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Call out to all squatters
"Spirit of the eighties" collective - 21.10.2009 00:53
"Spirit of the eighties"
This is a request to participate in Demonstration against squatting prohibition in Utrecht(24.10.2009) and Squatting Action Days in the Netherlands (30.10-01.11.2009).
To all the people who are against squatting prohibition,
to all the squatters living in the Netherlands and abroad,
special request to all spanish, polish and italian squatters living in the Netherlands (you are many, but few of you are active),
to all ex-squatters,
to all young people who would like to become squatters in the future,
to all the friends of the squatters,
to all political activists,
to all antifascist activists,
to all artists who create art and/or perform in the squats,
to all bandmembers and DJ's that play in the squats,
to all partypeople and teknofreaks who enjoy parties and concerts in the squats,
to all travellers who visit and stay in the squats,
to all of you who are not mentioned above.
As you probably know dark days are coming for the squatting movement in the Netherlands. On 15.10.2009 the Tweede Kamer (Second Chamber of the dutch parliament) voted for a squatting prohibition. Please remember this would not have happened without the support of racist and xenophobic politicians as Rita Verdonk and Geert Wilders. From 1st January 2010 squatting will be illegal in the Netherlands. If you would like to try to occupy an empty building, you will be considered a criminal and punished by dutch authorities. Penalties are very high and range from one year up to two years of prison!
This is very serious threat! Don't let politicians destroy our squatting movement! We can't wait! We must act now!
The future of the dutch squatting movement is in our hands. It is a big responsibility as well. We should show respect to those previous squatting generations who made squatting possible in the Netherlands. They sacrified a lot of time and energy for us. We should think about all the youth who would like to have the possibility to live in squats in the future.
It is possible that we have very nice neighbours, but please remember that most of them won't struggle for our houses.
Mass media and politicians say that we are few, but our spirit is stronger then this rotten and unhumane law that politicians have created! We should show politicians and police forces our determination in the defence of our rights for housing.
Mass media and politicains say that we are violent, but those christians from CDU (Christian Democratic Party), CU (Christian Union) and SGP (Orthodox Protestant Party) are violent. For them empty buildings are more important than human beings searching for a house. Those christians decided that police will come to arrest us, if we try to occupy a house after 31st December 2009.
We hear some of the squatters say "we will move out of the Netherlands". others say "we are afraid to participate in actions and demonstrations, because it is not pleasant to be arrested". Please don't give this satisfaction to politicians, they are very glad to hear it. Especially our "favourites" like Rita Verdonk and Geert Wilders.
We should be proud of who we are and defend our rights to occupy empty buildings. Don't give up without struggle! Some of you remember those proud and angry youth from Kopenhagen who were fighting for Ungdomshuset and dignity. Some of you probably have joined the struggle. We should bring the spirit of youth from Denmark and Greece to the streets of the Netherlands!
Politicians did not leave us another choice! From 1st January we have to choose between being homeless or criminals. This choice is not suitable for us! We won't live on the streets or in the prison! We are human beings and we deserve respect!
For many of us to be a squatter is way of life. A lot of us spent the best times living in the squats. We had unforgettable adventures together. We have plenty of invaluable experiences, like living in self-organized communities or housing collectives. Many of us met their boyfriends, girlfriends and their best friends in the squats. Others had a lot of fun on countless squat parties. Yet another reason to struggle against squatting prohibition.
Don't ignore serious threats for our squatting movement! Use your imagination, open your eyes, stand up and act!
Our struggle is for a world without capitalism, race and gender differences, poverty and war!
See you on the streets!
"Spirit of the eighties" collective.
Request:
-to polish, spanish, italian and others translate this pamphlet to your language,
-to everybody send this pamphlet to your friends,
-print this pamphlet and give away to people.
All this in order to mobilize our squatting movement, friends and countless supporters.
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| Read more about: wonen/kraken | | supplements | | some supplements were deleted from this article, see policy | | | the spirit of the eighties is dead | NN - 21.10.2009 01:33
"For many of us to be a squatter is way of life. A lot of us spent the best times living in the squats. We had unforgettable adventures together. We have plenty of invaluable experiences, like living in self-organized communities or housing collectives. Many of us met their boyfriends, girlfriends and their best friends in the squats. Others had a lot of fun on countless squat parties. Yet another reason to struggle against squatting prohibition."
Yeah, let's defend squatting because it gives us priviliged white kids a fun time! Who gives a shit about "woningnood", we have to defend our right to paaaartaaay! And lets do it by fucking shit up, you know, like those kids in Denmark and Greece!
Seriously though, this is the crappiest call-out for any form of action against the squatting ban I have seen.
First of all it's a call out to all kinds of people somewhat linked to the squatting subculture. Fair enough, that's probably where most of the people directly affected by the sqautting ban come from.
But where are all the people who will be indirectly affected by the sqautting ban? The people who live in poor neighbourhoods facing the violence of gentrification. They too have used sqautting as a weapon, as a means of resisting nasty housing corporations removing people from their home in the name of profit. One of their forms of resistance is now criminalised.
How about all the people who are living in anti-squat houses? With the squatting ban defeating the need for "housing guards", their situation will become even more difficult.
But let's also take a look at the reasons why we should fight for sqautters rights...
It's a talk about having a fun time, meeting cool people and going on awesome adventures because of sqautting. Now ok, I have to be honest. Because of squatting I did meet a lot of cool people. And the feeling of entering a your old, rugged and broken down, squatted house is quite a facinating experience. Building it up from scratch, and trying to get by with sometimes having no water, electricity, sanitation... ah, I can go one for hours about the informing, exciting and awesome experiences I had through squatting.
But that's not the point of sqautting. Squatting has always been a weapon to take back the public space and take over empty houses so that they be used again. In that way it has been a form of resistance against the idea that property stands above all, even the right to have a roof over your head. It has also been an act of resistance against the use of housing as a product, rather than a basic right.
Instead the squatting movement has degenerated to a subcultural scene where people spend time living a privileged life, having fun at tekno parties and drinking beer in their local squatpubs. And yeah, they are politically active, because they squat! And well, sometimes they drag their dog along to go drink beer at a demo, so yeah, these are total hardcore political activists! The state stands in awe of thee!
Now this degeneration has dragged us into the situation where there is a call-out from a poster/group/entity/whatever calling itself the spirit of the eighties. The spirit of the eighties is long dead. And I can tell you for sure that the spirit of the eighties was not about some kids trying to defend their priviliges. And it's quite sad that you are referring to the Greek and Danish situation, which can be seen as nothing more of an attempt to fetishize and glorify acts of resistance.
So please, all you kids planning going down to Utrecht to make a mess: Stay the fuck home. Every stone you throw is useless. Every attempt you make to attack cops is wasted. Besides, most of you couldn't hit a dent in a pack of butter anyway.
Because as long as this is just about fighting to protect your own little privileged lives, it will be one of many pathetic tragedies which we have seen here in the Netherlands.
| | Side-Drawing | NNmgn - 21.10.2009 02:39
"Instead the squatting movement has degenerated to a subcultural scene where people spend time living a privileged life, having fun at tekno parties and drinking beer in their local squatpubs."
i don't like the fact that you do not support autonomous pubs where you can drink a beer for the good cause,where all profit is handed out to needy organisations who are us all dear.
i want to discuss the fact that you claim there to be a so-called 'scene'. i've heard multiple people talk about it, and i'm quite disappointed to be honest.
there is no such thing as a 'scene'. please understand that minorities have always been characterized, to form the public opinion in a stereotype. the fact that you think there is supposed to be some kind of unspoken laws for people who want to squat.
now let me tell you my friend, EVERYONE can squat. it doesn't matter from which layer of society it comes. for every squat with 2000 dopeheads to party for three days and then leave before getting busted, there are far more squats who are carried out properly, the ones that i attended to did. all you need is proper organisation. it's just build into the system that some people will allways pull the shortest straw; squatting is just as nescesairy as the foodbank, for it provides a last resort for the financially ill.
