Home > News > Amsterdam squatters evicted; others can remain for now

Amsterdam squatters evicted; others can remain for now

DutchAmsterdam.nl — Police in Amsterdam this morning evicted squatters from 4 buildings.

Most squatters left the buildings peacefully, but four people were arrested after they committed acts of violence.

The buildings were not evacuated on the basis of Holland’s new anti-squatting law. Instead the squatters were removed after civil courts had ruled in favor of the property owners.

Amsterdam mayor Eberhard van der Laan last week announced that more buildings would be evacuated today, but that did not happen.

Yesterday the court in The Hague issued a judgment in a higher appeal as to the question of whether the Justice Department can proceed to evict various squatted buildings in Amsterdam, The Hague and Leeuwarden.

The court prohibited the eviction because in the new Act on Squatting and Vacancy no possibility is provided in which squatters (who are in danger of losing their home) can first have the eviction reviewed by a court. According to the court this is in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which has repeatedly ruled that someone may not lose his residence before a court has first had the opportunity to rule on it.

Since the ECHR trumps the law of Europe’s individual countries, the anti-squatting law will have to be amended before it can be used to evict squatters.

Squatting was long tolerated and — under certain conditions – even legal in the Netherlands.

At first the practice enjoyed much public sympathy, but in recent years the original purpose — which was to alleviate the housing shortage by squatting buildings that were deliberately kept empty by speculators — has been lost as the movement became increasingly anarchistic.
— © Copyright DutchAmsterdam.nl. Do not republish or repost.

Hello! Our original content is protected by © Copyright DutchAmsterdam .nl
Do not republish or repost. Page copy protected against web site content infringement by Copyscape

GetYourGuide is our Trusted Ticket Partner

Why stand in line during your vacation? Beat the crowds by booking Amsterdam Tours, Skip the Line Tickets, Museums, Excursions and Activities online.

Your GetYourGuide Ticket Advantage:
Authorized Ticket Seller
Verified legal tour operators
Printed or Mobile Voucher Accepted
Skip-the-Line (if available)
Instant Confirmation
Easy Cancellation

Leave a Reply

About This Article

Category: News
Related to:

An Amsterdammer last updated this post on CET (Central European Time)

   
Transparency:
The DutchAmsterdam website includes affiliate links. That means we get a small commission — at no additional cost to you — for each purchase you make. Your support helps us provide this site free of charge. Naturally, as our Editorial Policy states, our content is never influenced by our advertisers or affiliates.