In 2015, ‘50 Years of the Provo Movement’ was one of the highlights that city-marketing organisation I Amsterdam came up with. The international campaign was a proud look back at the activism of fifty years ago, including the squatting that took place back then, under the so-called White House Plan: ‘Come to Amsterdam, the international birthplace of free-thought and creativity.’ Meanwhile, on 25 March 2015, the Snake House (De Slang) was cleared. The house on Spuistraat, right behind the Royal Palace of Amsterdam, had been a squatting location for 32 years. And not only this property, but the entire block – twelve properties in all – were cleared by the police, marking the disappearance of the last substantial surviving example of ‘alternative Amsterdam’ from the capital's cityscape.

Squatters save the city

The Provo movement's White House Plan, dating from 1966, is considered to have marked the beginning of the squatting movement in Amsterdam. Following a court ruling in the early 1970s, the squatting of properties that had remained unoccupied for more than a year was no longer considered to be illegal. Around 1980, with the city's population in decline and the world in the throes of an economic crisis, the Amsterdam squatting scene grew into a mass movement with significant political, economic and cultural influence. It was partly due to pressure from the squatting movement that the City of Amsterdam was able to secure billions in funding from central government in order to renovate the old districts in the course of the 1980s. The legalisation of thousands of squats, along with the preservation of the social and cultural infrastructure that had been established by the squatters, formed part of this. This infrastructure ranged from childcare centres to concert venues, from neighbourhood theatres to local cafes. Jan Schaefer, the left-wing politician who was the driving force behind the urban regeneration that took place during this period, made no secret of the fact that it was the squatting activity that enabled him to get his way to such an extent with central government. Not all squats were legalised: many were evicted as well, which often involved riots and clashes between squatters and the authorities. One part of the squatting movement strived for legalisation, while the radical squatters were actively seeking confrontation with the government.