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Dutch police reclaim buildings as squatting law questioned
Source: Agencies |
November 10, 2010, Wednesday
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POLICE in Amsterdam reclaimed several squatted buildings on behalf of their legal owners yesterday but canceled a wave of other evictions after a court ruling questioned the validity of a law criminalizing squatting.
Around 40 squatters - including several in clown costumes - protested outside one of the buildings. Police said they detained four people for throwing paint or stones.
Squatting in unoccupied buildings has long been tolerated in the Netherlands, but it seems destined to be the latest of the country's liberal institutions - such as legal prostitution and cafes that openly sell marijuana - to be curtailed as the Dutch become more conservative and rethink the boundaries of their famed tolerance.
Squatting was criminalized under a law that took effect on October 1. The first evictions in Amsterdam under the new law were to have taken place yesterday and the city had arranged riot police to clear out buildings around the city.
Those plans were abruptly halted late on Monday after an appeals court found the European Treaty on Human Rights forbids forcing people from their homes unless a judge has affirmed that the eviction is legal.
"Given the general character of this ruling, the mayor, chief prosecutor and police commissioner have decided for now not to clear any buildings on criminal grounds," the city said in a statement.
However, a civil court had already approved five evictions scheduled for yesterday, and those went ahead. Such evictions are not new.
"The squatters' protests were generally playful," a police statement said. "The evictions are going quickly."
Several hundred protesters who had gathered on Monday night to protest the evictions turned jubilant after the court's ruling, though a full ruling will only be issued next week.
A protest against the new law on September 30 had ended in violence as squatters clashed with police, set fires and erected barricades in Amsterdam's historic center.
Historically, squatting has provided an alternative to mainstream Dutch lifestyles and has acted as a wellspring for leftist activism.
Squatting gained public sympathy after World War II during a time of severe housing shortages and anger at real estate speculators.
Around 40 squatters - including several in clown costumes - protested outside one of the buildings. Police said they detained four people for throwing paint or stones.
Squatting in unoccupied buildings has long been tolerated in the Netherlands, but it seems destined to be the latest of the country's liberal institutions - such as legal prostitution and cafes that openly sell marijuana - to be curtailed as the Dutch become more conservative and rethink the boundaries of their famed tolerance.
Squatting was criminalized under a law that took effect on October 1. The first evictions in Amsterdam under the new law were to have taken place yesterday and the city had arranged riot police to clear out buildings around the city.
Those plans were abruptly halted late on Monday after an appeals court found the European Treaty on Human Rights forbids forcing people from their homes unless a judge has affirmed that the eviction is legal.
"Given the general character of this ruling, the mayor, chief prosecutor and police commissioner have decided for now not to clear any buildings on criminal grounds," the city said in a statement.
However, a civil court had already approved five evictions scheduled for yesterday, and those went ahead. Such evictions are not new.
"The squatters' protests were generally playful," a police statement said. "The evictions are going quickly."
Several hundred protesters who had gathered on Monday night to protest the evictions turned jubilant after the court's ruling, though a full ruling will only be issued next week.
A protest against the new law on September 30 had ended in violence as squatters clashed with police, set fires and erected barricades in Amsterdam's historic center.
Historically, squatting has provided an alternative to mainstream Dutch lifestyles and has acted as a wellspring for leftist activism.
Squatting gained public sympathy after World War II during a time of severe housing shortages and anger at real estate speculators.
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