Re: [kraken] Pragmatism beats idealism among squatters

Auteur: <koert@squat.net>
Datum: 29 aug 2006 17:45 uur

Hoi,
Nu mijn eerste vraag is: Waarin is dit artikel verschenen?

Ik moet toch zeggen dat ik het een behoorlijk realistisch artikel vind. Ik
denk dat dit absoluut de realiteit is voor het grootste deel van krakend
amsterdam.
Voor de rest zegt Micheal in zijn voorwoord dat alles van de
georganiseerde kant is genegeerd. Ik ben bang dat hij zelf die informatie
dan aan die mensen had moeten geven. Aangezien hij uren met ze heeft
gepraat. Ik weet zeker dat wanneer ze naar een leuk en interessant ksu mee
waren genomen dat ze dit absoluut vermeld hadden.
Daarnaast wordt de schuld direct weer op E van D afgeschoven. Ja dat is
inderdaad een beetje een ouwe zeur. Maar zijn bijdrage maakt het artikel
tenminste nog interessant. En ik kan geen 'foute' dingen ontdekken in de
quotes van hem. Dus ik weet helemaal niet waar het over gaat wanneer
iemand 'zijn mond maar helemaaaal dicht wil houden over E van D' en 'het
nu toch echt zat begint te worden'.....
Naast dat ik het dus een zeer realistisch beeld vind van een groot deel
van krakend amsterdam vind ik het inderdaad ook erg jammer dat er niets
gezegd wordt over interessante kraakakties zoals 'woonstrijd' akties en
kraken van 'vastgoedmaffia'. Veel mee gedaan de laatste tijd, met
behoorlijk succes.
Misschien toch een idee om zulke mensen door te sturen naar een
persgroepje ofzo?

mazzel

>
> Ik heb persoonlijk deze lui een aantal uur informatie geven, jammer dat
> alles
> van de 'georganiseerde' kant word genegeerd. Maar ja, het waren dan ook
> totaale hippies on holiday.
>
> Dit artikel is al een poosje geleden verschenen, maar ik was het helemaal
> vergeten. Tot vandaag...
>
>
> En laat ik al helemaal me mond maar weer dicht houden over Die Erik van
> Duivevoorde JAK! zou hij niet alles door sturen naar de hededaage krakers?
> Ik
> begin het een echt zat te worden!
>
> Maikel
>
>
>
>
> http://www.cafebabel.com/en/article.asp?T=T&Id=7894
> In the 1980s, a political movement of squatters changed the face of the
> Dutch
> capital. Today, young apolitical Eastern Europeans are joining the
> squatter
> movement
> On a warm summer’s night, five shadows flit through Frederik Street,
> towards
> the south of Amsterdam’s town centre. Their new home lies just within
> reach –
> tonight they might be lucky. The target in question has a metal front
> door,
> spray-painted in green. They get to work with a crowbar, as the door gives
> in, the last obstacle is out of the way
>
> “It can take years”
>
> We had spent months planning our expedition,” explains Anna, a squatter.
> Planning means: “countless patrols around the building and numerous
> calls to
> the authorities; we wanted to make sure that the house was definitely
> uninhabited”.
>
> According to Dutch legislation, a house must be empty for a year before it
> can
> be “squatted”. Once it has become a squat, the owners find it very
> difficult
> to rid themselves of the uninvited guests. “One day we will have to move
> out
> of here again. But until then all the owner can do is plead before the
> court
> to obtain a eviction warrant, which can take years.” explains Anna.
>
> The 21-year-old from Poland is evidently satisfied with their achievement.
> All
> the walls are covered in plaster and the floor is hidden under rubbish and
> dust. “It is clear that we will have to do some renovation work here so
> that
> we can get it looking really good” she says whilst giving her future
> flatmates Peter, Kasha, Tomas and Chechv a challenging look.
>
> “The School of Social Education”
>
> Peter is the only one who was born and bred in Amsterdam; Chechv comes
> from
> the Czech Republic while the remaining two are Polish like Anna. But just
> how
> many other Eastern Europeans have moved to the Dutch capital in the last
> year
> and have joined the squatter movement? “I came to Amsterdam to live in a
> squat,” says Anna. “I like the culture and the experience will
> certainly be
> beneficial for the future”. She has already made plans for the future:
> “I
> would like to open a centre in Poland for disadvantaged youths. Living in
> a
> squat is good experience all right”.
>
> Many young people today believe living in squats teaches tham about life
> more
> than about political activism. “As a foreigner I cannot be politically
> active, I know very little about the problems here,” muses Anna.
>
> Peter, who has just rolled a joint, adds: “Our generation have set
> ourselves
> apart from the squatters of the 1980’s. We no longer plan big campaigns,
> but
> are simply looking for a place to live”. Toady squats are also far less
> crowded. “Whereas before there would be sometimes 20 people to a room,
> we
> make sure that each person has his or her own room,” says Peter.
>
> No political fire
>
> Eric von Duivenvoorden belongs to the old squatter school. The 43 year-old
> journalist has recently published a quasi-biographical book about the
> squatter movement in Amsterdam. He himself lived in a squat from 1980
> until
> 1985, a period which was known as the golden years. He misses the
> political
> fire which the contemporary generation lacks. “Squatters are in danger
> of
> shrinking away and becoming an insignificant sub-culture”. According to
> Duivenvoorden, there are currently just under 500 squatters living in the
> city, where once there were at least 20,000.
>
> For Duivenvoorden and his fellow fighters, the movement is about changing
> the
> world: “We were quite radical and extremely politically minded. We had
> many a
> confrontation with the authorities”. The movement came about due to the
> lack
> of living space in the Dutch capital. However, the squatters found it
> unjust
> that there were numerous empty dwellings in the centre and they felt the
> need
> to protest: “Many homeowners were intentionally holding out for higher
> rent
> or a better sale price for their property,” explains the journalist.
>
> The Ghost Police
>
> Van Duivenvoorden remembers barricades, street protests and the first big
> success: “Eventually the government had to give way and accommodate us.
> Council housing programmes were created and many squats were legalised”.
> Legalisation means that the squat was purchased by the council and its
> inhabitants were given dwelling rights. Today, many of these legalised
> squats
> are alternative culture centres.
>
> “The political legacy of the squatter movement is huge in the
> Netherlands,”
> continues Van Duivenvoorden. He emphasises that the movement continues to
> be
> of great importance. “There is still a dramatic housing shortage which
> must
> not become a precedent. In spite of their low numbers, the squatters
> retain
> their power in this struggle. They are a band of ghost-like police taking
> action against empty standing living space. Homeowners must stay on their
> guard”. Van Duivenvoorden hopes that the Amsterdam squats will influence
> other European countries: “It would be terrific if a squatter movement
> emerged in Eastern Europe.”
>
> Katrin sits on the late night train between Frankfurt and Würzburg
> without a
> valid ticket. The 26 year-old Slovakian, who is on her way to visit a
> friend
> in Prague has just left a squat in Amsterdam: “I lived there for 2 years
> and
> now I need a break”. For her, squatting was a “great experience of
> freedom”.
> Can she imagine the movement taking place in her homeland? Katrin is
> pessimistic: “a friend of mine once stayed in a squat in Bratislava and
> an
> anti-terrorist unit removed them by force”. The young Slovak maintains
> “that
> Eastern Europe is far removed from a liberal lifestyle”. That is why she
> would like to return to Amsterdam soon. “ Perhaps I may even set up a
> squat
> in Barcelona”.
>
> In collaboration with Thijs Lammers, from Amsterdam's local team.
>
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ontvangsttijd Tue Aug 29 15:45:28 2006