Home-seekers squat Amsterdam building to prevent hotel opening

A group of six young Amsterdam residents moved into a part of a monumental building on Jan Luijkenstraat on Sunday afternoon. The squatters believe that the owner of the building wants to open a hotel there, and they "don't want that to happen", their spokesperson said to AT5.

The squatters moved into a vacant space in the building, located near the Rijksmuseum and Vondelpark. In the floors above the vacant space, Hotel Muzeumzicht is located. They don't want the hotel to be expanded into the vacant space when there is such a large housing shortage in the city, according to the spokesperson.

The housing shortage and high housing prices affect the squatters personally. "It is impossible for us to find a place to live", one of the squatters said to Het Parool. They're forced to sleep on friends' couches or move back in with their parents.

Whether the owner of the building pressed charges against the squatters, is not yet clear.