Enschede housing corp. attacked after reports of young women's eviction

The building of a housing corporation in Enschede was vandalized overnight. Two of the coroporations' cars were also set on fire, and a third doused with a liquid, RTV Oost reports. The attack seems to be linked to reports by Tubantia that the housing corporation was evicting two young women from their home after their mother died of cancer in December.

Tubantia reported that the two sisters, aged 18 and 19, were facing homelessness now that they're being evicted. According to the newspaper, their mother called the housing corporation many times before her death, to make sure her daughters could continue to live in the home. She also had the home refurbished and painted for her daughters, the newspaper wrote. "She thought it would be fine," one of the daughters said.

But within days after their mother's death, the young women received a message from the housing corporation that they would have to move. The housing corporation's rules state that you have to be at least 23 years old to rent a single-family home, and both sisters are younger than that. The sisters were given time to look for a new home, but couldn't find one due to the housing shortage in the Netherlands.

Tom Jacobs, housing manager at the housing corporation, told Tubantia that the corporation was clear about the rules from the start and went to great lengths to help the sisters find a new home.

The graffiti found on the building on Monday include Jacobs' name and the words "rules are rules", translated from Dutch. This seems to indicate that the attack on the corporation was linked to the Tubantia article.