Squatters are going to squat 200 empty houses!!

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.