Dutch anti-immigration party bill to ban squatting

[Gerrard Winstanley]

CDA plans bill to ban squatting: Telegraaf
Friday 02 November 2007
http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2007/11/cda_plans_bill_to_ban_sq
uattin.php

Christian Democrat MPs are poised to introduce a private members' 
bill to ban squatting which will be supported by a parliamentary 
majority, the Telegraaf reports on Friday. 

The Liberals (VVD) and anti-immigration PVV have already called for a 
ban on squatting and now the small religious parties are also in 
favour, the paper says. 

'Squatting used to be idealistic but that has now been overshadowed 
by international squatters who come here to cause trouble,' 
ChristenUnie MP Ed Anker told the paper. 

His comments follow an incident earlier this week when police 
officers were confronted with a booby-trapped building as they tried 
to evict squatters from premises in Amsterdam. 

The squatters attached a sensor to a small motor which was designed 
to pull away a roof support beam and bring down the ceiling when 
police entered, the Parool reported on Thursday. 

CDA and VVD MPs say the squatters who placed the booby trap should be 
prosecuted for attempted murder. 

On Friday the CDA told NOS tv it is fed up with waiting for the 
cabinet to take action. The previous government also had plans to ban 
squatting but these never came into effect. 

Under current laws, buildings may be legally squatted if they have 
been empty for more than a year. 

Labour is opposed to a ban on squatting saying it is a valuable 
weapon to stop property owners and local authorities leaving 
buildings empty.

Squatting was particularly prevalent as a political movement in the 
1980s when large numbers of buildings were left empty by property 
speculators.