Den Haag: About the mass arrests at the Fight Repression Demonstration

By: fawda - November 22nd, 2016  Filed under: Communique, News, video

20161119_Den_Haag_Fight_Repression_demoYesterday (19th of November) at 16:00, 250 people gathered at the Kerkplein to march in a demonstration against the repression that anarchists and antifascists in The Hague and elsewhere have been facing during the last few years. Repression such as constantly prohibiting demonstrations, and mapping the activities of anarchists and antifascists in order to implement repressive measures. This demonstration was also crushed with repression and violence from the police, per order of Hague mayor van Aartsen.

The demonstration was surrounded from the outset by the Riot Cops and was filmed by the police on all sides. Afterwards, the police ordered that everyone remove their face coverings because, “that was the agreement”. One thing is certain, there was no agreement made about this and this was also not in the notice that the police drafted listing the conditions.

It was immediately clear that the riot cops were just looking for an excuse to engage in a mass arrest, which also happened. The police kettled the demonstration and attacked the group. While the police were attacking the demonstration, they called on people to be calm; a prime example of the way The Hague police try to deescalate. During this mass-arrest, people were hit in their faces, an arm was dislocated, and several people had leg injuries. The police used chokeholds several times and the few people who left the demonstration after being ordered to do so were subsequently beaten. Eventually between 166-184 people were arrested. [Read More]

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Den Haag: Update in Fight Repression demo

By: fawda - November 16th, 2016  Filed under: Communique, News

20161119_Den_Haag_fight_repression_demo_flyerThis coming Saturday the Fight Repression demonstration will take place in The Hague. The demonstration will assemble at 16:00 on the Kerkplein. The constant attacks on antifascists and anarchists from the state, on the national and international level cannot go unanswered!

Mayor criminalizes demonstration

The mayor of The Hague has been trying to prohibit the demonstration from the outset. We received a letter stating that the demonstration would not be allowed to march, and would already need to begin at 12:00. Kerkplein would also not be allowed to serve as a starting point for the demonstration and the demonstration would need to take place outside of the city center. Pages and pages were devoted to criminalizing the demonstration take in advance, and AFA’s participation in the demonstration was given as a reason for prohibiting it.

We see no reason to move the location and work within the repressive parameters placed on a demonstration that is supposed to be against repression. We stood firm, and the mayor has since given in and we will be allowed to assemble at 16:00 on the Kerkplein and walk a route. The route has now been reduced by half, which will leave us with a very short demonstration. It is typical for the mayor and police to limit the freedom of movement for a demonstration against repression. Even more of a reason to come to the demonstration on Saturday and stand strong together against repression. [Read More]

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The Hague: November 19th, Fight Repression! Stop repression against anti-fascists and anarchists!

By: fawda - October 16th, 2016  Filed under: Communique, News, video

20161119_Den_Haag_fight_repression_demo_flyerOn Saturday November 19th, there will be a demonstration in The Hague, The Netherlands, against the wave of repression that Hague anti-fascists and anarchists have been facing in the last year. One who attacks one of us, attacks all of us. Solidarity through struggle!

Within the last year, repression against anti-fascists and anarchists has greatly increased, with The Hague in the middle of it. An area ban for anarchists was issued for the Schilderswijk, in an attempt to break the struggle against the racist, violent, and murderous police. After that that, another area ban was issued, this time against anti-fascists who have been resisting against the extreme right wing Pegida demonstrations. Damage claims of 50,000 euro were demanded from several anarchists who resisted against the eviction of social center De Vloek, which had been squatted for 13 years. The mayor also tried to shutter the local Autonomous Center. Furthermore, subsequent demonstrations were forbidden, people were intimidated by the police at home and on the street, numerous preventative arrests were made, and attempts were made to recruit informants.

But these are not just attacks against individual anarchists and anti-fascists. This is an attack against all who fight against racism, this is an attack against all who stand for a world without exploitation and discrimination, this is an attack on all of us. And this attack cannot go unanswered! This is a call for solidarity, because solidarity is our weapon against the isolation being forced on us by the police and the mayor. We must defend our autonomous spaces and structures! [Read More]

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The Hague: Mayor wants to close Autonomous Center

