the Dam square was already empty for years, so the protest against the anti-squatting law in Amsterdam on Saturday, Sept 25th was the Right time to squat! As rebel clowns we squatted the place for a long, inspiring night and established our Home Sweet Squatted Home.
Nederlandse tekst volgt nog / Dutch text will follow.
We celebrated the 'anti-anti-squatting' law which will hopefully give more space to people who need to live somewhere. The good news is: waiting 1 year to use an empty building is no longer needed! So maybe everything will turn out fine with that new OUTlaw!
First we had some ideas to use our brandnew squat at the Dam for our own rebellious clown activities, but with many of hundreds protesting people in 'our garden', we had to adapt. Being flexible is also a clown quality. That's why our space quite soon changed into a lively living room: loads of visitors chatting and drinking with us, for a while we were guesthouse for someone lightly wounded, nice musicians playing guitar in and nearby our home, someone gave us her very big delicious birthday cake (Thanks and congratulations!), we received 2 books (one from John Irving and another about summit protests. Great!) and of course we also killed time with giving interviews. We were in good company: several visiting people showed rebellious respect by wearing a red nose!
You'll understand it was a great night which made perfectly clear squatting will go on! There's a lot of work to do. You don't need to look very far. At the Dam square: a nice palace and a big office. Both empty! And a bit further you'll find much more spaces screaming to get used! Enjoy that new OUTlaw!
Uit protest tegen het binnenkort ingaande kraakverbod gaan krakers de nacht van zaterdag 25 september 2010 bij het het Vrijheidsbeeld op de Dam in Amsterdam doorbrengen.
damslapen
PERSBERICHT
Amsterdam 24 september 2010
Kraakbeweging slaapt zaterdag nacht op de Dam
Uit protest tegen het binnenkort ingaande kraakverbod gaan krakers de nacht van zaterdag 25 september 2010 bij het het Vrijheidsbeeld op de Dam in Amsterdam doorbrengen. Uiteraard gaat het bij dit 'dutje' niet echt om slapen, maar om een collectieve actie, waarmee de kraakgroepen duidelijk maken dat ze zich niet bij de nieuwe wet gaan neerleggen, door iets te doen wat nu al verboden is. De invoering van de wet zal tot een heftig ontwaken leiden, zowel voor de krakers zelf als de maatschappij om ze heen.
De kraakgroepen zijn van mening met hun problemen niet alleen te staan. De reden om te kraken was in het kern altijd de woningnood, een probleem dat markt noch overheid hebben weten op te lossen. Kraken en krakers zijn in deze context sinds jaar en dag als eerste bij als het erom gaat de tekortkomingen van speculanten en hun beschermers in diverse regeringen voor iedereen zichtbaar te maken. Verder was en is kraken in Nederland als de zaadkorrels van menig cultureel en politiek initiatief. Een kraakverbod en diens consequente handhaving zou soortgelijks in de toekomst in de kiem smoren.
Voor de Damslaapactie zijn alle betrokkenen en sympathisanten van harte uitgenodigd om vanaf 19.00 uur hun protest en solidariteit op een creative manier te laten zien. Het Heftige Ontwaken zal niet beperkt blijven tot de (actie) dagen voor en na het inwerkingtreden van het kraakverbod, maar zo nodig jaren doorgaan. De kraakbeweging zal zich blijven inzetten tegen de woningnood, voor niet-commerciele culturele vrijplaatsen, en voor een eerlijke verdeling van de welvaart in het algemeen.
Goedschiks of kwaadschiks, Binnen EN buiten de wet NOUS MAINTIENDRONS!
[Am*dam] Demonstration against the kraakverbod 1st Oct
On the 1st of October there will be a demonstration against the kraakverbod. This is an opportunity for us all to stand together, united.
Even though the lawmakers and the police try everything in their power to repress us, we will always fight back. When something like a law goes against everything we believe in we will say NO, loud and clear.
It is also important to remember that our fight for squatting is not just a fight for our own houses and our autonomous spaces. When fighting for squatting we also fight for affordable housing for everyone, against the breakdown of social housing and against gentrification of cities. We don't need any more shopping centers, banks and hotels. The cities and the streets should belong to the people! Houses should be lived in, not speculated with!
Squatting being legal was never the reason we squatted. We did not take houses cause it was allowed by law, because it was something the people in power kindly let us do. And that is why a ban on squatting will not stop us.
