mocakauk (mocakauk@dds.nl)
Wed, 03 Nov 1999 20:47:19 +0100
Four weeks' sentence for squatters Paard van Amstel Today judge Van Ringen passed sentence in the summary proceedings against the four people arrested last Tuesday during the eviction of the Paard van Amstel-squat. Prosecutor Mr Tonino requested an unconditional sentence of six weeks in prison. The verdict was four weeks. The four defendants were cheered from a packed public grandstand. One of the defendants read out a statement denouncing public policy regarding the monumental building. The defendants' solicitor, Margreet Kamper of the law firm Donk, Breukelaar and Willemse, also stated that the city council should have been on trial here, in stead of her clients. The Paard van Amstel was re-squatted three days after the eviction and the city council is now negotiating purchase of the building. The squatters were charged with public violence against objects and persons and not heeding an eviction order. The police's water cannon was said to have sustained damages up to 15.000 guilders. Stones had allegedly been thrown both at the riot police and passing tourists, although no one got hurt. Furthermore the squatters stated they had been unable to hear the summons because of the racket made by the water cannon. During the court case videotapes made by the police and a witness were reviewed. The prosecutor claimed that the police and the Counsel for the Prosecution always aim to avoid evictions escalating, that the last few years evictions usually take place in a relatively good-humoured atmosphere and that the four defendants represented a nasty tendency spoiling this relaxed climate. In spite of the strong defence on the part of their solicitor (in which she stated, among other things, that the charges could not be individualised, which is a ponderous argument in Dutch law), the judge found the four defendants guilty and sentenced them to four weeks in prison unsuspended less the period already spent in custody. This means that as of today our friends will remain behind bars for another 18 days. The defendants' support group are offering all the support they can and are calling on everyone to do the same. The repeated references by the prosecutor to the so-called 'relaxed atmosphere' in which evictions take place, are especially galling, as this 'relaxed atmosphere' is mainly orchestrated by the sickening circus of police and heavy equipment which the city of Amsterdam keeps bringing on, and the fact that subsequently the evicted buildings usually remain empty to be illegally demolished and split into separate units for speculative building purposes or luxury apartments! Join the solidarity actions and/or organise your own and write to the prisoners: NN A, reg. nr. 1805664 Penitentiaire Inrichting Larserdreef 300 8233 HB Lelystad NN B P. I. Ter Peel Paterstraat 4 5977 NM Evertsoord gem. Sevenum NN C, reg. nr. 1961769 Penitentiaire Inrichting Larserdreef 300 8233 HB Lelystad NN D, reg. nr. 1961770 Penitentiaire Inrichting Larserdreef 300 8233 HB Lelystad ******************************krakenmail************************************ *** Voor automatisch afmelden klik / to unsubscribe use: mailto:majordomoNotApllicable?body=unsubscribe%20kraken Beheer: mailto:speculan@dds.nl (the administrator) Oude berichten op / old mailmessages at: <HttpNoTaPplicable?/ascii/kraken/index.html> Post-vragen: mailto:postmasterNotApllicable Let op: wij sturen email via deze lijst automatisch door. Er is geen controle. Het openen van een meegstuurde attachment is voor uw eigen risico. Ons advies: lees de tekst en open geen attachment. Voor vragen mail de postmaster.
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