Benefit & info in support of the undocumented refugees of We Are Here

Thursday October 24th 2019, Benefit & info in support of the undocumented refugees of We Are Here. Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

In May of this year we proved by visiting the Family Loket (Vreemdelingenloket) that:

– there was no shelter at all for ‘new’ (who were not already in a shelter) undocumented refugees in Amsterdam;
– it was not possible at all to registrate on a waitinglist for the 24Hours shelter;
– even very sick people only could come on a waitinglist.
All this was confirmed in a mail of the Family Loket (Vreemdelingenloket) to us.

We tried to get proof from the Family Loket (Vreemdelingenloket) that we had been there to registrate. We offered the Loket a declaration to sign that we had been there.
This was very important for us. Because:
The refugees, without income, would not have to go in vain to the Loket;
Owners of squatted places, the OM (OpenBaar Ministerie), Prosecution Counsel, judges, mayors, Media kept saying there WAS a shelter. This was very harmful for us in courtcases, evictions, media and public opinion.
The Loket refused to give that declaration.
There was nowhere to go for us, no place to be, except the street or a squatted place. On the street and in parks we were hunted by the police, sleeping in tents became prohibited and the same with selling a magazine for some pocket money.

In our need we squatted less appropriate places…

We asked the Family Loket (Vreemdelingenloket) and also the City Board to be clear about the fact that there was no shelter, including no possibility to registrate for the 24Hours shelter.
We started our correspondence with the municipality, directing the Mayor and alderman Groot Wassink. Mrs Anne Klerks answered our mail in name of alderman Groot Wassink. (please see below)
At the end of our correspondence with Mrs Klerks the City Board still refuses an emergency shelter and also refuses to care for the refugees on the street and in squatted places.
But it seems there is now a waiting list for the 24Hours shelter.
The 24Hours shelter should have started the 1th of July but it did not. Than the guidance should have started the 1th of July. But it did not. The only thing that happened seems to be that one tries to get rid of the Dublinclaimers in spite of promesses to this group.
The Dublin Regulation is a seriously criticised system by an organisation as UNHCR because it is unfair for the countries where refugees first arrive and against the human rights of free choice for the refugees. By accepting the Dublin Regulation the 24Hours shelter starts with a defeat against human rights before it has even been started.

We ask more than ever for an Emergency Shelter for undocumented refugees, for our immediate need, but also to avoid that we have to be such a long time in the streets and in squatted places that the 24Hours shelter will be a place for sic people only.


Dringende Financiële noodhulp voor vluchtelingen die geen kant op kunnen en niets krijgen van staat of stad (September 22, 2019)

Beste mensen,

Hoe kan dat: aan vluchtelingen die niet terug kunnen geen verblijfsvergunning geven, wel een verbod op werk, geen inkomen, geen onderdak, geen kleding, geen voedsel, geen onderwijs?
Het kan blijkbaar: zogenaamde ongedocumenteerde vluchtelingen zijn om te overleven volledig afhankelijk van particulier initiatief.
Ze waren met 65, vluchtelingen uit Afrikaanse landen, die april van dit jaar in Uilenstede 475, een 5 jaar lang leegstaand gebouw in het gebied Uilenstede/Kronenburg in Amstelveen, waren getrokken. Het gebied gaat volledig op de schop, het visieplan was kort daarvoor door de gemeenteraad aangenomen, het zal jaren vergen dit te realiseren en in de tussentijd is er vanalles mogelijk, ook voor ongedocumenteerde vluchtelingen. Dat hoopten ze, zeker toen de eigenaars ze aanboden tot 31 juli te blijven en te willen nadenken over een langere periode. Maar ze werden bedrogen, zowel door de eigenaars als door de staat, en de staat maakte het hun zelfs onmogelijk om tegen de rechterlijke uitspraak in hoger beroep te gaan. […Lees verder]

JaKra! #1

[english]