"So please, all you kids planning going down to Utrecht to make a mess: Stay the fuck home. Every stone you throw is useless. Every attempt you make to attack cops is wasted. Besides, most of you couldn't hit a dent in a pack of butter anyway."
well sir, i beg the differ. also i think you're a coffeeshop-revolutionairy. if you truly believe we need to change the current way of events, you would understand that every layer of society plays it's role in this battle for freedom. someone has to break the barrier, show people you can reach something. that the revolution is alive, as long as you are holding up and the group is big enough.
so i think it is kinda elitist to go and diss some kids actually who are taking more direct action then YOU, just because you are a weak-ass-pacifist. you are afraid of violence which is not unnatural but in fact very healthy.
i have just yet to see a true revolution(not argentinia) that came to fullfilling without violence.
it's a shame these people are driven to this, actually. but it is only logical; mostly there have been many attacks from the state provoking anger from the people who want to be free.
so.
see you at utrecht.
| | More to consider | nn - 21.10.2009 04:33
This callout is quite examplary for the contemperary attitude of most of our Dutch co-squatters. Indeed it shows the almost full degeneration of the concept of squatting in Holland to a lifestylist, subcultural happening. Something that should be critized and will for sure be in the near future, but we'll leave that for some other time.
Personally I wonder to what degree this law will actually be put into practice, as all mayor city councils in holland stated that they are not supportive of this new law and more importantly not sure if they can actually put this new law into practice.
Perhaps we should also wonder why we care so much that this new law being passed, where does this urge to fight came from all the sudden? Because our privileges are at stake now? Let's face it, squatting in Holland is an incredibly institutionalized form of protest that has lost almost all of it's subversive potential. I'm not saying we shouldn't fight for the possibility to create self-organized spaces, house projects and all this, but as they should be placed in the framework of a wider struggle and shouldn't be about creating comfortable alternative lifestyles where one can seperate him or herself nicely from this messed up reality. We should've always fought for them, something we lacked enormously in the past years. Let's not even start about all the groups running to the camera to be the first distancing themselves from people that actually do try to put up a fight against gentrification and for self-organized spaces, free housing and a little piece of control over their own lives.
Isn't it precisely so that because of the legal status of squating in Holland we found ourselves conforming to the law, instead of using it as a tool of realising the reappropriation of all our social relationships and ourselves as individuals, the very basic of anarchist thought? Haven't we indeed drawn back into our comfortable “alternative” culture, scene, whatever you wan't to call it? And haven't we partly because of this also lost touch with what squating, in an anarchist context, should actually be about? To not even mention the amount of time and energy it takes from all our comrades exactly because of the legal web that squating is stuck in? These are just some points to consider, I'm ofcourse not in favour of a squating ban, but let's also criticly examine what this legal status brought to us.
A conversation with any squater in Holland will make you realise that squating will what so ever not stop at all. Lets also try to see some possibilities here, cautiously, as we'll have to see how much repression we'll have to deal with and what this will do with people's spirits. But hey, since when did we start caring about legality? A look at some other countries in Europe where squating is in fact illegal proves that it's managable and the words of policechefs saying they won't be able to put the law into practice are more than promising. And let's try to see some potential here as well, putting back the subversiveness into squating. If even it is just for the sake of not being put down by some stupid law or a foresight of repression. We won't fucking stop, and they'll know this soon enough. “Wan't to fuck around with us? Not for long” as Vaneigem said, ofcourse this attitude asks for a deeper understanding of what we're doing here and not some fear of losing our priveliged comfortable spaces, they're messing with our lives, and we won't step back from what we have, we'll only try to get more.
Also the reference to Greece and Denmark is kind of misplaced, as it is totally out of context to our situation here, but hey, let's also be inspired by what they did. Nobody saw the things that happened there coming in advance, let's see what we can do here. Just be aware not to be clinging onto some situation which does not compare to ours, just because they knew how to react. Let's learn from them, use their experiences and see what we can do with them here. Though incapability to put things into our context, a failure to see where our potentials are and a lack of analyses of how we'll reach our goals will definitly result in one big disappointment, getting our friends into prison and leave us left with less than before.
Just fuck this “most of you're not able to hit a dent in a pack of butter”, we can do so much more then we can possibly imagine, let's fight together, learn from eachother and find eachother in the streets, in the one thing they can not recuperate!
This is enough talking for now, see you in the streets.
The spirit of the eighties is long dead indead, fuck the 80's, fight now!
| | The Spirit of the Eighties is dead, part II | NN - 21.10.2009 13:02
Let's start off this second comment by notifying my readers that I do tend to put things in an aggravating and provoking way. Deal with it.
Now of to the people who scribbled some nice stuff as a reply to my comment.
"i don't like the fact that you do not support autonomous pubs where you can drink a beer for the good cause,where all profit is handed out to needy organisations who are us all dear."
Hm... let's see. Ok, you got an autonomous pubs. You got kids inside there drinking beer and in the best case scenario *talking* about actions, politics and revolution. Some of the money they spend for their beers goes back into organisations and groups trying to make a difference. Fair enough.
But hey, let's ask ourselves the following;
What do actions groups/organisations/whatever need more, activists or money? You can get them all the money they want, but as long as people are more willing to hang around and party hardy, your action group isn't gonna do shit. Hell, what do you want to do with a lot of cash and no people? Hire activists?
"i want to discuss the fact that you claim there to be a so-called 'scene'. i've heard multiple people talk about it, and i'm quite disappointed to be honest."
Well i'm sorry you're dissappointed. I'm also a bit disappointed that you're not willing to see that there is indeed a lifestylists scene involved in squatting.
"there is no such thing as a 'scene'. please understand that minorities have always been characterized, to form the public opinion in a stereotype. the fact that you think there is supposed to be some kind of unspoken laws for people who want to squat."
Hm... you try to disprove the fact that there is a scene by stating that the status quo characterises en stereotypes people. I can't deny that the status quo does that, but I can't see how that is a denial of the idea that there is a scene.
"now let me tell you my friend, EVERYONE can squat. it doesn't matter from which layer of society it comes. for every squat with 2000 dopeheads to party for three days and then leave before getting busted, there are far more squats who are carried out properly, the ones that i attended to did. all you need is proper organisation. it's just build into the system that some people will allways pull the shortest straw; squatting is just as nescesairy as the foodbank, for it provides a last resort for the financially ill."
I agree with you. Totally. But do you see anything like this being talked about in the call-out? Hell no! And that's just the thing that pisses me off.
"well sir, i beg the differ. also i think you're a coffeeshop-revolutionairy."
Coffeeshop revolutionary... Hell no! I'd rather sit in my armchair at home and read books!
"if you truly believe we need to change the current way of events, you would understand that every layer of society plays it's role in this battle for freedom. someone has to break the barrier, show people you can reach something. that the revolution is alive, as long as you are holding up and the group is big enough."
Fair enough, I could say I agree with you.
"so i think it is kinda elitist to go and diss some kids actually who are taking more direct action then YOU, just because you are a weak-ass-pacifist. you are afraid of violence which is not unnatural but in fact very healthy."
It's also quite elitist to presume those kids take more direct action than me.
And I don't get it where you got the idea that I'm a pacifist. Just because I don't like the glorification of violent resistance and the use of senseless violence it means i'm a pacifist? So wait, when I accept the idea that violence can be used as a means to bring and end to our fucked up situation, I have to accept it's every manifestation? I'm not allowed to question if it has any function whatsoever?
"i have just yet to see a true revolution(not argentinia) that came to fullfilling without violence."
I have yet to see a revolution come in to fulfillmment because of some crusty squatter kids throwing stone at the cops, while having no analysis or strategy to actually overthrow the state.
"it's a shame these people are driven to this, actually. but it is only logical; mostly there have been many attacks from the state provoking anger from the people who want to be free."
If people truly want to be free, I can understand why they're pissed off about a thing like the squatting ban. Hell, it pisses me off!
But if people are just busy trying to maintain their own little comfortable lives, where they see squatting as a means to have a fun time, find their boyfriend/girlfriend and make some friends. Well... then I ask myself is it about being angry about our freedoms being attacked, or just being angry that you lose some nice little privileges?
"so.
see you at utrecht."
Hell no, i'm staying home. I have books to read and an armchair to keep warm!
Now on to the next comment. First of all I want to salute the writer. Not only is the text right on, it lacks the bitter tone I have put forward in my comments.