By: fawda - September 19th, 2016  Filed under: Communique, News

Autonoom_Centrum_Den_Haag_2016Last week, the Autonomous Center (AC) in The Hague received a letter from the mayor demanding that we close the property at Harstenhoekweg 4, where a social center has been established since February. The warrant was served because a so-called ‘illegal cafe’ is being operated in the building. The AC was already in discussion with the municipality to find a solution for the so-called ‘illegal situation’ but the mayor doesn’t want to wait for this.
The mayor has given an order that the building can be closed from 12:00 on September 22. The AC collective is looking into its legal options to avoid closure of the social center. All activities have been temporarily suspended until the situation is more certain. It should be clear that we are not giving up and that we are, together with our lawyers, looking into the steps that we can take against the mayor’s decision
The order to shut down is the latest step that Hague mayor Jozias van Aartsen has taken in a series of repressive measures against anarchists and autonomous spaces. Several Hague anarchists wrote a text about these measures: ‘The area ban against anarchists in a broader context of repression in The Hague‘. It is clear that the current situation is not an isolated incident but part of a bigger picture. The mayor is trying yet again to close places where space is made for extra-parliamentary politics. Keep an eye on the Autonoom Centrum website for updates. [Read More]

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The Netherlands: The area ban against anarchists in a broader context of repression in The Hague

By: fawda - August 17th, 2016  Filed under: Communique

2015_zestien_aanhoudingen_bij_rellen_schilderswijkOn August 3, several anarchists in The Hague, the Netherlands, and one from outside the city received a letter from Mayor Van Aartsen with the intention of imposing a two month area ban for the Schilderswijk, a working class and immigrant neighborhood in the center of the city. The mayor wants to use the so-called “Football Law,” which is now being used against political activists for the first time. In recent times, anarchists in The Hague have dealt with much repression, much of it directly from the mayor’s office.

50,000 euro damage claim for De Vloek eviction
On September 9, 2015, during the eviction of social center De Vloek which had been squatted for 13 years, ten people were arrested. Five of them remained in prison for two weeks after being accused of committing violence against the police. Several months after their release, the ten people who had been arrested received a letter from the mayor of The Hague with a 50,000 euro damage claim. [Read More]

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The Hague: Autonoom Centrum wins court case. No eviction!

By: fawda - May 11th, 2016  Filed under: News

20160209_Drie_panden_gekraakt_aan_Harstenhoekweg_in_ScheveningenToday, there was the verdict of the court case started by the owner Bewi Vastgoed to ask the eviction of the Autonoom Centrum in Den Haag. The judge rejected the claims of the owner. There is no eviction of the Autonoom Centrum on the Harstenhoekweg in the short term.

Autonoom Centrum Den Haag
Harstenhoekweg 4, 2587SL Den Haag, The Netherlands
https://acdenhaag.wordpress.com
acdenhaag [at] riseup [dot] net

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The Hague: Eviction of Autonoom Centrum approaching

By: fawda - January 9th, 2016  Filed under: Communique, News

Ontruiming_Autonoom_Centrum_Den_Haag_op_komstEviction of Autonoom Centrum in The Hague is getting closer. The AC lost a long legal procedure in which the judge declared that AC can be evicted beginning January 30th. After the verdict, AC went into discussions with the owner of the building in order to reach an agreement, but the conversation went nowhere. It looks like AC will be evicted at the end of this month.

Last summer, we received a letter stating that we have to vacate the premises by 30 January 2016. This letter did not come from the building’s owner, but from the renter. This requires further explanation; the building which AC occupies is property of Pubstone BV, a company that owns many bars. Pubstone BV rents the building to InBev, the largest beer brewer in the world, worth billions. Inbev subsequently rented the building to a pub operator. Even when the building was abandoned and when it was squatted in 2010, InBev continued renting the building. InBev terminated its rental agreement and must in their own words hand the building over empty to Pubstone. Afterwords, InBev’s lawyers sent us a letter saying that we have to vacate the premises by January 30 2016. We did not agree to these terms and filed a lawsuit. The judge ruled in favor of InBev, despite the fact that the building would again stand vacant after the eviction and the verdict was that AC can be evicted from 30 Janaury 2016. [Read More]

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The Hague (NL): Autonoom Centrum Den Haag eviction threat

By: dooozie - May 5th, 2015  Filed under: Communique, News
acblijftheader

The Autonomous Center (AC) located at Willem van Outhoornstraat 17 in The Hague is being threatened with eviction. The AC has already been squatted for 5 years and provides space for such activities as a vegan folks-kitchen and the alternative bookstore Opstand. During the past 5 years, nights devoted to information, films, and debate have been organized, and there is also room for music and meetings.
[Read More]

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