Joe’s Garage is nog één van de weinige gekraakte social-politieke centra in Amsterdam, samen met Bajesdorp, nabij het Amstelstation, het ADM in het Westelijk Havengebied (ontruimd op 7 januari 2018) en de Monbeile Eenheid in Amsterdam Noord (verlaten op 1 februari 2019). Al ruim 13 jaar is Joe’s Garage acteif in de Transvaalbuurt, in Amsterdam Oost. In februari 2001 werden de bovenetage van Pretoriusstraat 28 gekraakt. In Juni 2005 was de begane grond, een voormalige tabakszaak, open als een sociaal centrum – Joe’s Garage was geboren! In die tijd waren waren er trouwens meerdere panden in de straat (en aan het tussenliggende Steve Bikoplein) gekraakt. In September 2005 werd Pretoriusstraat 43 gekraakt, aan de overkant van Joe’s. Drie jaar later, in october 2008, word Pretoriusstraat 28 ontruimd. Op precies dezelfde dag heropende Joe’s Garage op de begane grond van Pretoriusstraat 43. de Juridische situatie rondom Pretoriusstraat 43 is no altijd hetzelfde zoals beschreven in het Witboek Kraken uit 2005 [1].

Sinds 2005 biedt Joe’s Garage 6 dagen per week ruimte aan meerdere vrijwilligersinitiatieven, waaronder een weggeefwinkel, Volkseten Vegazulu (voku), een buurtbios en een kraakspreekuur (KSU Oost). Daarnaast maken verschillende groepen gebruik van de ruimte voor bijvoorbeeld vergadering of infoavonden. Om Joe’s Garage letterlijk en figuurlijk open te kunnen houden is iedereen van harte welkom om me te helpen – met het organiseren van een activiteit bijvoorbeeld, maar ook met koken of afwassen. Een belangrijk uitgangspunt is dat iedereen die er binnenstapt sichzelf ook als delnemer beschouwd; dat we allemaal verantwoordelijkheid nemen en bijdragen aan het creëren van een inclusieve, zelfwerkzame omgeving.

Kraken gaat natuurlijk gewoon door! Hieronder een overzicht van recente kraakacties: […Lees verder]

Benefit for We Are Here Academy + Iranian movie night: Fireworks Wednesday (Asghar Farhadi, 2006)

Asghar_Farhadi_Fireworks_WednesdayMonday January 16th 2017, Food at 7pm with a benefit for We Are Here Academy. Then at 9pm, Iranian movie night with Fireworks Wednesday from Asghar Farhadi, (2006).

The We Are Here Academy is an educational initiative offering university-level courses for undocumented individuals. The We Are Here Academy upholds the rights for any person, whether or not in possession of legal status, to pursue an education. http://heretosupport.nl/we-are-here-academy-3/

Fireworks Wednesday, Iranian film from Asghar Farhadi (2006, 104 min.). In Farsi with English subtitles. The titular fireworks are literal – the story takes place as Iranians celebrate New Year  by spring-cleaning and lighting firecrackers – and metaphorical : when Rouhi, a young bride-to-be working for a cleaning agency,  turns up at the apartment of a couple about to go on holiday, she’s drawn into an explosive domestic conflict. What distinguishes the film is the way Farhadi keeps us guessing from as to what exactly is happening and why; repeatedly shifting our point of view, he forces us to question our assumptions about characters and their reliability. This compelling, corrosive account of male-female relationships in today’s Tehran is tempered by genuine compassion for the individuals concerned; wisely, Farhadi never serves judgement on them in their troubled pursuit of truth, love and happiness. Intelligent, illuminating and directed with unflashy expertise.

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchen, every monday and thursday, all year long. Door opens at 7pm. Vegan food for 4€ or donation. All benefits go for social & political struggles. No reservation. In July and August, the people’s kitchen is closed on thursday.

