Demonstration against all evictions and state repression

Callout for a demonstration on Friday 25th of February, 19:00, Leidseplein, Amsterdam.

We are calling for this demonstration as a response to the eviction of the Waldeck Pyrmontlaan, the court case of our arrested comrades, the repression at the housing demo in Leiden and every other time the police used their violent means to protect the rich and structures of oppression. These speed evictions and police repression concern all of us, not just the anarchists or the squatters.

Since the last housing protests, more people seem to be losing faith in reformist approaches and the false promises of politicians. Squatting is widely supported, rent strikes are called for and people everywhere are taking direct action against gentrification. Politicians from volt and groenlinks were drowned out of demos and were unable to promote their fake promises.

Fighting for our own solutions- without relying on the state or making demands of the government is seen as a viable solution. As more people are embracing anarchist tactics and methods of organising, the state’s response seems to be to repress it before it can spread. A whole arsenal of tactics is employed to attempt to shut us down, break bonds of solidarity and scare people away.

From police violence at demonstrations, evictions, preventive searches, sending informants and so on. This repression must be met with a collective response. Our rage, like our movement, will not be contained or repressed.

Let’s come together and show our rage. Come prepared, come in block if that makes you feel safer. There will be a sound system, speeches, a march and good spirit! Everyone is welcome, email us with any concerns or questions you might have.

We envision:
A world without police and prisons
Cops and cameras of campus
Free meals
Free public transport for everyone
Decolonising the university
Cancelling of all debts
Free housing for everyone that needs it

Autonomous Student Struggle
https://radar.squat.net/en/autonomous-student-struggle
https://astudentstruggle.noblogs.org/

Benefit for Het Kraaienest, new squatted social center in Groningen

Monday 21 February 2022, Benefit for Het Kraaienest, new squatted social center in Groningen. Volkseten Vegazulu. Food served from 6pm, no reservation.

Het Kraaienest is the new squatted social center in Groningen. The former café restaurant Het Heerenhuis on Spilsluizen was squatted around the new year, after almost 2 years of emptiness. Closed down during the first lock down, the restaurant never reopened. The owner hasn’t been granted permits to build housing. He already took the squatters to court and lost the case. Het Kraaienest blijft, yeah!
The doughy real estate investor behind Het Heerenhuis is Joshua Camera, chosen Slumlord of the Year 2018. He would have bought the building in May 2020, handing it over to straw man business partner Jaqcues van den Berg. Joshua Camera has already built up himself a disastrous reputation in Groningen.
During this benefit event, we’ll be talking about the Kraaienest, Zuiderkuipen, Akerkstraat and other squatted spaces around the city, with a short film and some pictures. What’s up with Rollend Goed, Het Wieland, Betonbos? The council has recently provided a temporary terrain to one group. Not only Groningen and Amsterdam have provided such terrains to squatters, Utrecht would be also tempted by the same move.
And by the way, Kraakspreekuur Groningen is back on track. Is this a sign of the times?

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchens existing since the very beginning of Joe’s Garage, June 2005. Your donations are welcome. Food is vegan, no reservation. All benefits go to social & political struggles. Joe’s Garage is a space run by volunteers. Without a collective effort, without your active participation, we’re remaining closed. Get in touch in you feel like giving a hand. We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. If you want to know which days are still available, mail us.

Sweet sixteen and still angry! Protestmanifestatie

[nederlands] [english] [français]

Sweet sixteen and still angry! Protestmanifestatie op 11 september

Joe’s Garage is 16 jaar geleden gekraakt. De kraakgroep Oost is nu zo’n 20 jaar aktief in de Transvaalbuurt, vanaf de kraak van Pretoriussstraat 28 in 2001. We zijn wekelijks open voor de buurt met de weggeefwinkel, het kraakspreekuur, de films en de volkskeuken.
Naast de aktviteiten als kraakgroep met panden als Het Blijvertje en de Valreep hebben we mede aan de wieg gestaan van initiatieven in Oost als Bajesdorp in het Amstelkwartier, de Nieuwland in de Dapperbuurt en binnenkort de Nieuwe Meent aan het Archimedesplantsoen waarbij we panden in collectief eigendom hebben verworven en dat gaan combineren met activiteiten voor en in de buurt.

Ondanks dit alles staat in Amsterdam-Oost/de Transvaalbuurt de sociale verhuur en ander betaalbare woonruimte onder grote druk van speculatie op de woningmarkt, waarbij steeds meer mensen financieel in de knel komen. Steeds meer onzekerheid van je huisvesting vanwege tijdelijkheid en/of betaalbaarheid maken mensen wanhopig.

Goede betaalbare en zekere huisvesting is geen luxe artikel, maar een noodzaak voor een ieder!

We willen onze vejaardag gebruiken om een oproep te doen om aan te sluiten bij het nationale woonprotest.
We willen een einde aan de uitverkoop van Oost, te beginnen in de Transvaalbuurt.
We steunen Het Wonen Protest, en de demonstratie tegen de wooncrisis op 12 september vanaf het Westerpark om 14:00.

Kom spandoeken maken we op het Steve Bikoplein. We organiseren op 11 september een protestmanifestatie tegen de totale uitverkoop van de Transvaalbuurt. Je kan van 14:00 tot 19:00 op het Steve Bikoplein terecht voor de manifestatie, heel veel flyers en leeswek, eten op donatie en muziek.
Tot dan!

[…Lees verder]

New Squatting Law – Squat Wars IV, Return of the squatting ban.