But this is the part which I would really want to point out:
"Though incapability to put things into our context, a failure to see where our potentials are and a lack of analyses of how we'll reach our goals will definitly result in one big disappointment, getting our friends into prison and leave us left with less than before."
This is exactly my point. But when I wrote the first comment last evening I was not able to put it into words so elegantly.
"Just fuck this “most of you're not able to hit a dent in a pack of butter”, we can do so much more then we can possibly imagine, let's fight together, learn from eachother and find eachother in the streets, in the one thing they can not recuperate!"
Ok, I have to say the dent-butter comment was a bit lame. But one should see it more as a metaphor. Because I believe that even in the Netherlands there are still some kids who know how to fuck shit up, and fuck shit up properly.
But the thing i'm refering to is that if you look at the activist scene/movement/however you wish to call it, you can only see that most action groups are characterised by a total lack of strategy and a lack of analysis. Without having any long term idea of what it is you're willing to achieve (besides the forever so abstract "revolution and anarchy!") you don't really form a stable and strong base for any campaign to be based on. Just a few loose shots ain't gonna impress anyone.
Anyway, I think I'm just too bitter and cynical to try to be anywhere near positive and uplifting. I hope that people will be able to organise themselves and will be able to properly fight back against the beast unleashed upon us, the beast we know by the name of repression. But if I look at the way things have gone the most of the time in the past few years, then I do fear for the worst.
P.S. Oh, en meneertje/mevrouwtje geest van de jaren tachtig, rot jij eens lekker op met je xenofobe gezeik over buitenlandse krakers. Als je gaat doen alsof drugsgebruik, criminaliteit (dat schrijf je zo, misschien moet je ook maar eens terug naar de schoolbanken als je het hebt over nederlands leren) en een "slechte naam" problemen zijn die te danken zijn aan de "buitenlanders" dan ben je gewoon een idioot.
| | Xenophoob | NN - 21.10.2009 16:08
Our struggle is for a world without capitalism, race and gender differences, poverty and war!
This seems to be the main point of the call-out. I don't understand why the above person goes on about the small part where it is mentioned that people have met their friends etc at squats(parties). Of course there is a special scene that is called the Kraakbeweging. There are punks, anarchists, students, artists, tekno-freaks, goa-freaks, hippies, straight-edgers, hiphoppers, illegals, radical feminists, etc living in squats and squatting collectives. There is nothing wrong with this. Better than living the life of Man/wife and 2.1 child with car and golden retriever in suburbia consuming, consuming and consuming even more.
So why the hatred from the arm-chair writer against this scene? A whole subculture is being threatened. And to deny that there is a subculture would be false and stupid. But there is nothing wrong with this subculture (which is devided into many more subsubcultures). Destroying this subculture will destroy a lot of self-organized structures. This subculture shows that they dont need the mass-media, that they dont need that which the government tells us we need.
So, defend this subculture and get out of your bitter vibe and armchair. You were once young. I no longer am, but I will be there to defend my and everybody's rights to selfdetermination and the destruction of capitalism. Squatting is not just about housing it is about showing the world that there is another way of living.
| | to the armchair writer | "Spirit of the eighties" collective - 21.10.2009 17:14
I am at work now, so I have not time to respond to all your critics. I wil do after midnight. Now I can only tell you that you misunderstood our call out. We are not a party people, but group of political activsts and we are simply asking people who are somehow connected to the squatting movement for solidarity with us. Our goal is to create spirit of unity within our movement.
| | shocked. | ******* - 21.10.2009 21:36
It seems that the more people put themselves in subcultures,the less they feel connected to the rest of the people that are not in that same subculture.
And because they dont feel connected anymore,instaid of forming one big strong connected group,they go and divide the group up in in uncountable subcultures who cant stand the sight of eachother.
Yes,this is spoilt behaviour,because if they would actually be in need to survive they would have to get organised.
Strange that a lot of people only seem to be able to ¨express¨themselves if
they live in a squat.
I thought that if you are true to yourself and others you will always express yourself the way you fundamentally are,doesnt matter how what or where.
I didnt know the fundament of being yourself was conforming yourself to a subcultural stereotype.
Go home to your mommie who will take you back,I know she will,otherwise you wouldnt be this fuckin spoilt and leave squatting for people who otherwise will end up with their families homeless in the streets because they have no where else to go to and for the people that take responsibility in helping those people by building constructive things for their community!!!!!
(armchair=wise)
| | shocked. | ******* - 21.10.2009 21:38
It seems that the more people put themselves in subcultures,the less they feel connected to the rest of the people that are not in that same subculture.
And because they dont feel connected anymore,instaid of forming one big strong connected group,they go and divide the group up in in uncountable subcultures who cant stand the sight of eachother.
Yes,this is spoilt behaviour,because if they would actually be in need to survive they would have to get organised.
Strange that a lot of people only seem to be able to ¨express¨themselves if
they live in a squat.
I thought that if you are true to yourself and others you will always express yourself the way you fundamentally are,doesnt matter how what or where.
I didnt know the fundament of being yourself was conforming yourself to a subcultural stereotype.
Go home to your mommie who will take you back,I know she will,otherwise you wouldnt be this fuckin spoilt and leave squatting for people who otherwise will end up with their families homeless in the streets because they have no where else to go to and for the people that take responsibility in helping those people by building constructive things for their community!!!!!
(armchair=wise)
| | 2.1 children | ******** - 21.10.2009 22:17
If I would have to choose between a man/wife relationship with 2.1.children,
outside of the city where the kids can run around outside with the dog and climb trees while I chop the wood to cook our dinner on for that evening so I can after that fall asleep after a 1.2 minute shag or one of my other freaky hobbies or having to live in the middle of the city in a squat and when push comes to shove we are all to busy pointing fingers at eachother,using violence and not take the simple effort to try and actually see what it is we are trying to reach and how we are trying to reach it and all run blindly behind the ones whose illogic foul mouths shout anarchy! the loudest.ooohhh.....difficult choice
| | Strategy, theory, organisation | NN#? - 21.10.2009 22:43
Though the comments by the first NN have quite a negative tone (for which it seems they've now apologised, of sorts), most of the criticism seems spot on, particularly the vagueries of "Take Action! Now!!11!!!1" and the general "capitalism is bad" analysis without providing at least a hint of an analysis of what capitalism as a social relationship is. The main point is and the one which people should be focusing on can be seen in the following quotes:
"Though incapability to put things into our context, a failure to see where our potentials are and a lack of analyses of how we'll reach our goals will definitly result in one big disappointment, getting our friends into prison and leave us left with less than before."
AND
"But the thing i'm refering to is that if you look at the activist scene/movement/however you wish to call it, you can only see that most action groups are characterised by a total lack of strategy and a lack of analysis. Without having any long term idea of what it is you're willing to achieve (besides the forever so abstract "revolution and anarchy!") you don't really form a stable and strong base for any campaign to be based on. Just a few loose shots ain't gonna impress anyone."
There seems to be next to no discussion of this taking place apart from in some the more long term organised squatting and anarchist greoups. Practically none what so ever in the "scene" in general, it;s the same activist mentality and approach that if we just do enough actions on a particular subject it'll somehow work out okay, despite the hard lessons of history and reality. There is no organisational or strategic praxis.
Model One - “Basic” Strategic Planning
1. Identify your purpose (mission statement) - This is the statement(s) that describes why your organization exists. It will change somewhat over the years.
2. Select the goals your organization must reach if it is to accomplish your mission - Goals are general statements about what you need to accomplish to meet your purpose, or mission, and address major issues facing the organization.
3. Identify specific approaches or strategies that must be implemented to reach each goal
4. Identify specific action plans to implement each strategy - These are the specific activities that each major function (for example, department, etc.) must undertake to ensure it’s effectively implementing each strategy. Objectives should be clearly worded to the extent that people can assess if the objectives have been met or not.
5. Monitor and update the plan - Planners regularly reflect on the extent to which the goals are being met and whether action plans are being implemented.