So come to Amsterdam, to the Spui on the 1st of October. Let's show everyone that law or no law, squatting will go on!
I guess this is something that we try to do as a "Spirit Of Squatters Collective". One of the best posters now is made as video and in that hopefully and efficient way, on the long therm would help for poor people all around the world. Main reasons for disasters are more often consequences of climate change. Main reason of hunger is not lack of food but lack of justice. In the movie we are showing the reason, consequences and SOLUTIONS for even more problems that those mentioned above. Charity start at home...Music: Janusz Reichel and La Aferra
Food Production and Climate Change: Industrial agriculture, factory farming and ecosystem collapse It is well documented that our modern methods of food production – industrial agriculture and intensive factory farmed meat – are heavily reliant on fossil fuels and create large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions. On the opposite side of the coin, our capacity to produce food will be severely reduced by the consequences of climate change. Around the world, small farmers and networks like Via Campesina are fighting for food sovereignty and small-scale sustainable agricultural production. Meanwhile, agribusinesses and agrochemicals companies such as Monsanto are sitting around the tables of the intergovernmental climate negotiations pushing for a further intensification of industrial agriculture as their 'solution' to climate change.
The modern system of food production uses vast amounts of toxic petrochemical pesticides and fertilisers and heavy, oil dependent machinery to plough, irrigate and harvest the land; it transports food thousands of miles across continents from production to consumption, refrigerating it for days or weeks while it is in transit, on the supermarket shelves and then at home before it is eaten.
Traditional farming relied on planting a diversity of crops that attracted a range of insects, some of which are natural enemies of insect pests. Industrial-scale agriculture prefers large monoculture plantations; this leaves fields without the usual range of insects, and crops became vulnerable to insect pests, requiring an increase in the use of pesticides. Much of the sprayed pesticide drains off into the groundwater and is a major source of water pollution in every agricultural region of the world. Pesticides also cause soil depletion and erosion by killing off millions of microscopic organisms and their habitats which maintain the fertility and structure of the soil. The depletion and erosion then requires ever-increasing amounts of petrochemical fertilizers to maintain the level of output. Despite the number of livestock we rear, industrial farmers use artificial fertiliser made from natural gas instead of using animal manure (poop) to bind nitrogen in the soil. This causes the release of even more nitrous oxide, which is a very strong greenhouse gas.
Aside from the high levels of petrochemicals used to maintain the system, industrial agriculture and intensive animal farming necessitate widespread deforestation and land-use change. Burning down forests and savannahs to create new fields for keeping livestock and producing grain (much of it for cattle feed) causes massive CO2 emissions, and the drying of swamps for similar purposes releases vast quantities of methane. These practices heavily contribute to climate change. As industrial methods of agriculture deplete the soil there is an ongoing need to burn down more and more forest to provide new land, and new soil, on which to grow crops. Furthermore, deforestation causes less water to evaporate in an area, which leads to less rainfall. The result is poorer harvests which force soy and cattle-farmers to use the remaining rainforest even more quickly, perpetuating a downward-spiral.
The industrial system has, over centuries and all across the world, "enclosed" farmland, forcing subsistence peasants and small farmers off their land so that it can be used by corporations for growing profitable export crops such as cocoa, sugarcane or soy. Millions of people lose their land and communities, and their independence and ability to grow their own food: they can then access food only through the market, forcing them into waged labour as their sole option for survival. Increasing agricultural output, using petrochemicals and new technologies, has little effect on global rates of hunger because it ignores the issues of access to land and purchasing power and diverts attention away from real solutions such as land redistribution and sustainable and affordable farming.
As for meat production, on top of the well-documented evils of factory farming – the inhumane conditions, the genetically modified animal feed, the hormones and antibiotics animals are pumped with and the practices used in slaughter – the intensive production of meat and dairy worldwide is responsible for about 18% of the greenhouse gases caused by humans. That is more than the percentage caused by global traffic and transport combined. Within the European Union alone huge numbers of animals (153 million pigs, 123 million cows, 99 million sheep, more than 500 million battery hens and almost 11 million tons of chicken meat) are produced for food consumption every year.
Animals produce greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4 - around 62 times stronger than CO2) during the digestion process, while other greenhouse gases such as nitrous oxide (N2O - around 275 times stronger than CO2) come mainly from decomposing manure.
