The Asta, symbol of tasteless music in The Hague has been squatted!
This news made my day! In short: the Asta, an old movie theatre which was turned into a disco in the centre of The Hague has been squatted by various subcultural collectives.
A group of subcultural collectives decided to squat the building one day before the anti-squat law will almost certainly be activated by the government. They did this in protest against this law and the shutting down of various cultural squat places in The Hague. Together they want to reform this place (which was for me personally a symbol of tasteless music) into a place fit for art and music development. Members of Paard van Troje, TodaysArt, TAG, Teletekst is Dood, PIP, Shoot Me Film Festival, VillaNuts, Langweiligkeit and Haagse Skate Unie did the squat. They are supported by various organizations throughout the Netherlands and of course also by Acidos and DYFR!!
See the report form WHproducties (sorry, Dutch only):
The original press release in English:
The Hague - May 31, 2010?
Cultural organizations and creative parties squat the Asta in The Hague
On Monday, May 31, the Asta - the monumental building on the Spui in The Hague - was squatted on behalf of the cultural organizations TodaysArt, TAG, Teletekst is Dood, Shoot Me Film Festival, Villa Nuts, Langweiligkeit, Haagse Skate Unie, Paard van Troje, and The Generator. The cultural organizations aim to make a statement against the recent developments concerning the implementation of a new law that will bring into effect a total ban on squatting, the development of the Culture Forum 2018 in The Hague, and the proposed budget cuts on arts and culture. In addition to the organizations listed above, a number of other cultural organizations and individual artists have publicly stated their support of this initiative.
The cultural organizations emphasize the positive premise of this collective action and have indicated their willingness to consult with the owners of the building and other stakeholders to discuss the possibilities for the future. The aim is to only use the building until the stakeholders come up with concrete plans for the property. The initiative also aims to create support for exploring the great cultural potential of such a location in downtown The Hague.
On June 1st, the Senate will most likely approve a total ban on squatting. To highlight the positive aspects of squatting, the organizations refer to numerous examples of many of today's successful cultural organizations and hotspots (i.e. Korzo, Blue Attack, The Illusion, Theatre The Apple / Appel Theatre, Melkweg, Paradiso, Tivoli and many others) that have flourished due to the availability of cheap workspace and housing. Squatting has also resulted in the preservation of valuable historic buildings and cultural expressions. The ambition of the parties involved is to facilitate a positive cultural spin-off through combined efforts, activities and well-organized cultural entrepreneurship in this prominent area in the city centre, thereby giving both this area and the city in general a strong impulse of modern and urban culture.
