Failed asylum seekers squat 12 Amsterdam Oost buildings

By Janene Pieters on April 4, 2018 - 13:10
Some 30 failed asylum seekers under We Are Here occupy an empty office building on Reigersbos in Amsterdam Zuidoost, 27 Nov 2016
Some 30 failed asylum seekers under We Are Here occupy an empty office building on Reigersbos in Amsterdam Zuidoost, 27 Nov 2016. (Wij Zijn Hier / Facebook)

We Are Here, a group of failed asylum seekers, squatted 11 homes and a shop on Rudolf Dieselstraat in Amsterdam Oost over Easter weekend. The group renamed the location 'We Are Here Village' and hope to turn it into a space that can also offer shelter to women and children living on the streets, Het Parool reports.

The vacant homes and shop belong to housing corporation Ymere, which intends to demolish the buildings to make way for new apartment buildings. The project was delayed in 2015 and construction is now set to start sometime this year. 

We Are Here wants to manage the houses for as long as they are empty. A neighborhood-and-garden party is planned for Saturday. "We're going to make it a beautiful village again", the group said, according tot he newspaper.

The municipality of Amsterdam recently announced that it will leave failed asylum seekers in peace for the time being - at east until the new municipality takes office. The city asked that the owners don't request an eviction. 

We Are Here asked that the new municipality and college of mayor and aldermen work with them on more stable accommodation. "Let the new college actually make agreements with housing corporations to reach out to asylum seekers on the street."

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