[Squat!net]

Past tuesday, 27th of march, the mayor of Amsterdam got the political backing to raid Political-cultural Centre Vrankrijk in an attempt to close it down. Vrankrijk is an independent and autonomous squat bar that has existed for 18 years. Since two years the city has been trying to force Vrankrijk to accept legal permits and licences. This means that we would have to accept police checks and control on our activities. This is of course not acceptable for us! The activities that happen in Vrankrijk and the goal of freedom and autonomy cannot function within a situation where such control by the police can and will happen.

Over the past two years it has become more and more clear that the city has not entered in this proces for the safety of visitors of Vrankrijk, but only to gain some kind of control over a radical and independent meeting place for activists and squatters. This became very clear when high ranking police officers threatened the mayor with a lose of confidence of all 6000 policemen in Amsterdam if he would concider an agreement which didn?t involve police controls.

Now the city council has spoken out in support of the mayor and the policeforce, and are calling for a closure of Vrankrijk if we do not tolerate police control. This means that at any moment know a raid by the Amsterdam authorities can take place. They will try to close down Vrankrijk by evicting and then boarding up the place. We can and will re-squat the place immediately. (the building is owned by former squatters who are sympathetic). This means we have the opportunity to continue the fight for this place even after the first, second or third eviction. We do need support from as many people as possible to be able to do this. We call on everyone to resist in any way possible. To put pressure on the city of Amsterdam to stop there attempts to close down this independent and autonomous place.

Stop the eviction! For autonomy and solidarity

For more information: http://www.vrankrijk.org/or info [at] vrankrijk [dot] org

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To all companer@s in squatting:

EXHIBITION OF SQUATTING 10.-13.5.

!! WE NEED YOUR PARTICIPATION !!

The social center Gaztetxe of Pamplona, Navarra will be celebrating its 7th anniversary of squatting 10.-13.5. The theme of these days will be squatting with the idea of promoting more squatting. The programme includes among others discussions of the political side of squatting, how to open up the movement more, the differences between rural and urban squatting, and women and squatting. There will also be practical workshops about how to get into the houses, how to set up water, electricity and telephone, the legal side of squatting and resistance against evictions. And of course there will be fiestas, demonstrations and actions.

During the celebrations there will be also videoshows (both presentations of various squats, as well as resistance against evictions) and an exhibition of different squatted places. We would like to make these 2 shows as international and representative/diverse as possible, and are appealing to our friends all over the world to participate: Please send us videos (any language will be fine), fotos, and the story of your squat, explaining the history of the place, what activities you are organising there, the relations with the exterior, and also about the legal situation and the squatting movement in general in your region. Also stories of places that doesn’t exist anymore are interesting. Preferably, please send all texts in Castilian, but if this is not possible, we will do the translations (as well as the set up) here.

If you like, feel free to join us in our celebrations and discussions. All the programme will be in Castilian, and the food will be organised collectivly. To organise sleeping places, please announce your coming beforehand.

Please send all the material for the exhibition by the end of April to (indicate also, if you want the material to be returned):
Jordanas de ocupation
Gaztetxe
Calle San Agustin 17
E-31001 Pamplona, Navarra

Further inquiries and registration:
Jordanas de ocupation
Artanga
Lista de correos
E-31430 Aoiz, Navarra

artanga [at] gmx [dot] net (we have quite little access to e-mail, so a normal letter will reach us faster)

!! OCUPA Y RESISTE !!

[squat!net]

March 2001

After two years of threats by the City Counsil, Administrative Force against Vrankrijk can be applied since january 5th. This means that Political-cultural Center Vrankrijk can be closed down by the police and the authorities at any moment. Vrankrijk has become the next Freeplace that has to be destroyed by the authorities, as a result of a policy to erradicate all independent initiatives. In their opinion Amsterdam has to be in service of big-bussiness, tourists, and the upper classes. Collective and independent initiatives have no right of existence in a Euro oriëntated Amsterdam.

For 18 years Vrankrijk has tried to be an alternative for moneyhungry and commercialized nightlife. Vrankrijk is run on a voluntary basis. Collectively we take responsibility for Vrankrijk, so people can have a good time and are safe for, for example, fire-hazards as well. Vrankrijk respects everyone for whoever or whatever they are, not for what their financial status or position is. The underlying goal is not to just be an alternative, but also to support numerous groups and people who try to make an effort for a just society based on solidarity and autonomy.

Now the City Counsil is trying to ?normalise? this initiative by forcing police control by means of a permit or license. As an excuse they use the argument that normal nightlife facilities have to accept the rules as well. This is rubbish! Vrankrijk can not be considered normal commercial nightlife, but should be accepted as an independent political-cultural Freeplace. We have always been open to coöperation with the firebrigade or enviromental services, but we will never accept police inspection nor hand over membership lists. By demanding this the City Counsil is willingly forcing a conflict with the volunteers and sympathisers of Vrankrijk. They must not be allowed to force us into there regulations of profit, selfishness and the biggest common denominator. They should realise that Amsterdam needs independent non-profit initiatives like Vrankrijk. These places should not be forced into the straightjacket of regulated commercial life.

Now, after two years of talks, their restrictive and repressive policies threaten to lead to a forcefull closure of Vrankrijk. The Amsterdam authorities have repeatedly been trying to criminalise and de-politisize the Vranrijk volunteers and sympathisers. Most recently after the eviction of the Kalenderpanden and earlier in reaction to protests during the Euro-summit.

Recent soothing words, officially used to deëscalate, have proven to be of no value. It is evident that the Amsterdam police department has been blocking any possible solution that involves any loss of control and authority on their part.

Whatever happens, we will not give in to their repressive demands or any other form of faulty city-policy.

For Autonomy and solidarity Stop the closure of Vrankrijk!! http://www.vrankrijk.org/ or info [at] vrankrijk [dot] org

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The builing on 193, St-Charles street, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris started on sunday around 11:30. About 150 people managed to occupy the building, which is property of the Paris city council and had been empty for 4 years. Other ‘have-nots’ were waiting in front of the building until the negotiations with the authorities came to an end, constantly shouting ‘a roof is a right, a roof is the law’ and ‘apply the law on property requisition’ [trans. note: both slogans refer to a french law voted shortly after the second world war, that allows the state to requisit housing left empty by the owner. It was meant as an emergency measure and never was used afterwards, but this law still officially exists]. Around 16:20 the cops and riot-police decided to leave, and the occupation could go on. This operation was successfull, but the unitary struggle of the different ‘have-nots’ (no papers, no houses, no jobs…) goes on! [Read More]

On wednesday February 28th at 8.15 a.m. in the morning the Police broke in the doors of the squat gazpacho.

The 12 squatters alarmed through the noise of the breaking in have been woken up and went to the top of the roof of the house.

The cops arrived soon at the edge of the roof but could not make any arrests. The roof was to tiny, hard to walk on and also very steeb. It was quit dangerous to make any moves there. Therefore the cops decided not to try to arrest anyone from there, but were threwing cans and buckets of water once in a while on the people, what became quite dangerous, making the roof more wet and harder to walk on. After six hours the squtters left voluntarily the roof, took the stuff from their rooms and went on the streets after identification was taken by the police. [Read More]