Factory farming of animals is also more energy intensive than traditional ways of raising food animals, requiring large inputs of fossil fuel, industrial fertilizers, and other synthetic chemicals. The ratio of fossil fuel energy inputs to food energy produced—not including food processing and distribution—averages 3:1 for all US agricultural products combined, but for industrially produced beef the ratio is as high as 35:1.
In many parts of the world meat consumption is considered a luxury. Increasing prosperity in the global south leads to the adoption of Western patterns of meat consumption, adding pressure on the land to produce all the extra grain needed for cattle feed, meaning ever less land is available for actual food production. Overall one third of the world's arable land is used for animal feed production.
The irony of this is that climate change is currently responsible for an increasing and dramatic loss of natural homes and animal habitats, contributing to the extinction of millions of species that we haven't yet domesticated for our personal consumption. Many animal and plant species are unable to adapt fast enough to higher average temperatures and changing weather patterns that in turn affect the food chain and cause even more species to die out. Dr James Hansen, now ex-chief climate scientist at the NASA space institute, has said that “climate change will become the primary cause of species extinction...The tipping point for life on the planet will occur when so many interdependent species are lost that entire ecosystems collapse.” The iconic image of climate change is the desperate polar bear swimming until he dies amongst melting ice caps. This is a tragic image, but also one which does not do justice to the range of eco-systems that are collapsing because of climate change and the natural disasters it causes.
Warming temperatures, increased rainfall, floods and droughts resulting from global warming threaten to disrupt farming systems around the world, dramatically reducing the amount of arable land available for growing food. Countries in the Global South will be hit hardest simply because of their location – those that are closer to the equator naturally have higher temperatures, and those temperatures are closer to or already higher than the temperatures suitable for agriculture. Seasons and weather patterns are already becoming unpredictable and extreme. Climate change also disrupts and alters pest and disease patterns, posing risks to agriculture everywhere.
In a few places, such as northern Europe and North America, higher temperatures will initially encourage higher yields, but this will be far less than enough to replace the volume of land that will be lost from the other effects of climate change.
Until recently, agriculture has been neglected in UNFCCC negotiations. However, further intensification of industrial agriculture is now being proposed as part of the solution to the problems of climate change, to which it has contributed in the first place, and proposals are being made to include agriculture as a source of credits through the Clean Development Mechanism; for example, agrofuels and genetically modified plants are both being proposed and employed as 'solutions' to climate change.
Agrofuels are promoted as a 'green' alternative to fossil fuels, made from sugary or oily plants such as sugarcane, rapeseed, oil palm, soybean or jatropha, for use in cars, airplanes, and for electricity generation in power stations.
Large areas of land are needed to grow enough agrofuel to replace a small amount of fossil fuel. Agrofuels are becoming the main reason for rainforest destruction. They cause significantly greater greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels because entire ecosystems are destroyed to make space to grow them. Agrofuels come from large-scale industrial agriculture; as industrial agriculture is one of the biggest single causes of climate change, expanding it to grow fuel is a dangerous idea.
A UN spokesperson has warned that 60 million people may soon become “agrofuel refugees” – people forced off their land to make way for huge areas of agrofuel crops. In Argentina alone, 200,000 families have been forced off their land for soya – many more will be displaced by the new agrofuel soya boom. Moreover, the rapid expansion of agrofuels was one of the main causes of the 2007-2008 food crisis, when many food prices rose by over 100%, triggering riots around the world as people could no longer afford to buy rice or corn. Using food crops to make fuel for cars and using land to grow agrofuels instead of food causes food prices to rise, meaning less people across the world can afford to feed themselves.
Genetically modified (GM) crops are already being promoted by corporations as a solution to the food insecurity that will result from the effects of climate change. We are told that GM crops will increase productivity and that GM technology will create plants that are resistant to droughts and other agricultural problems caused by climate change.
What we are not told is that GM contamination of the food system causes a loss of biodiversity and weakens agro-ecosystems, making them vulnerable to plagues, creating pesticide resistance in insect pests, and the loss of crop varieties reduces an ecosystem's potential to adapt to climate change. GM crops in fact themselves contribute to climate change as the expansion of GM crops is used to justify further deforestation. Most GM crops produced today are used to feed livestock and sustain an emissions-intensive animal farming industry (and therefore also covertly poisoning the food-chain). And conveniently for chemicals companies (like Monsanto, who already owns 95% of all the GM crops in the world as well as producing the attendant pesticides and fertilisers needed to grow them), GM crops necessitate a further increased use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers.