 Website: http://libcom.org/library/strategy-struggle-anarcho-syndicalism-21st-century
| | paarlen | Kreutzfeldt - 21.10.2009 23:43
Ik heb zelf jaren lang gekraakt maar dit kraakverbod zat er aan te komen. Een obscure subcultuur aanhangend en niet in staat zijn met je buren te communiceren (-taalkundig danwel sociaal-cultureel) wordt op een gegeven moment moeilijk te verdedigen. Daar hoef je geen media-deskundige voor te zijn.
Al tijdens (en vòòr) de Eurotop wisten we dat dit kraakverbod eraan kwam, inherent aan de europese unie en haar onvermijdelijke verechtsing, populisme, xenofobie(-"waarom spreekt ie niet gewoon Nederlands?") en kortzichtigheid.
Twin Towers en Fortuyn waren de opstap voor een hetze tegen radicale stromingen, en of je het nou wil horen of niet, arrogant en wereldvreemd gedrag van zogenoemde 'kraakbonzen' of andere lui met een grote bek hebben écht ontzettend veel mensen doen afknappen en afkappen, waardoor de kraakscene een in zichzelf gekeerde scene is geworden in plaats van een breedgedragen sociale strijd.
En Jan met de Pet interesseert het geen zak dat jij lekker aan het kutten bent in je kraakpand, aan het experimenteren, kunsten, filosoferen, axievoeren, rebelleren. Jan met de Pet moet namelijk kutwerk doen om die kuthuur op te hoesten.
Dit kraakverbod zet Nederland gelijk aan andere landen in Europa en elders waar kraken nooit legaal was, waar de krakers moeten zweten, bloeden en bemiddelen om hun sociale ruimtes te veroveren.
Waar woonstrijd een sociaal thema is die de hele buurt aangaat en de locale solidariteit vanzelfsprekend, reeel en fisiek wordt.
En zonder nou te klinken als een cynische leninist ofzo, wellicht radicaliseert de volgende generatie studenten en drop-outs zich en wordt die het vuur van die mythische geest van den jaren Tachtig weer aangewakkert.
God, ik kan nu ook wel Debord aanhalen, maar het is allemaal zo voorspelbaar geweest en ook gegaan. Maar onvermijdelijk in onze spektakel maatschappij, mijns inziens.
Ik denk dat Bilwet vijftien jaar geleden alles heeft geschreven wat nodig was om in te zien wat er nu gebeurd is.
 http://www.thing.desk.nl/bilwet/TXT/WNC.txt
http://www.thing.desk.nl/bilwet/bilwet/Bewegingsleer/index.html
In t Engelsch:
http://thing.desk.nl/bilwet/Cracking/general.html
http://thing.desk.nl/bilwet/Cracking/special.html
Ideen ontruim je niet!
Jacob Kreutzfeldt
Italie, herfst 2009
| | nn | nn - 22.10.2009 00:02
Im quite annoyed by the very lame call out, especially the part of "special request to all spanish, polish and italian squatters living in the Netherlands (you are many, but few of you are active)," I know more 'foreign' squatters who are actually doing something more than those Dutchie-squatters (yes i'm also Dutch) drinking beer and having a nice comfty middle class life. This is if you would like to make the distinction dutch/non-dutch, because actually I don't really see much point why this would be helpful, do you?
Then again im rather pleased to read some nice words and reflection. I myself am not planning to go anywhere near the demo in Utrecht.I don't even feel like fighting the squatting ban, even more fighting it by having a lame demo where we squatters can show the public that we are 'nice'.
Im very happy to be honest that the squatting ban will be coming.I even hope it will be brought into practice and people will have to actually fight if they want to be able to squat. The subcultural scene (yeh for me its also a scene) just helps to passify a lot of people, who if they would really have to fight for their housing, might be actually trying to build a revolution.
In the Netherlands we are way too much afraid to lose our privileges. Even people squatting are used to a comfortable life, nice relations with the cops and trying to deal with their housing though court or just leave if it gets that far. But this is not how capitalism will be overthrown,actually this fake sense of rebelling is strengthening capitalism. If you think you are revolting but your actually not, even better for the status quo.
Squatting has too much unnecessary infrastructure. Whats the first thing you do when you squat a social centre or just your own house (after drinking that first beer or smoking that joint)? Exactly, you start building a bar! Then you can organize parties and get money for actions. But hey your not doing much actions so you use the money for buying a beamer to show movies. More people start coming meaning more money and in the end you might even be ableto pay for that legalization, because hey you never know what might happen to your radical social centre. (I heard the ACU has to stay open at least 5,6 days a week to be abletopay of their morgage or something. Wow yeh thats very anticapitalist!)
i cant wait to see the ban pass!
It is by through struggle that communities are born!
| | reageren op reageren? | m&m - 22.10.2009 03:54
Dit was een oproep (dus nieuwsbericht) toch? Of was de tekst bedoeld als discussie punt voor enkele posters? Of hadden alle bijdragen iets te maken met het nieuwsfeit over de demonstratie en de oproep aan anderen om ook te komen?
Ga a.u.b. naar het kraakforum! (www.kraakforum.nl) Het is zo vervelend te denken dat je toevoeging met nieuwswaarde leest (waarvoor indymedia overigens nog steeds voor bedoeld is), maar het eigenlijk een forum topic wordt over een meningsverschil van enkelen personen. G
| | to the book and armchair lover | "spirit of the eighties" collective - 22.10.2009 05:42
You wrote:
"Seriously though, this is the crappiest call-out for any form of action against the squatting ban I have seen."
We are waiting for your call-out, hopefully is much better than ours.
As we already explained the goal of our call-out is to create spirit of unity within all the people (party-people and tekno-freaks as well) connected for a different reasons to the squatting movement.
What's wrong with a request for solidarity? What's wrong with asking those people to become active against squatting prohibition?
Emma Goldman said :
"If I can't dance, it's not my revolution!"
"At the dances I was one of the most untiring and gayest. One evening a cousin of Sasha [Alexander Berkman], a young boy, took me aside. With a grave face, as if he were about to announce the death of a dear comrade, he whispered to me that it did not behoove an agitator to dance. Certainly not with such reckless abandon, anyway. It was undignified for one who was on the way to become a force in the anarchist movement. My frivolity would only hurt the Cause.
I grew furious at the impudent interference of the boy. I told him to mind his own business, I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face. I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from conventions and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy. I insisted that our Cause could not expect me to become a nun and that the movement should not be turned into a cloister. If it meant that, I did not want it. "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everyboy's right to beautiful, radiant things." Anarchism meant that to me, and I would live it in spite of the whole world--prisons, persecution, everything. Yes, even in spite of the condemnation of my own comrades I would live my beautiful ideal. [Living My Life (New York: Knopf, 1934), p. 56]"
You wrote:
"But where are all the people who will be indirectly affected by the sqautting ban? The people who live in poor neighbourhoods facing the violence of gentrification. They too have used sqautting as a weapon, as a means of resisting nasty housing corporations removing people from their home in the name of profit. One of their forms of resistance is now criminalised."
Of course we will be very glad to see "the people who live in poor neighbourhoods facing the violence of gentrification" on demonstration and Squatting Actions Days.
What's your strategy to involve them in the struggle?
You wrote:
"How about all the people who are living in anti-squat houses? With the squatting ban defeating the need for "housing guards", their situation will become even more difficult."
We see that you are not well informed about new law voted by Tweede Kamer. New law obligate owners of offices to report to Gemeente if buildings are empty more than 6 months, otherwise they have to pay fine, 7500 euros. All this in order to put anti-squatters inside and show to society that politicians would not tolerate empty buildings.
We think you concentrate too much on last part of call-out. It was just mentioned to be a bit sentimental.
We are human beings, we have feelings and good memories. What's wrong about it? It was not at all about defending "our comfortable and privileged life"!
Please take in your consideration. There are some people who live in the squats 15-20 years and for them (you may like it or not) is a way of life?
What can they do next year, when they lost a house and can not occupy new one due high penalties? Maybe for some reasons they can not take a risk.
