The Amsterdam coronation riots ( nl, Kroningsoproer) refers to major violence and rioting in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

, the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, on the day of the accession of

Queen Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix is the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana and her husband ...

, 30 April 1980. It was one of the biggest episodes of such disturbances in the country since the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the most significant event of the Dutch

squatters Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...

' movement (''Krakersrellen'').

Background

Since the 1960s and the 1970s, squatting had become common in Amsterdam to protest the city's shortage of housing. Many of the protesters were young people of the baby boomer generation. The 1980 riots were preceded by the Nieuwmarkt Riots in 1975 and the Vondelstraat Riots in March 1980, when authorities heavily responded to evict squatters from properties in the city. On 31 January,

Queen Juliana Juliana (; Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina; 30 April 1909 – 20 March 2004) was Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until her abdication in 1980. Juliana was the only child of Queen Wilhelmina and Prince Henry of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. S ...

announced that she would abdicate in favour of her eldest daughter,

Princess Beatrix Beatrix (Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard, ; born 31 January 1938) is a member of the Dutch royal house who reigned as Queen of the Netherlands from 1980 until her abdication in 2013. Beatrix is the eldest daughter of Queen Juliana and her husban ...

, on 30 April.

Riots

Beatrix ascended the throne on 30 April 1980, and squatters started to riot. The protesters were rallying under the slogan ''Geen woning, geen kroning'' (No house, no coronation). Due to the presence of 10,000 police officers,

gendarmes Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (literally, " ...

and some military officers, the event turned into a major clash. The riots were centred around the

Dam Square Dam Square or the Dam () is a town square in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Its notable buildings and frequent events make it one of the best-known and most important locations in the city and the country. Location and description ...

, where the new Queen's inauguration took place. Clashes also happened in and around Blauwbrug,

Rokin The Rokin is a canal and major street in the centre of Amsterdam. The street runs from Muntplein, Amsterdam, Muntplein square to Dam Square, Dam square. The Rokin canal used to run from Muntplein square to Dam Square, but in 1936, the part between ...

and Vondelstraat. One of the protesters, Karel Fassotte, claimed in an interview that apart from squatters, people taking part included ordinary students and

football hooligans Football hooliganism, also known as soccer hooliganism, football rioting or soccer rioting, constitutes violence and other destructive behaviours perpetrated by spectators at association football events. Football hooliganism normally involves ...

. It marked a milestone in the mostly peaceful post-war history of the Netherlands. 600 people were wounded in the riots.

Aftermath

The squatters' movement had enjoyed much public support for their cause beforehand, but that was depreciated following the riots, partly because the

Dutch royal family The monarchy of the Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the role and position of the monarch are governed by the Constitution of the Netherlands. Consequently, a large portion of it is devoted to the monarch. Roughly a third of ...

was highly popular, while the squatters had turned the day of accession into one of violence. A new police leadership in Amsterdam started to force the evacuation of squatted buildings, including through special means. In 2010, the Dutch parliament voted to ban squatting entirely.

References

{{SquatNL 1980 in the Netherlands 1980s in Amsterdam Riots and civil disorder in the Netherlands 1980 riots Events in Amsterdam April 1980 events in Europe Dutch monarchy 1980 crimes in the Netherlands Squatting in the Netherlands

Background

Riots

Aftermath

See also

References