GM crops suit well the corporate desire to patent seeds so that they can be exclusively commercialised and highly profitable. Especially for rural communities, the largest in the world and the most affected by climate change, genetic modification of agriculture will prevent them from accessing seeds, causing more poverty, hunger, and therefore the further break-down of communities and environmental refugees. For northern consumers the lack of control and safety measures on GM products will weaken consumer choice and have health impacts such as increasing resistance to antibiotics, and increasing incidents of allergies and cancer. Ultimately, GM crops are yet another step further into a model of intensive monocrop agriculture for global exports basically based on intensive fossil fuel use, and only serve to weaken our capacity to face a major collapse – practically, politically and physically.
But really it doesn’t have to be this way. The international network for farmers’ organizations, Via Campesina, emphasise and demonstrate that small-scale agriculture actually reduces carbon emissions and climate change, as well as minimising the environmental impacts of farming on plants and animals, as well as the air, water, and soil. Organic and diversified farming practices increase bird and mammal populations on farmlands and ensure biological diversity for the planet. In terms of preserving and increasing soil productivity and biodiversity, small-scale sustainable agriculture is far more beneficial and efficient than industrial practices.
Industrial agriculture and intensive animal farming devastate our land, water, and air, and are now threatening the stability of our climate. Massive chemical and biological inputs cause widespread environmental damage as well as human disease and death, while vast monoculture plantations reduce the diversity of our plants and animals. Habitat destruction practices endanger wildlife, and factory farming practices cause untold animal suffering. Centralized corporate ownership of our food production system also destroys farm communities around the world, leading to mass poverty and hunger.
Climate change is already serious and likely to get worse, resulting in land loss, unpredictable changes of natural growing conditions and the extinction of millions of species. Meanwhile, those leading the destruction are sitting at the discussion tables of international negotiations, using climate change as an excuse to further expand this unsustainable and heavily polluting system, proposing solutions that only serve to expand and further centralise corporate control of food production. The problem cannot be solved by simply regulating the use of particular chemicals, or banning gm products in individual countries. The problem is systemic, and as such, requires a solution that dismantles and replaces the entire system.
http://www.MeatTheFacts.org - A shocking look at the state of the planet and the effects of meat consumption on our precious home.
Op 23 September is er de Dierentuin in Wassenaar gekraakt na een periode van leegstand van 25 jaar. Na gespreken met de eigenaar en de politie mocht de groep krakers op het terrein verblijven en is nu bezig ermee het terrein te herstellen.
Het is de bedoeling om een alternative commune van idealistische mensen optebouwen waarbij belang gehecht wordt aan duurzam wonen, het gebruiken van duurzame energie door windmolens, een zonnewarmte installatie en derkelijke, ook kunnen eigen groentes en fruit verbouwt worden. Opgroeinde kinderen zijn welkom, er zijn plannen om en narturlijke speeltuin opterichten waar kinderen spelen en boomhutten kunnen bouwen.
2 oktober, de dag nadat het kraakverbod is ingegaan zal krakend Amsterdam – Oost laten zien dat ze niet van plan is om het bijltje erbij neer te gooien. 8 Panden herbergen die dag meer dan 25 performances van krakende of sympathiserende muzikanten, dansers en theatermakers. Kom tussen 17 en 22u naar Amsterdam – Oost en laat zien wat er allemaal gebeurt in gekraakte huiskamers!
Flyer Onkruid Festival Amsterdam-Oost
Flyerachterkant Onkruid Festival Amsterdam-Oost
[Onkruid] A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. ~Doug Larson
2 oktober, de dag nadat het kraakverbod is ingegaan zal krakend Amsterdam – Oost laten zien dat ze niet van plan is om het bijltje erbij neer te gooien. 8 Panden herbergen die dag meer dan 25 performances van krakende of sympathiserende muzikanten, dansers en theatermakers.
Hiermee laten we zien dat de kraakbeweging in belangrijke mate bijdraagt aan culturele initiatieven in de stad Amsterdam. Menig muzikant, performer en kunstenaar heeft de eerste stappen gezet in een van de vele kraakpanden en vrije ruimtes die Amsterdam rijk is. Vanuit de vele kraakpanden brachten krakers, kunstenaars en ambachtslieden jarenlang de stad tot leven. En dat moet zo blijven!