You wrote:
"What do actions groups/organisations/whatever need more, activists or money? You can get them all the money they want, but as long as people are more willing to hang around and party hardy, your action group isn't gonna do shit. Hell, what do you want to do with a lot of cash and no people? Hire activists? "
We are completely agree with you on this! We are or we were part of different political groups, organizations or initiatives and we experienced many times lack of activists and commitment. That's way this call-out, to encourage all kinds of people (yet again party-people and tekno-freaks as well) to become part of the struggle. We asked them not only to come to demonstration , but also to participate in Squatting Actions Days week later.
We want to say that squatting action in Breda for homeless family put hope in our hearts. We think this is a very good example how we should maintain a connection between us and society. We as anarchists see importance to create an alternative to economical and political hierarchy of the state, but we also believe that when time of repressions comes we should resist their false order.
You wrote:
"But the thing i'm refering to is that if you look at the activist scene/movement/however you wish to call it, you can only see that most action groups are characterised by a total lack of strategy and a lack of analysis. Without having any long term idea of what it is you're willing to achieve (besides the forever so abstract "revolution and anarchy!") you don't really form a stable and strong base for any campaign to be based on. Just a few loose shots ain't gonna impress anyone. "
What is your strategy to fight against squatting prohibition? We would like to hear it...
You wrote:
"i'm staying home. I have books to read and an armchair to keep warm!"
We are going on the streets, so next year you can sit in your comfortable and warm armchair and read a book "Struggle against squatting prohibition in the Netherlands"
One thing more, we guess you like to read books about politics and history ( we hope you are not fan of love stories, but who knows? ), so we think you know from all those books that big political and economical positive changes for oppressed people came to reality through violent resistance against government's repressions and economical and/or social exclusion .
| | [discussion] re: 80s collective | ben - 22.10.2009 11:28
Well isnt indymedia a place for the public, an open media colelctive? Cant this no-discussion topic be reopened? I for one dont like to subsctribr as a user to ebh able to talk on the kraakforum. Rather I would liek to exactly discuss about certain news posted on indymedia. If this is a prioblem for people why cant we come up with a solution like saying as a title: [DISCUSSION]...
80s collective:
"We are human beings, we have feelings and good memories. What's wrong about it? It was not at all about defending "our comfortable and privileged life"!"
Well that what I also reasd out of it when I read teh call out. That you dont realize this makes this point even more clear.
Again:
"Maybe for some reasons they can not take a risk"
That reason has a name, its called priviliege! Fear of losing your nice comfortable life. real resistance means risking everyhting, not just marching around on the street with banners, shouting a bit and going home again.
"There are some people who live in the squats 15-20 years and for them (you may like it or not) is a way of life?"
And that 'way of life' is exactly which should be abolished. Squatting shoudl NOT be a wway of life, it could be a strategy for conflict weith the powers that be as it could be with many other possibilities. Squatting could be nice to be able to have more time for actions without having to work your ass of. But squatting on its own, for its own sake, is exsctly why squatting has no edge anymore and why it has vbecoem a subculture, focused on itself, almost a fashion-statement :)
And about attackign the armchair guy, I read that as irony and not as serious statement.
And about the question of violence. Well yeah go on im all for it if nescesarry. So if there will be a conflict in Utrecht I hope people will eb ready to fight and not just as lame as which happened in Den Hague. People do want to resist i could see, but then please do prepare!
Nice recent example of good preparation in France:
http://indymedia.nl/nl/2009/10/62535.shtml
| | nn | nn - 22.10.2009 11:36
talking about insurrection :P
Anarchists talk about "insurrectionary anarchism" and "social war", but then they go to demonstrations and street protests, and carry signs. The act of carrying a sign is not a warlike act, it's an appeal to those in authority to change their policies which affect the people carrying the signs. It's kind of stupid, because the people in authority have basically told the people carrying signs that they don't care what the protestors say, they're going to go ahead and do whatever they want. So even though anarchists make a lot of tough talk about social war and insurrectionary anarchism, they actually don't mean any of it. They prefer ineffectual street protests which are marginalized by the official media and ignored by the government. Police laugh at the protestors and make fun of them and gas and beat them with total abandon, realizing they risk no real physical harm to themselves. If this is "social war" and "insurrectionary anarchism", it's a contemptible joke.
»
| | ha | ha - 22.10.2009 12:40
well talking about anarchism then:
"Like liberalism, anarchism opposes the oppression of the individual, by race, gender, class, arbitrary law and so on. Against liberalism (and like the larger socialist movement), it stresses that capitalism is inequitable, exploitative and divisive, and so totally incompatible with real individual freedom. Yet unlike mainstream Marxism and social democracy, it does not see the solution as more state control.
The aim is individual freedom through a cooperative, participatory, stateless socialist society controlled and planned from below through assemblies, groups and councils. It was, and is, resolutely modernist, aiming at conscious human control of history, and the use of science and technology to better the human condition. It is something quite different to an “anything goes” approach, or to a post-modern scepticism about radical change."
| | re: ben | "spirit of the eighties" collective - 22.10.2009 12:42
"Maybe for some reasons they can not take a risk"
That reason has a name, its called priviliege! Fear of losing your nice comfortable life. real resistance means risking everyhting, not just marching around on the street with banners, shouting a bit and going home again.
It is not about privileged life! We know one woman with handicap kid. Do you think she can take a risk to be arrested for one year? What about other families with little kids that lives in the squats due bad economic situation?
| | re: ben | "spirit of the eighties" collective - 22.10.2009 12:56
One more question.
Do you think illegal people can take a risk to occupy house and live there, if next year we have squatting prohibition? For them to be arrested it means to be deported!
We request you to analyze different cases.
Stay united!
| | before... | nn #2 - 22.10.2009 13:24
Before people throw around more one-sided "anarchist" statements on what anarchism would be and what it's supposed tactics are:
http://theanarchistlibrary.org/
And see the 100's of different theories on this, last thing we need in this situation is people claiming to know "the one path" to take.
| | Leave morons to what is their life. | NINJA ex Leiden/A-dam squatter - 22.10.2009 13:49
'The time of talking is gone a little bit too far' as my friend who smashed EDO arms factory in Brighton said. You know what is your enemy- speculating about things which do not matter, wasting energy on thinking about something irrelevant. Focus is obligatory to achieve anything. Obviously squatting in netherlands has to stay legal, otherwise next year I might not have a right to squat in UK!!! This is a critical point and if Netherlands will not wake up and united take a grip and shake their fascist state , squatting movement and therefore anarchist will be doomed. Why? Because if I won't have a squat I will be forced to obtain state housing benefits or get a job and work for the fucking landlord instead of funding my travelling to action places as I hate hitchhiking.
Anyway what activist needs the money for is none of your concern as you are armchair activist, and of course I know you. You are are alright dick you are. Nevermind the personal bollocks.
To all people who are affected by squatting ban-stay united and give the government what they deserve and good luck-- the spirit of eighties never dies!
Regards to dutch antifa
 E-Mail: mitsumono@riseup.net | | Analysis? | aNNother - 22.10.2009 15:47
Could people please stop going on about privilege, as in general it comes across as moralistic which in turn is only going to lead to a defensive stance by others in return. It's also, at best, only going to elicit a feeling of guilt and not a spur to action, which is debilitating, useless and counter productive in fact. Worse than this, the discussion of privilege shows a lack of analysis of struggle and the balance of forces in society. Squatting as a right is a gain made by a large and militant social movement through struggle and as has been pointed out is a gain for the working class and a tool of resistance for the contemporary working class. The working class (and this includes squatters. Sociological calls of "middle class" are of no interest and only serve to produce similar results to cries of 'privilege') has a responsibility to defend it's gains, to fight against "reforms" or laws that would attempt to take take away what is gained through struggle. Any other discussion relating to this is pragmatic and is down to tactics and most importantly strategy. Hence where the discussion seems to be and should be going.
Furthermore, arguments that through immiseration and repression people will somehow become more radical, active and revolutionary is unfortunately disproven time and time again throughout the pages of history. Theoretically and ideologically this also has more to do with Maoism and nothing to do with anarchism. What does tend to radicalise people is the growth in their own sense of collective power and collective ability to change things, in ways such as overturning laws through direct action, mass protest, occupation, etc. What doesn't, is laws taking away previously fought for and hard won gains such as the right to squat, it only lends itself to weakness, division and the lowering of moral. We are currently on the defense, that is true, but it's at times like these that the need to organise and think strategically becomes the most important.