We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. Enjoying it is a must. If you want to know which days are still available in the schedule, send an email to joe [at] squat [dot] net and book yourself the night. You can, of course, also participate by rolling up your sleeves and doing the

We Are Here benefit with Paper Wings (folk punk from Liverpool)

Monday August 22nd 2016, We Are Here (http://wijzijnhier.org/) benefit with Paper Wings (folk punk from Liverpool). Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm. Music from 9pm till 10pm.

On the stage, 3 members of the 5 piece, politically driven folk punk band from Liverpool, UK.
Fast, loud & angry whilst managing to squeeze in sweet harmony and melody. They originally started as a group of friends who played in the street to earn some change at early hours of the morning to drunk passers by. Eventually a proper band was accidentally formed and they began gigging on the UK’s DIY punk + festival scenes. Their messages range from cooperation to freedom of gender expression to attacking financial advisors’ ideologies and corrupt politicians. […Lees verder]

Voku Benefit We Are Here

we_are_hereMonday July 4th 2016, Voku Benefit We Are Here, Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

We Are Here is a self-organised refugee action collective.
Refused refugees living on the streets of the Netherlands struggle for life. Since 2007 the asylum policy in the Netherlands started to change. Refugees who have been rejected are no longer entitled to basic rights such as shelter and food. Even when it is impossible to return to their countries of origin, the Dutch government argues that they can leave voluntarily. Denying them access to reception centers, putting them in prison and forcing them to survive in parks, railway stations and insecure hiding places, that is the way to convince them to leave this country. On European level the asylum policy also forms a problem for refugees. Most people of We Are Here are not allowed to stay in The Netherlands, cannot go back to their own country, but can also not move to another European country, due to the Dublin II agreement.

This self-organized action by the refugees has highlighted a humanitarian problem that has been growing for years and was hidden from the public eye. Now these people have made themselves visible and seek solutions by entering in dialogue with civil society and democratic representatives. To realize their aims they need to be together, safe and visible. In the mean time they inform the Dutch citizens about their situation, do political lobby and demonstrate for their rights. http://wijzijnhier.org/ […Lees verder]

Benefit for We Are Here

Wij_Zijn_HierThursday October 15th 2015, Benefit for We Are Here. Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm. One woman from We Are Here will take the microphone and sing!

On May 29th 2015, after a long juridical battle, Wijn Zijn Hier was leaving the Vluchtgarage in Zuid Oost. Police used excessive violence against demonstrators protesting in front of the city hall, arresting 7 refugees. Before this incident, on April 15th, another building was liberated on the Sande Bakhuijzenstraat 2, in West. This new home was known as the Vlutchttoren. A verdict had stated that this building could be used until end of August. On June 4th, 80 refugees from Wij Zijn Hier squatted Pieter Calandlaan 1, a former city council office in Slotervaart. On August 23rd, a former art school on the Dapperstraat in Amsterdam Oost was squatted and taken over by Wij Zijn Hier. The group of refugees was asked by the owner, the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (AHK), to leave the building before September 1st. So they did and as soon as they were gone, the owner moved in a few anti-squatters. On September 30th, Wij Zijn Hier was leaving the Vluchttoren and are now looking for housing.
On Friday October 16th, the Wij Zijn Hier refugees are calling for a demonstration at 13:00 in front of the Vredespaleis in Den Haag. Between 14:00 and 16:00, there will be an exhibition about the situation in Yemen.
Wij Zijn Hier http://wijzijnhier.org/

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchen, every monday and thursday, 7pm, vegan food for 4€ or donation. All benefits go for social & political struggles. No reservation.

We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. Enjoying it is a must. If you want to know which days are still available in the schedule, send an email to joe [at] squat [dot] net and book yourself the night. You can, of course, also participate by rolling up your sleeves and doing the dishes.

