Chapter 13 : 
Action Tour Against the Squatting Ban Begins with a Squat in Leiden
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Author : Peter Gelderloos

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Action Tour Against the Squatting Ban Begins with a Squat in Leiden



Translated from an article on Netherlands Indymedia, with invaluable
idiomatic assistance from L



Activists have just occupied the office building on the corner of
Stationsplein and Schuttersveld in Leiden.  The building, which is located
right near the infamous hole of the speculator Van de Putte, is on a long
lease with Bonavella Holding B.V. from the same speculator.  The
squat-action, which also signals the start of an action tour through the
whole of Nederland, addresses the role speculators like Van de Putte play,
and also the planned squatting ban of the Balkenende II cabinet.  The
activists intend to continue holding actions during the rest of the week,
and in one week’s time to turn the dilapidated building into a social
center or free space in which the Multipleks, among others, can have a new
space for all its current projects.[16]

The Action Tour in Different Cities



The renewed attack against the squatters, which Minister Dekker[17] has
insisted on in the House of Commons for about a month and a half, has been
answered in the previous weeks with a number of actions, large and small. 
After banners appeared on squats through the entire country, beginning this
month the Dam, Amsterdam’s main square, was occupied by activists. 
Woonstrijd!, which surprised the Minister the previous year with an
action-week at her villa resort in Wassenaar, today begins a continuation
of this protest with an action-tour through different cities in the whole
country.

Minister Dekker and Her Principles



Minister Dekker’s attack was aimed at the ideology of squatters: with the
disappearance of the problem of vacant buildings, the ideological basis of
squatting also disappears.  This identification of squatting exclusively
with the problem of vacancy is actually an attempt to annul the diverse
motives that people have to squat and the various actions and initiatives
that are undertaken by squatting groups.  That squatting is also a part of
a social struggle against the housing crisis[18] and for the conservation
of subsidized housing for the poor is totally ignored by the Minister. 
Moreover, the Minister has prattled lightly, from her villa, about the
absolute and principled protection of ownership.  In current juridical
practice, squatting rests on the assessment that in some situations the
right to housing outweighs the absolute use-rights of an owner who, please
note, does nothing with his private property.  The absolute protection of
ownership desired by the Minister lines up with what speculators have
achieved through underhanded means for years: to have housing and
commercial space at their disposal in as flexible a manner as possible, so
that they make robust profits off them.  Usury profits at the expense of
many small shopkeepers and above all the tenants.

Duke of Dilapidation Van de Putte



The argument that squatting is outdated, and that a squatting ban is
therefore inevitable, becomes clear particularly from the practices of Sir
Ronnie van de Putte.  With over 30 years of speculation under his belt, the
“work” of this “project developer” still has not come to an end. 
After this slumlord left hundreds of houses to fall into shambles in the
second half of the 70s, used goon squads [i.e., to beat up squatters] and
illegally demolished apartments, especially in Amsterdam, he hasn’t
stopped terrorizing society through his ruthless acquisition of property. 
And through an extremely obscure and mercenary chain of businesses that,
among other places, end in Curaçao, the ex-“Slumlord of Amsterdam” can
easily escape prosecution.



In Leiden, Van de Putte is well known due to the yawning hole (which is now
screened off by what is known in Leiden as “the shame-strip”) in front
of Central Station.  It doesn’t stop there.  Elsewhere he is known for a
crater in Noordwijk, a scandalous stain on Oisterwijk, and a collapsed
building in Sluis.  And everywhere the story is the same: no municipalities
can take action against the speculator.  Although the municipality of
Leiden has been talking since the beginning of 2002 about dispossessing Van
de Putte’s vacant lot, there’s not much to be seen in the way of actual
results.



Because the project developer has held the Leiden office building in a
long-term lease since 20 March, 2003, he threatens to take over large parts
of the neighborhood around the station.  This is an even greater danger
since the municipal council changed the lease terms for city grounds in a
way that favors developers.

Social Center and Free Space



Leiden has just as little protection as other villages and cities from
people like Van de Putte — people who make everyone’s social concerns
and the personal lives of multitudes subordinate to their exclusive
proprietary interests.  The newly squatted building stood empty for the
better part of many years and, consistent with Van de Putte’s track
record, was already considerably advanced in its decay and headed towards
eventual demolition.  In response to this drawn-out drama, something needs
to be done now.  During the Leiden action-week, we will clean up this
considerably destroyed building and construct a free-space there.  The
neighborhood around the station in Leiden can surely use some spicing up. 
Ultimately, the intention is to get a spot in the squatted building for the
projects from the Multipleks, such as an open source internet project, a
food-café, cinema, and a bakfiets[19] workshop.  Numerous new initiatives
will be developed as well.  Finally, a group of people will also come to
live in the building.  In the rest of the week, more actions will follow. 
Van de Putte out of the city!  Squatting lives on!



     From : TheAnarchistLibrary.org

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     Chapter 13 -- Added : January 21, 2021

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