Also, to the person who said "I heard the ACU has to stay open at least 5,6 days a week to be abletopay of their morgage or something. Wow yeh thats very anticapitalist!", this is exactly what people are talking about in this piece about the lack of analysis of dutch squatters! Read a motherfucking book! There is no outside of capitalism, it's a social relationship!
Try these pamphlets for start, they have great analysis and even nice pictures for you to look at. You can click through them.
http://www.prole.info/ar/index.html
http://www.prole.info/wcpw/index.html
| | Demo Utrecht | antipacifism - 22.10.2009 16:04
Eh, where are all these notions of violence towards the police on the demo on saturday coming from? Just cause some embittered and cynical poster on indymedia mentions it doesn't mean people have to ruch forward to prove their insurrectionary credentials. No one is planning or expecting violence with the police. It's not going to achieve anything but arrests and is in no way productive. It's going to be a pretty normal A-B march. Isn't there even going to be a kids block? If anyone does feel the need to get some of their pent up aggression/frustration out, they can wait and see if the NSA decide to turn up. ;)
| | The Spirit of the Eighties is dead, Part III | NN - 22.10.2009 17:04
Ah, discussion. I know it's not the point to be busy with such activity on Indymedia, but I'm happy the mods are allowing us our little chat.
Now let's see what my friends wrote me!
" "Seriously though, this is the crappiest call-out for any form of action against the squatting ban I have seen."
We are waiting for your call-out, hopefully is much better than ours. "
Meh, I'm sorry, too busy reading books to spend time actually writing something!
"As we already explained the goal of our call-out is to create spirit of unity within all the people (party-people and tekno-freaks as well) connected for a different reasons to the squatting movement."
Unity... Sounds like a good idea. But on what basis do you want to build this unity? You talk about a lots of different people. The first group of people you talk about is to all people against the squatting prohibition. Understandable. Next you mention sqautters and people who might become sqautters. Yet again, I can understand that. I don't see the reason to specifically point out our spanish, italian and polish comrades, but hey if you feel like it then do it! Then you talk about antifas and the ever so vague "politcal activists". Yet again fair enough. But then it gets to the point which starts to annoy me. You point out people making art, enjoying parties and travelling around in squats. Of course, it is a part of the squatting scene. But I don't understand why they are so more important that they deserve to be called onto rather than all the people involved in social housing struggles, who will also be affected by the squatting ban. Or all the homeless people acquiring a roof over their head because of sqautting. Or all the illegalised people forced onto the street who find homes in squats.
"What's wrong with a request for solidarity? What's wrong with asking those people to become active against squatting prohibition?"
Nothings wrong with asking anyone for solidarity. Nothings wrong for asking anyone to become involved in actions against the squatting prohibition. But there is something wrong with mainly pointing to certain types of people over the others. You know, the tone is set when you start out with talking about "artists, teknofreaks, bands, DJ's and travellers". Of course you also talk about "to all of you who are not mentioned above.". But you know, it's never inspiring when you're one of the non-mentioned kids, and you see party kids specifically being referred to.
"Emma Goldman said :
"If I can't dance, it's not my revolution!"
"At the dances I was one of the most untiring and gayest. One evening a cousin of Sasha [Alexander Berkman], a young boy, took me aside. With a grave face, as if he were about to announce the death of a dear comrade, he whispered to me that it did not behoove an agitator to dance. Certainly not with such reckless abandon, anyway. It was undignified for one who was on the way to become a force in the anarchist movement. My frivolity would only hurt the Cause.
I grew furious at the impudent interference of the boy. I told him to mind his own business, I was tired of having the Cause constantly thrown into my face. I did not believe that a Cause which stood for a beautiful ideal, for anarchism, for release and freedom from conventions and prejudice, should demand the denial of life and joy. I insisted that our Cause could not expect me to become a nun and that the movement should not be turned into a cloister. If it meant that, I did not want it. "I want freedom, the right to self-expression, everyboy's right to beautiful, radiant things." Anarchism meant that to me, and I would live it in spite of the whole world--prisons, persecution, everything. Yes, even in spite of the condemnation of my own comrades I would live my beautiful ideal. [Living My Life (New York: Knopf, 1934), p. 56]" "
What's you're point? Are we having a quote fight? Ha! I also know a nice inspiring Emma Goldman quote!
"No real social change has ever come about without a revolution. People are either not familiar with their history, or they have not yet learned that revolution is but thought carried into action."
- Emma Goldman, Anarchism: What it Really Stands For
See, all that book reading was good for something!
"You wrote:
"But where are all the people who will be indirectly affected by the sqautting ban? The people who live in poor neighbourhoods facing the violence of gentrification. They too have used sqautting as a weapon, as a means of resisting nasty housing corporations removing people from their home in the name of profit. One of their forms of resistance is now criminalised."
Of course we will be very glad to see "the people who live in poor neighbourhoods facing the violence of gentrification" on demonstration and Squatting Actions Days.
What's your strategy to involve them in the struggle?"
Am I the one putting forward a call for action? Nope.
Doesn't mean that I don't think about how to involve people in the struggle. I can think of quite some cases in recent years where local neighbourhoods have been involved with housing struggles and have at least had some contact with squatters. Just look at Nieuw Crooswijk in Rotterdam. Or at the Bakkerblokken in Amsterdam. Instead of trying to get those people aware and involved you'd rather spend your time trying to get some tekno kids involved. Well, I wish you the best of luck!
"You wrote:
"How about all the people who are living in anti-squat houses? With the squatting ban defeating the need for "housing guards", their situation will become even more difficult."
We see that you are not well informed about new law voted by Tweede Kamer. New law obligate owners of offices to report to Gemeente if buildings are empty more than 6 months, otherwise they have to pay fine, 7500 euros. All this in order to put anti-squatters inside and show to society that politicians would not tolerate empty buildings. "
Yeah, and you think this bureaucratic mess will happen? Hmm... Let's see, what happened again to the leegstandsregister? Oh, yeah, I remember, it hasn't been used at all.
I really have my doubts that this part of the law will come into full effect. I have the idea that municipal government won't put this high on the priority list.
Just think of this hypothetical situation:
You're a big fella with lotsa cash who owns some nice property. You don't have to worry about sqautters, because squatting is banned. Now all you have to worry about is the municipal government being nasty, giving you fines or putting people in your property. That is, if the municipal government even takes the time to enforce this part of the new law.
Now... you're not allowed to keep you're house empty for 6 months. So then once every six months there's a group of marginalised immigrant workers who live there for a month. Or work on the building. Or do whatever. Problem solved.
This new law will provide alot less stress about squatting for the house owners. Even if the municipal government enforces the law, then they still can get away with letting the place be empty for a lot of time. I mean, it's not like most big fishes who own a lot of real estates have no tricks up their sleeve for dealing with nasty bureaucratic rules.
So anyway, I expect that the situation for anti-squatters will become a lot harder. The demand will grow because of the squatting ban, former squatters need a house too. And let's not forget about people losing their house because of the economic crisis. On the other side I do expect to supply to become less, but that's just my feeling. I can't say anything for sure.
"We think you concentrate too much on last part of call-out. It was just mentioned to be a bit sentimental.
We are human beings, we have feelings and good memories. What's wrong about it? It was not at all about defending "our comfortable and privileged life"! "
Well if it's not about defending your comfortable and privileged life, then what is it about. Because that is the only tangible thing I can read in your call-out about what is threatened by the upcoming squatting ban.
"Please take in your consideration. There are some people who live in the squats 15-20 years and for them (you may like it or not) is a way of life?
What can they do next year, when they lost a house and can not occupy new one due high penalties? Maybe for some reasons they can not take a risk. "
Well, then they need to get a job and rent/buy a place... Haaargh!!!! No, i'm just kidding.
I don't know what they need to do. I can only thing of some solutions like squatting empty grounds, which I guess would be legally different. Or other solutions like buying cheap plots of land and creating some sort of wagenplatz like areas.
I'm sure that for them the situation is not looking good right now. Hell, it's not looking good for me either. But I don't see how you call out will affect that. Basically, I don't see your point with pointing out this in reaction to my comments.