Benefit for We Are Here with documentary screening

Wij_Zijn_hierMonday May 25th 2015, Benefit for We Are Here with the screening of Wij Zijn Hier, a documentary by Alexandra Jansse (Xela Films, 2015, 65’, in English with Dutch subtitles). Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

A new documentary narrating the story of one of the most vibrant movements in the Netherlands.
Wij Zijn Hier, a self-organised refugee group in Amsterdam. Screening will take place after the people’s kitchen, with the presence of director Alexandra Jansse and an activist of We Are Here.
Trailer of the film: https://vimeo.com/124522574

De worsteling van 220 vluchtelingen die maar één wens hebben: een menswaardig bestaan opbouwen in een land waar vrede heerst.

Het is September 2013 als het lopen door de binnenstad van Amsterdam begint voor 220 vluchtelingen die zich in het zogenaamde ‘asielgat’ bevinden in Nederland. Zij protesteren tegen het feit dat hun asielverzoeken werden afgewezen. In een aantal gevallen zijn ze naar de rechter gegaan en hebben hun beroep verloren. In andere gevallen loopt er nog een beroepsprocedure. Voor vrijwel allemaal is er een onaantastbaar besluit van de Nederlandse overheid, dat inhoudt dat ze geen asiel krijgen en dus Nederland moeten verlaten.

Omdat het de overheid in de praktijk echter niet lukt om ze uit te zetten worden ze op straat gezet. Al jaren worden deze mensen achtervolgt door een voortdurend knagende onzekerheid over hun recht op bestaan. Het beklemmende gevoel als ratten in de val te zitten is een vorm van zekerheid geworden die zich kenmerkt door een stuitend bestaan. Kans op terugkeer naar hun vaak zo geliefde familie is voor hen geen optie omdat daar marteling, gevangenisstraf of soms zelfs de dood wacht.

Alexandra, gedreven om een inkijk te geven in de schrijnende situatie waarin deze mensen zich bevinden, wil met deze film de denkbeeldige muren slechten en hun persoonlijke situatie in alle openheid belichten. De politiek lijkt onvermurwbaar. In ‘WIJ ZIJN HIER!’ schetst Jansse de worsteling en rauwe werkelijkheid van deze groep asielzoekers die maar een wens heeft namelijk: een menswaardig bestaan op te bouwen in een land waar vrede heerst. […Lees verder]

Benefit for ‘We Are Here’

Hamza_Naser_Galid_Wij_Zijn_Hier

Monday September 8th 2014: Benefit for ‘We Are Here’, Volkseten Vegazulu, 7pm.

On Saturday August 23rd, a group of refugees squatted an empty office building on the Jan Tooropstraat. From the Vluchtopvang on the Linneaushof 4, they had squatted on August 16th the Vluchtschool on the Zuidelijke Wandelweg 30 in the Rivierenbuurt, their 10th location in 2 years. They stayed one week in this building before they take the Vlutchgebouw on the Jan Tooropstraat 649.
The death of a refugee from the Vluchtgarage is a tragedy. Our grief is great. One of our brothers died yesterday evening. Naser Galid was 32 years old and a refugee from Somalia. He was wounded after a very unfortunate quarrel in the Vluchtgarage. In the coma for five days, he died in the AMC hospital. The refugees from the Vluchtgarage are living under great tension and very bad living conditions. There are no adequate basic services and the daily stress among the refugees, who have no residence status in Netherlands, is great. Their future is uncertain and the situation is hopeless. They have nowhere to go and have no ability to own something to improve their situation. NGO’s such as Amnesty International were alarmed on several occasions..
A few days later, a volunteer from ‘We Are Here’ condemned in harsh words mayor Van der Laan in a public statment.

For more information about the ‘We Are Here’ refugees, look on: http://www.wijzijnhier.org

You can bring maintainable food (cans), juice, toilet articles, tea, coffee, etc… This evening at Joe’s Garage and it will be delivered at the refugees. Also you can go there yourself:
Vluchtgebouw: Jan Tooropstraat 649 (nieuw-west)
Vluchtgarage : Kralenbeek 100 (zuid-oost)

NOBODY IS ILLEGAL
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT
[…Lees verder]