Spontane ideeën en creativiteit vanuit de kraakbeweging zijn te belangrijk om uitgeveegd te worden. Het wordt tijd dat de gemeente Amsterdam en iedereen daarin inziet dat ze nu de kans hebben om de toekomstige Paradiso's, Ruigoords, NDSM's en alle andere belangrijke culturele initiatieven die uit de kraakbeweging voortkomen te erkennen als een belangrijk onderdeel van de stad. Te belangrijk om te verbieden!
Kom tussen 17 en 22u naar Amsterdam – Oost, neem al je niet krakende vrienden en buren en locale politici mee (laat je hond thuis) en laat zien wat er allemaal gebeurt in gekraakte huiskamers!
Ben je een krakende of sympathiserende performer (of ken je er) die met ons een statement willen maken op het Onkruid Festival, mail ons.
Onkruid wordt georganiseerd i.s.m. Joe's 5-Year-Anniversary
RUDE AWAKENING IN AMSTERDAM THE DAM SLEEPING ACTION 25TH SEPTEMBER 2010
Everyone knowsthat this actionis not about "sleeping". 'Catching forty winks' is a collective deed to demonstrate our noncompliance with the rules. To do something that will soon become forbidden. To break the Law and initiate a rude awakening of our movement, hence the rest of society.
Awakening to the fact that the right wing capitalist government has already begun a crusade to try to break anything that is in their opposition.
The forbidden fruit will provoke our movement, there will be increased resistance, increased Activity as a result of the new situation. This Rude Awakening is not limited to the days of Action but will linger for months and years ahead.The arousel of a sleeping society is the essence and a standpoint of the squatting movement. The government does not want a conscious society having a preference for an ignorant, impassive and unmindful society.
Squatting shelters from homelessness. The squatting movement is just one efficient way to expose the iniquity and inequity of speculation.
We will continue to fight for affordable houses not just for us but for everyone. We will give shelter to all activities that are non-commercial/ free/and critical in character. An absolute total ban on squatting affects us all.
The seeds planted now have roots that are embedded in the movement. These roots are squatters, ex squatters, sympathizers, people that are using or have used squats in the past and were inspired by them, collectives, individuals, squatting info hour, squatters bars, restaurants, cinemas, theaters, concert places, LGBT movement, artist's, musicians, dancers, performers, film makers, photographers, painters, concert and festival organizers, voluntary organisations, give away shops, radicals, anti racists, freedom fighters, human and animal rights defenders, all the people that are struggling for affordable houses.
Confirmed activities for the Action Days starting on the 26 Sept. If you would like to add something you can still send an email (whatever AT squat.net) and we'll add it to the program (final version coming soon). Bring your knowledge!!!!!
Workshops & talks: * Security and privacy on net * Security and privacy on street * Special effects workshop * Graffiti jam * Banner painting session * Introduction to DIY laser cutter * Barricading 101 * Political campaign * Action filming,editing,uploading workshop by Spirit Of Squatters Collective * Infotalk about the repressive situation in Russia & Belarus * Historical review of free software presentation * Federated & secure communication systems: Diaspora code review + discussion * Media center Computer point open all days to upload and share activist's videos, photos and other media * Art exhibition open all days ...and more!
Spirit Of Squatters Collective : This is solidarity action (like most of our videos). The solidarity is stronger when it is seen by as many people as possible.So...Please use it ! Pass this info to everybody who could be interested !!! Feel free to embed,link it,send it,screen it etc. Use it=don't loose it. Reclaim the media with us !
... So get inspired. TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER !!! http://www.youtube.com/user/spiritofsquatters Spirit Of Squatters Collective is always trying to report and support good things what are happening around us. We trying at least one time a week show You some news. Our goal is to do it daily but 1st we can not be everywhere and 2nd We don't have enough time mainly to edit ( there are many projects waiting for their time...) That's why we waiting for You to help us support good things with our video channel and with creating independent media.
and that's few words from our pages: With our activities we want to make this world a better place.Reclaim the media with us.Feel free to use our videos.Now all up to you !!!Real life is beginning when you turn off the tv, computer. See you on the streets in actions !!! If You think its important and good what we are doing You can donate what can help us to find more time to improve our activity. Click here: http://www.ourmediaindymedi... OR EVEN BETTER YOU CAN OFFER US WORK.Thanks !!!