"You wrote:
"What do actions groups/organisations/whatever need more, activists or money? You can get them all the money they want, but as long as people are more willing to hang around and party hardy, your action group isn't gonna do shit. Hell, what do you want to do with a lot of cash and no people? Hire activists? "
We are completely agree with you on this! We are or we were part of different political groups, organizations or initiatives and we experienced many times lack of activists and commitment. That's way this call-out, to encourage all kinds of people (yet again party-people and tekno-freaks as well) to become part of the struggle. We asked them not only to come to demonstration , but also to participate in Squatting Actions Days week later. "
Fair enough. But do you think that a call-out posted on Indymedia will achieve this goal?
"You wrote:
"But the thing i'm refering to is that if you look at the activist scene/movement/however you wish to call it, you can only see that most action groups are characterised by a total lack of strategy and a lack of analysis. Without having any long term idea of what it is you're willing to achieve (besides the forever so abstract "revolution and anarchy!") you don't really form a stable and strong base for any campaign to be based on. Just a few loose shots ain't gonna impress anyone. "
What is your strategy to fight against squatting prohibition? We would like to hear it... "
Well, yet again I didn't put forward any call-out, so I don't see why I should cough up a strategy. All i'm doing is reading books and critizing stuff on Indymedia.
No, but seriously. I don't see the point in putting a call-out on Indymedia with, as usual, a total lack of strategy and analysis. Wouldn't it be better to focus first on what the problems are we face and working on a strategy to tackle those problems than to just say "Aaah, this sucks, man, let's do something against it!"
Especially looking at the idea behind the call-out. You want to let the "Danish and Greece spirit" inspire us. Now let's look at what happened around the Ungdomshuset. When the eviction became imminent a long campaign started. Lot's of actions happened, a lot of people were mobilised. When the place was evicted there was unrest for quite a while. One of the nice things you saw was a mass action to squat a new place. This took months if not years of preperations, making contact, building a movement, prisoner support, etc. This didn't happen just because some collective put a call-out on Indymedia.
So if you truly want to relight the fire of resistance inside the squatter movement, you better be dedicated and serious about it. It's going to take months of organising, building structures, making contacts, etc. And even after those months you might not see results soon.
"You wrote:
"i'm staying home. I have books to read and an armchair to keep warm!"
We are going on the streets, so next year you can sit in your comfortable and warm armchair and read a book "Struggle against squatting prohibition in the Netherlands" "
No thanks, that book sounds like a tragedy! ;)
"One thing more, we guess you like to read books about politics and history ( we hope you are not fan of love stories, but who knows? ), so we think you know from all those books that big political and economical positive changes for oppressed people came to reality through violent resistance against government's repressions and economical and/or social exclusion."
Yeah, I know that. But I have yet to read any books about "artists, bandmembers, partypeople, teknofreaks and travellers" who overthrow the state or even realise some big political and economic positive change for oppressed people.
And now for my friend aNNalysis.
"Could people please stop going on about privilege, as in general it comes across as moralistic which in turn is only going to lead to a defensive stance by others in return."
Well, I don't see a point in denying the reality of privilige, even if it comes across as moralistic and is going to lead to a defensive stance by others. What's wrong with a defensive stance anyway? Of course it has no point to just randomly attack people and aggravate them (I would call that the Alex van Veen syndrome), but if people feel that it is important to put such a call-out like this on the internet, well, they might as well defend why.
"It's also, at best, only going to elicit a feeling of guilt and not a spur to action, which is debilitating, useless and counter productive in fact. Worse than this, the discussion of privilege shows a lack of analysis of struggle and the balance of forces in society."
I disagree. Trying to avoid the question of privilege is actually showing a lack of analyses of struggle and the balance of forces in society. Let me explain by going into the part specifically about squatting.
"Squatting as a right is a gain made by a large and militant social movement through struggle and as has been pointed out is a gain for the working class and a tool of resistance for the contemporary working class."
I agree.
"The working class (and this includes squatters. Sociological calls of "middle class" are of no interest and only serve to produce similar results to cries of 'privilege') has a responsibility to defend it's gains, to fight against "reforms" or laws that would attempt to take take away what is gained through struggle."
Yet again, I agree.
But let's take a look at the contemporary practice of squatting. In a lot of places I doubt it has something to do with struggle. People involved in the squatting movement are scared to be on the offensive. Hell, if we look at the actions focused around the squatting ban, the main issue was that we had to show how "nice" and "sweet" we are, and how much we "contribute to society". Sounds far from subversive to me, if the arguments you use to convince people to be against a ban on squatting are arguments aimed at the interest of the society we live in.
In that way the right to squat has been turned into a privilege that the state allows us to do, as long as we conform to their standards. The struggling aspect of squatting has manifested itself from time to time, but I would say it's a small part of the already marginal phenomenon of squatting.
"Any other discussion relating to this is pragmatic and is down to tactics and most importantly strategy. Hence where the discussion seems to be and should be going."
So let's start it off, where do we go from here?
"Eh, where are all these notions of violence towards the police on the demo on saturday coming from?"
Yeah, sorry, I guess that's my fault. The reason I started talking about it, is because when you talk about that "We should bring the spirit of youth from Denmark and Greece to the streets of the Netherlands!" I don't get the idea that we should start handing out flowers to the police officers. I mean, come on. When I think of greece, I think of banks being blown up, lotsa riots and a big scene of kids prepared to fuck shit up. When I think of Denmark I think about the people fighting for the Ungdomshuset. And they weren't busy with hugging their enemies either.
So when you start talking about "the spirit of youth from Denmark and Greece" you set a tone which does imply that you want kids here to fuck shit up.
P.S. About the whole book reading and arm chair thing. Please don't take it too seriously. It's just one of those tongue in cheek things.
| | Just what I was thinking | Anoniempje - 22.10.2009 20:31
Just when I was reading this all and thinking about the reasoning why people have different opinions on the future of squatting in Holland.
'NINJA ex Leiden/A-dam squatter' wrote:
'Obviously squatting in netherlands has to stay legal, otherwise next year I might not have a right to squat in UK!!!'
Why should there be a so called 'right' to squat? It takes away most of its radical influences. Of course it means that its easy to squat and helps a lot of people with housing problems. But I do not see how this will make people think about the capitalist society and act.
'Because if I won't have a squat I will be forced to obtain state housing benefits or get a job and work for the fucking landlord instead of funding my travelling to action places as I hate hitchhiking.'
So there is the reasoning, sorry that I also use the word, but it is a sense of privilege!
The most funny about this is that I recognize the 'Ninja' person by email and 'ex leiden/adam squatter', one of the many travelers that come to Holland playing anarchist-tourist and being kicked away from every squat they stay, because they act as a parasite.
I dont want to start a personal fight, but it is connected in a way that there is a 'privilege' of having a law that makes it legal to squat.
Which gets us into a situation that a lot of spoiled kiddies start a comfortable squatting subculture and think that theyre changing the world.
Im not saying that this will all change if squatting will get a lot of people arrested, but it does shake some people around, and hopefully make them think about what theyre doing.
| | kom gewoon naar de demo | N&N's - 22.10.2009 23:00
vroeger was het beter......
en doe je eigen ding!
| | it goes everywhere | auteur - 23.10.2009 15:24
If you say social struggle and anarchist uprisings in greece caused by police murders are manifestation of priviledges for white kids, all books you read and your studies are useless plus you are making complete fool of yourself . Don't you have anything better to do than being a hypocrite and fart around?
| | nu met tekst..... | N&N's - 23.10.2009 21:32
vroeger was het beter......
kom gewoon naar de demo en doe je eigen ding!!
| | to the book and armchair lover | "spirit of the eighties" collective - 24.10.2009 06:12
Talking about privilege.
Don't put people living in the squats in the Netherlands out of dutch context. We mean, almost all the people that live here are spoiled and privilege in different ways, if you compare them to the people from other countries.We rather consider this situation as being FUCKING lucky to be born here or have possibility (legal or not) to live in the Netherlands , because there are a lot of miserable places around the world Not many people in the Netherlands live in miserable situation or extreme poverty. Don't point only at squatters, shall we move to Scotland or Italy in order to be less privilege and spoiled squatters? Let see for some examples.