The Dutch government recently passed a new law, Wet Handhaving Kraakverbod (or law to Enforce the Squatting Ban), with the aim of evicting squatters more quickly. There is a lot of confusion and uncertainty about what exactly this law will entail and especially what influence this will have on squatters and their housing rights.

Unfortunately, this text will not be able to answer all questions since this law has been written by politicians who see squatting as a terrible thing and want to get rid of it, without actually seeming to have much understanding of the legal protocols and procedures. The result is a law that says that from now on, squatters must be evacuated more quickly without clearly establishing exactly how this should work. Both the Public Prosecution Service, the Council of Judiciary and Bond of Lawyers strongly criticised the proposal and called for this law not to be adopted, nevertheless a large majority voted in favour and this law entered into effect on 19 May, 2021. […Lees verder]

Benefit for legal fund. Vegan Shoarma Take to the square

Monday August 10th 2020, Benefit for legal fund. Vegan Shoarma Take to the Steve Bikoplein, the square next door, from 7pm till 9pm. No reservation.
The anti-authoritarian collective Ajo Negro is cooking at Joe’s Garage. The benefit will go to support squatting legal costs in Amsterdam.

Ajo Negro is an anti-authoritarian collective that cooks to support events and projects of social transformation. It is run by volunteers based on a libertarian perspective. Encouraging human and non-human freedom. We are an active kitchen that criticise capitalism and welfarism. We choose vegan as a nourish option and as a political decision. We help each other in a horizontal way, considering that the collective effort is more fruitful that the individual one. […Lees verder]

Benefit for legal fund. Vegan Pizza Take to the square

Monday July 6th 2020, Benefit for legal fund. Vegan Pizza to take to the Steve Bikoplein, from 7pm till 9pm. No reservation.
The anti-authoritarian collective Ajo Negro is cooking at Joe’s Garage. The benefit will go to support squatting legal costs in Amsterdam.

Ajo Negro is an anti-authoritarian collective that cooks to support events and projects of social transformation. It is run by volunteers based on a libertarian perspective. Encouraging human and non-human freedom. We are an active kitchen that criticise capitalism and welfarism. We choose vegan as a nourish option and as a political decision. We help each other in a horizontal way, considering that the collective effort is more fruitful that the individual one. […Lees verder]

Benefit for legal fund. Vegan Pizza Take to the square

Monday June 8th 2020, Benefit for legal fund. Vegan Pizza to take to the Steve Bikoplein, the square next door, from 7pm till 9pm. No reservation.
The anti-authoritarian collective Ajo Negro is cooking at Joe’s Garage. The benefit will go to support squatting legal costs in Amsterdam.

Ajo Negro is an anti-authoritarian collective that cooks to support events and projects of social transformation. It is run by volunteers based on a libertarian perspective. Encouraging human and non-human freedom. We are an active kitchen that criticise capitalism and welfarism. We choose vegan as a nourish option and as a political decision. We help each other in a horizontal way, considering that the collective effort is more fruitful that the individual one.

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchens existing since the very beginning of Joe’s Garage, June 2005. All benefits go to social & political struggles. Joe’s Garage is a space run by volunteers. Without a collective effort, without your active participation, we’re remaining closed. Get in touch in you feel like giving a hand. We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. If you want to know which days are still available, mail us.

Squatter’s Legal Defense Fund benefit. Steve Bikoplein Volkseten Vegazulu and basketball game

Thursday June 4th 2020, join us and the Transvaalbuurt on the square, the Steve Bikoplein, to share some food, meet the community and play some basketball. Your donations are welcome to support the Squatter’s Legal Defense Fund. The Steve Bikoplein is big enough not to step on each others. Food is served between 19:00 and 21:00. No reservation for the food. Bad weather won’t stop us providing food. In case of rain, we’ll serve the food to take away from the square or from Joe’s Garage.

Even if squatting became a criminal offense in the Netherlands in October 2010, people have still been squatting empty houses, office buildings, derelict factories, abandoned terrains all around the country. As politicians, mayors come and go, the housing shortage hasn’t been solved but worsen. We’re witnessing a continuous housing crisis, a lack of affordable living space, on which the media has no interest in reporting the roots of the problem, too busy seeking sensation exhibiting a bunch of black hooded squatters. Real estate has been given free hands by politicians, councils don’t even have the will nor the capacity to act against landlords keeping buildings vacant, anti-squat is a flourishing business as ever, perpetuating precarious living conditions, while social housing corporations are more concerned about their property portfolio than social housing itself.
Will the Amsterdam city council take action against owners of these Airbnb apartments which magically appeared to rent on the free market during the covid-19 crisis? It might be only good intentions, once again. Soon, Amsterdam will be packed again with tourists in need of a place to stay.
End of 2019, Halsema announced an intensification of the repression against squatters, too busy she is profiling herself within the political landscape, just like she does when appearing smiling at a demonstration on the Dam square.
Repression against squatters is nothing new. It is visible all around the Netherlands. Mayors are applying a zero tolerance policy as squatters and other housing activists keep up the fight. Support and donate to the Squatter’s Legal Defense Fund, come along and participate.

Volkseten Vegazulu is a people’s kitchens existing since the very beginning of Joe’s Garage, June 2005. All benefits go to social & political struggles. Joe’s Garage is a space run by volunteers. Without a collective effort, without your active participation, we’re remaining closed. Get in touch in you feel like giving a hand. We’re always looking for cooks. Any help is welcome in the kitchen. Experience not required. If you want to know which days are still available, mail us.