For the last three years a ban on squatting has been in preparation in Dutch politics. A new act that is to ban squatting in the Netherlands passed through parliament on October 15th, 2009. Despite strong critique from the High Court, the union of city councils and even the Amsterdam police force, the christian/rightwing majority in The Hague is pushing this law through.
Having suffered from an immense housing shortage ever since the sixties, squatting has a long history in the Netherlands and has always been a legal means for thousands of people to acquire a roof over their heads.
Tonight on Circle A Radio we speak with Sanne, a squatter in Amsterdam about the current and historical conditions for squatting, the role critical awareness and neighborhood involvement plays in the lives of squatters, and how the upcoming ban will change their world.
- KBOO