We will start with so called the lowest part of society. Homeless people. When one of us discovered homeless people from her country here, she was very surprise and wondering why they are in the Netherlands? She just got another small lesson about life here . She asked homeless guy for explanation. He said " here they give me warm food and clothes for free, I can sleep in shelters for homeless people or take warm shower, I have access to a doctor and in our country I had to sleep on central station and eat from trash bins"
Antifascist and foreigners. They are privilege in the Netherlands, because nazi-skinheads and racists scums are not killing them as they do in Russia.
Protesting women, yet again very privilege persons, when police arrest them during demo, they don't rape those women like mexican police.
Talking about Mexico.
"One thing more, we guess you like to read books about politics and history ( we hope you are not fan of love stories, but who knows? ), so we think you know from all those books that big political and economical positive changes for oppressed people came to reality through violent resistance against government's repressions and economical and/or social exclusion."
"Yeah, I know that. But I have yet to read any books about "artists, bandmembers, partypeople, teknofreaks and travellers" who overthrow the state or even realise some big political and economic positive change for oppressed people. "
We can recommend one book about artists, band members and party people that you are looking for. First a little introduction.
One of us was in Oaxaca during struggle againts state governor Ulises Ruiz Ortiz in 2006. This person met protesting and politically conscious people on the barricades, in occupied buildings and radio stations, but FUCK between them there were artists for example painters, punx that were members of music groups, some of the people like not only struggle, but parties as well. Story of oaxacan struggle you can read in a book "Teaching rebellion".
You may like it or not, but is possible that artist, band members and people that like to have fun and make or go to parties are as well involve in the struggle. Why should we not ask artist , band members or party people in the Netherlands then?
Travelers, if there are not squats maybe they can not afford to travel trough Europe. Do you prefer if they work hard to pay for hotels in order to bring profit to tourist industry? Do you mean that traveling should be reserve only for rich people? Are you against traveling in general if not where do you sleep when you travel? Squats give to the people possibility to travel much cheaper.
Again about privilege. One of us said "with squats is like with food in containers, If I don't take it will rotten" We make use of buildings, otherwise will rot. You may call it privilege, if you really want.
| | about discussions | "Spirit of the eighties" collective - 24.10.2009 06:41
We think is good to have discussions. Pity that we can not meet face to face with our dear "book and armchair lover" to discuss longer, better and with more details and personal experiences.
It is also part of anarchist movement, squatters movement and other progressive movements to have a lot of disagreements about strategy, ideas and visions. We are more critical (to our comrades as well ), because anarchists, individualists, free thinkers are not conforming easily also within own comrades. We are on this matter in oposition to fascist and conservative people, they are not so critical (they love to have leaders to tell them what to do), and they are narrow-minded (they love to conform in conservative way).
| | about discussions | "Spirit of the eighties" collective - 24.10.2009 06:44
We think is good to have discussions. Pity that we can not meet face to face with our dear "book and armchair lover" to discuss longer, better and with more details and personal experiences.
It is also part of anarchist movement, squatters movement and other progressive movements to have a lot of disagreements about strategy, ideas and visions. We are more critical (to our comrades as well ), because anarchists, individualists, free thinkers are not conforming easily also within own comrades. We are on this matter in oposition to fascist and conservative people, they are not so critical (they love to have leaders to tell them what to do), and they are narrow-minded (they love to conform in conservative way).
| | analysis | Defiance - 25.10.2009 13:37
[quote]we hope you are not fan of love stories, but who knows?[/quote]
I think love is a real important thing in anarchist believes. Love for freedom and the freedom of others, and love for eachother. Something that deviates us from the social system we struggle against which only has a cold lens in their view on people as consumers that need to be reached and manipulted to buy your product or service no matter the (social) cost. Still I'm not sure whether you mean this 'love story' or the ones we see on MTV... cuz then I agree but also its a bit lame to use this as an argument then to the 'spirit of the 80's collective'.
[quote] "Yeah, I know that. But I have yet to read any books about "artists, bandmembers, partypeople, teknofreaks and travellers" who overthrow the state or even realise some big political and economic positive change for oppressed people. "[/quote]
I think some mistakes are being made here in the fist place. By both. Its not that just artists or musisians etc are going to overthrow the system. They should have a place, just as anyone else, in the struggle and be able to play just an important role as everyone else. And yes, maybe at the moment there is a larger amount of these people in the 'active' politically-organized and that could be a problem. But they shouldn't be just discarded as being of no use. Propaganda has to be made, people have to be inspired by music etc. These are things that bind people and that is an important role in the struggle as well.
[quote]Travelers, if there are not squats maybe they can not afford to travel trough Europe. Do you prefer if they work hard to pay for hotels in order to bring profit to tourist industry? Do you mean that traveling should be reserve only for rich people? Are you against traveling in general if not where do you sleep when you travel? Squats give to the people possibility to travel much cheaper. [/quote]
I agree on you here, still I think again here are something not placed well into context. I think its important to recognize that its everyones right to travel where they want. And that it should be financially possible for everyone around the globe to do this. Sadly at the moment this is not the case and for a lot of people who are involved in squatting and not having much money or not willing to have much money and spend their time not on working for money to be able to travel and live in a hotel they dont want to be, traveling from squat to squat is a nice way to do so.
Still ofcourse its important to say true to ideals people are living for (if they have them). So that paraciting on places you travel through is excluded. Help the local people you are staying over at is one important thing to do so and also staying connected to give them the same possiblities later.
A thing that I think is being ment here by 'nn' is meaning that this way of traveling at the moment is not a possibility for everyone. Especially not for people who are not squatting and also don't have the financial means. And thus could be labed as something exclusive. Still I think this is not the intent and just a case of current disorganisation in our community and the lack of being connected to the people who don't have these possibilities. It could be well possible that there will be more options for them as well if we have a stronger political movement in which they also can take part (and I mean we don't have to help them in a way to grant them the possibility but that through emancipation and breaking free from social-economic isolation people may have more possibilities).
[quote] Pity that we can not meet face to face with our dear "book and armchair lover" to discuss longer, better and with more details and personal experiences.[/quote]
Maybe its an idea to organize a debate within the movement based on the topics tipped here to put the call-out into more practice. It IS possible to meet face to face. Remember we have to organise ourselves ourselves!
An interresting topic also is the discussion about being a subculture or not and wheather this is something to break free from or something to preserve. And maybe even "what is a subculture". Because you could also argumentate that the subculture that made it possible to experiment with different ways of living (interation with eachother, ecological, socially, sexually etc). And maybe that this subculture can somehow be transist from a subculture into a 'regular' culutre.
I am glad to see a lot of constructive discussion here. Something that has been gone for way too long. I don't agree on everything being said here by the collective. Still I think it already showed to play an important role for opening space for discussion. I hope this will be lead in a new era for the movement. To inspire new people, the young activists, those older ones that got frustrated and cynical ones that almost have given up that another way of life is possible and that we do can evaluate our mistakes and make changes in our tactics, goals etc to do better next time and move on forward instead of backwards.
| | another small note | Defiance - 25.10.2009 13:55
Another small not I want to make is about the 'right' that people are talking about as something that should be granted by the authorities/goverment.
I think that this right people are talking about is not something needed to be granted by others but more an unwritten right that goes for all people and can be used by every person or community and that goes beyond the right of property (EG. landownership, productionmeans and housingspeculation etc).
This makes it in a way ofcourse wrong to specify squatting a illegal and thus a legitimate prohibitation to be against. On the other hand it still doesn't say anything about being bad, and this is I think the most important thing to recognize. A law doesn't say anything about something being right or wrong good or evil, it say something about whether its being prohibited by lay(enforcement) and thus could be punished.
This right to have a roof about your head (dutch saying) is a right that is one of these unwritten rights and by the prohibitation is being made harder to persue. It is therefore not even in the main place important to change law in a way that people feel subjected by the law but as a statement that squating is something that is not morally wrong and thus not illegal. Something that counts globally. This unwritten right also says that it do is wrong to deny someone housing if you have empty space available just so that you can profit more. That is I think the moral idea and also the link betweens anachism and squatting.
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