‘This is an act of desperation’
Squatters still in Heykens building (UPDATE)
The group, which consists of approximately fifty students, occupied the building, which belongs to Henk Heykens, on Sunday afternoon. For a while it looked like the police and the city were going to evacuate them as they had closed off the street, but around eight in the evening they told the students they were allowed to stay the night in the building. Access to Heykens’ private properties on the ground floor has been restricted.
A building inspector checked the property’s safety on Monday morning. There were holes in the floor, but the squatters have since repaired those. They also installed fire extinguishers and fire alarms.
Further inspection
Further inspection into the building’s structural safety is needed. After that, the city will start talking to the squatters again, a spokesperson said. Whether that will be today or tomorrow depends on our planning.’ Whether the students will be evacuated after that the spokesperson couldn’t say.
The squatting students hung a banner that said ‘We can’t live on waiting lists’, referring to the housing crisis and the long waiting lists for social housing. ‘This is an act of desperation’, one German student said. ‘Friends of mine are currently staying in emergency housing, which they’ll have to vacate soon. And even if you do find a room, you end up paying 400 euros for seven square metres.’