WATCH! READ! THINK! REALIZE! TALK! COMMUNICATE! LISTEN! DEFEND! DESTROY! CREATE! CHANGE! GET INSPIRED! RECLAIM MEDIA WITH US! JOIN US! FIGHT FOR YOUR RIGHTS! SQUAT!
So many of us, squatters are supporting so many organisations, actions, demonstrations etc. So many organisations, NGO's, activities begone in squatted places So many are still there. So many cultural centres, social houses thankfully squatting movement was toked away from "free" market. So many festivals, events, traditions etc. have their roots, their moments in squatting movement. So many i would like to see showing/ presenting themselves (on the stands, performances, shows, movies etc. ) and their connections and solidarity with the our movement in those critical situation. This is great opportunity for You to show to wider audience what are You busy with and to find volunteers along the squatters. Together We are stronger. Together we are power ! We hope with You to show to the whole society that squatting its not only struggle for affordable houses for all of us, but something more. Much more. That's fight for tolerance, freedom, equality, peace, human and animal rights, for clean environment and future of our children... etc. That's struggle for better world for all of us and not only for elites. So lets make together in this Saturday not only squatters manifestation, but also anti racist, Anti capitalists, for human rights, against repressions and wars, ecologic, animal rights, supporting oppressed nations, refugees and political prisoners all what squatters were ever \(and still would like to be) busy with. Diversity is power of the society like power of our movement. Lets stop making outcasts/criminals from the minorities ! Solidarity is our strength ! Manifestation at the Dam square in Amsterdam would start at 19.00 and will last till morning. This manifestation would be beginning of actions days for squatting which will follow. More info at www.indymedia.nl
We would like to invite your organisation to The Dam Sleeping Action that will take place on the 25th September.
As we know many organisations have their roots in the squatting movement/are supported by the squatting movement. Our movement is in a critical situation and we ask for solidarity.
With the help of your organisation we hope to show to society that squatting is not just about the struggle for affordable houses but is about something much more. The very essence of the squatting movement is a struggle for tolerance, freedom, equality, peace, human and animal rights, environment.
The Dam Sleeping Action is really an awakening. It is not only a squatters manifestation, but also anti-racist, anti-capitalists, human rights, against repression and wars, ecologic, animal rights, supporting oppressed nations, refugees and political prisoners.Diversity is the power of a society, a power of our movement.
Solidarity is our strength !
Please bring lot's of information about your organisation so that information can be spread wide and far. The Dam Sleeping Action starts at 19:00hr on Dam Square Amsterdam on the 25th September 2010.
Was het al jaren onze stille wens een echte VEGA-LIFE winkel te openen, nu is het er eindelijk van gekomen! VEGA-LIFE heeft een winkel in het centrum van Amsterdam. De winkel is op 1 november 2008 officieel geopend door Esther Ouwehand, Tweede Kamerlid voor de Partij voor de Dieren. Foto's van de opening kunt u hier terugvinden.
We willen u van harte uitnodigen om binnenkort een keer langs te komen. U kunt dan alle producten bekijken, voelen, passen en natuurlijk ook kopen.
This is an internal document from the KSU-Centrum that is almost a year old now but was distributed at the recent SOK. It was asked for it to be placed online in order for people to further read and discuss.
*It would like to be pointed out that as an internal document, the end sloganeering is tongue in cheek and in joking hence the use of Dutch, German and English and "bigger tax rebates".
**Further context to the development of the document, related texts, etc. will follow in the comment section.
The KSU-Centrum views squatting potentially as a political activity. Housing is viewed in contemporary society as a commodity, another product to buy, sell, rent and ultimately to profit upon. However, housing is and remains a basic material need. By squatting we therefore challenge the pursuit of profit over people's needs.
As a KSU we facilitate the organisation of and carrying through of squatting actions. We see these actions as increasing the autonomy, the initiative, the participation, the solidarity, the equalitarian tendencies and the self -activity of people and hopefully contributing to and assisting in their demystification.
