The police, recalls almost every squatter in Den Haag, took pleasure in taunting the demonstrators and the tcmperature rose to the point where the police charged, the crowd lost its collective rag and the council offices were attacked. Several people were seriously injured, six were arrested and charged. Mascha, a long-time Den Haag squatter and activist explained that this violence, or rather thc media blah that followed, led to an instant turnaround in attitude towards the Blauwe. She is working on building a case for those artested on the January demo and, with a few others, has interviewed around 80 witnesses. The Blauwe held a marathon two-day meeting in April to discuss what to do about the planned road.
Opinion is divided.
Jan is not alone. The Blauwe will get offered a deal and there are some who believe the community is more important than the building. There is still a long way to go, the council's plans could be two years coming but the meeting voted, in the first instance, to fight to the death. In Amsterdam there is a lot of support for the Blauwe and this decision will be very popular. People drinking in the Vrankryk bar in the centre of the capital said they will to go to Den Haag and defend it.