Woonopstand

Woonopstand, a coalition of organizations and action groups, organized a noisy protest action on June 11 in front of the real estate fair Provada, in the Amsterdam RAI.

In a part of the square at the entrance that was cordoned off by barriers, where all visitors had to pass and which was covered in banners, a lively programme of speakers and music was set up in two hours. Visitors to Provada had to pass by and could not really avoid it. Once inside, they probably did not notice much of it, but many kept coming back to see what was happening there. A camera crew from MAX, led by Cees Grimbergen, also came to make recordings. They had been refused access to the interior of Provada because they were supposedly 'critical'.

It is now widely acknowledged that there is an unprecedented housing crisis in the Netherlands. However, what is seen as the cause of this crisis still varies greatly. Our far-right government would like to convince you that you cannot find a house because of an increase in migration to the Netherlands. This way they can avoid the real core of the problem. The impact of migration on housing is nothing compared to more than twenty years of neoliberal politics. It is the failure of the government that has restricted the social housing sector and it is their friends on the housing market who profit from this crisis. Don't blame migrants!

On June 29, the association council of the Woonbond in Utrecht will make a decision about signing the national demolition and renovation statute. The national housing movement Woonopstand rejects this statute and will therefore call on the members of the association council with a flyer campaign on June 29 not to sign the statute, under the motto “Tenants do not want tick-the-box participation”. Woonopstand demands that the Woonbond renegotiate the demolition and renovation statute. Woonopstand previously sent this letter to the association council of the Woonbond.

Woonopstand will take action against Dutch real estate profiteers at the national real estate fair Provada on June 11 at 1 p.m. Parasitic real estate investors, private (large) landowners, slum landlords and other predatory investors come together here. They make the lives of many hundreds of thousands of people miserable. Participants in this fair are responsible for all kinds of abuses in public housing. Insecurity, flexibilization, evictions, unaffordability, fraud, gentrification, you name it. On June 11, they will negotiate, also together with municipalities and government agencies, about the future of our living environment. The consequences of this public-private partnership are destroying lives and making people homeless. That has to stop!

Woonopstand was astonished to learn of the violent police actions in Amsterdam and Utrecht against its own students and teachers. They peacefully protested against the ties of the University of Amsterdam and Utrecht University with academic institutions in Israel. The demonstrators rightly demand that Dutch universities sever these ties, because the academic world in Israel is part of the institutional structure that oppresses the rights of Palestinians and has turned Israel into an apartheid state.

Woonopstand consists of a national coalition to which various housing action groups from all over the country are affiliated. We support and co-organize actions and initiatives throughout the country, and we can always use more help with that. Would you like to volunteer a few hours a week or a month to strengthen the housing movement in the Netherlands? Then let us hear from you!

Hey you!

Can't find an affordable home either?
Do you also find the current housing policy scandalous?
Did you know that in the Netherlands there are now more than 25,000 people without a home?

We are done with the annual rent increase! The maximum rent is increased every year without landlords considering whether this is necessary. This year it is up to 5.8%. That's 30 euros extra per month, which makes a huge difference for some. In these expensive times it is important that there is enough left after paying the rent for other necessary expenses!

Are you also tired of mold homes? The high energy bill, the draft, the overdue maintenance? That there could still be a rent increase of 5.8 %? And that many social rental properties are still being sold? Speak out and join the march!