The KSU is not a service provider but rather a group of individuals with experience both practical and theoretical. Visitors to the Kraak Spreek Uur aren't customers, so should not be treated in such a way. We want to help facilitate the self activity of persons or groups based around their own needs and desires. We are not trying to get them to 'buy' into squatting or subversive politics. We simply attempt to provide people with the means to create their own space and self organization.
We are not a pressure group and are not concerned with how capital/the economy/the market/the state should be managed to accommodate the struggles to impose those needs. We propose that people gain autonomy over their own living arrangements and take matters into their own hands, thus removing this form of control from the state.
We seek the control of communities by the people who live there as opposed to politicians, landlords, housing corporations, even figures claiming to act on such a community's behalf. We seek to retain the grassroots nature of squatting coupled with organising for the decentralization of society down to its roots.
Within Amsterdam the KSU-C fulfils a role in conjunction with a city wide association of Kraak Spreekuuren. Through mutual aid and solidarity we assist in the sharing of ideas, knowledge and practical support.
The KSU-Centrum views housing as a class issue. Unable to find a current or even recent analysis of the Dutch Housing situation from an anarchist or libertarian communist perspective, we looked at Aufheben's The Housing Question for inspiration. While specifically British, we find some affinity with the following quotes:
"For the vast majority of people living in a capitalist society housing is an ever-present concern. Finding somewhere to live, finding the money to pay the rent or to keep up the mortgage repayments, negotiating contractual obligations with landlords or mortgage lenders, solicitors and estate agents, are all familiar and recurrent problems. Yet housing is not merely a basic necessity, it also provides an important reference point through which we come to exist in capitalist society. Where we live, what type of housing we have, what type of tenure we hold, all condition who we are, what we are seen to be and the environment in which we are able to live our lives. As such housing is a major material determinant of our social being."
"However, the very ubiquity of housing in our everyday lives has often meant that the political and social importance of housing is overlooked by those interested in the social question. Yet, as one of the central elements in the reproduction of labour power, housing is above all a class issue."
"Conflicting interests in the provision of housing have meant that housing has often been an important site of class conflict and social struggle."
In terms of our organisation, in terms of squatting actions and whatever else we are involved in we try to push that group in the direction of direct democracy and full participation by all involved.
Taking from Solidarity's 'As We See It/Don't See It', we feel that "Meaningful action, for revolutionaries, is whatever increases the confidence, the autonomy, the initiative, the participation, the solidarity, the equalitarian tendencies and the self -activity of the masses and whatever assists in their demystification. Sterile and harmful action is whatever reinforces the passivity of the masses, their apathy, their cynicism, their differentiation through hierarchy, their alienation, their reliance on others to do things for them and the degree to which they can therefore be manipulated by others - even by those allegedly acting on their behalf."
Through a lot of internal discussion and debate around service provision, certain parts were included in this document. We'd like to see that debate spread out into the wider movement.
These same debates can be seen to be taking part with other "Direct Action Casework" groups such as Seattle Solidarity Network ( http://seattlesolidarity.net/ ), London Coalition Against Poverty ( http://www.lcap.org.uk/ ) and Ontario Coalition Against Poverty ( http://www.ocap.ca/ ).
It should also be further pointed out that the KSU-C isn't opposed to making demands and have discussed and debated reforms considerably. We do however differentiate between leftist demands and those which stress the concrete needs of the working class. We see the latter as ones which we should concern ourselves with.
In terms of our final paragraphs, it should be pointed out that we've taken alot of influence from the Community and 'Social Wage' Struggles section of the Anarchist Federation UK's "Introduction to Anarchist Communism".
Further to this, we would like to include a definition of Direct Action as "Action taken independently by the working class in struggle rather than appealing to the power of politicians, bureaucrats, and employers."
As well we would like to point out that while there is an ethical aspect to the concept of solidarity we don't view it as a moral imperative but more a practical one, support and solidarity are of mutual benefit and only work and are effective as such.
If you think it is important and worthwhile what we are doing, please donate some money. This can help us find more time and improve our activity. Thanks!
NL92TRIO0390212989 in Triodos ethical bank
http://libcom.org/news/national-opera-house-occupied-athens-turned-counterinformation-resistance-base-06022009 
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Was het al jaren onze stille wens een echte VEGA-LIFE winkel te openen, nu is het er eindelijk van gekomen! VEGA-LIFE heeft een winkel in het centrum van Amsterdam. De winkel is op 1 november 2008 officieel geopend door 
