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Majority of the occupiers of the P.C. Hoofthuis have not been fined

Henk Strikkers,
23 augustus 2019 - 10:19

27 of the 31 students arrested for occupying the P.C. Hoofthuis have not yet been fined. This has been confirmed by the Public Prosecution Service of Amsterdam. ‘The cases against the unidentified arrestees cannot be executed.’

This February, 31 occupiers of the P.C. Hoofthuis were sentenced to fines for trespassing on UvA property. Only four of them were known by name, while 27 were so-called ‘N.N. suspects.’ Refusing to identify themselves, they invoked their right to remain silent. Some had covered their fingertips with glue to prevent the authorities taking prints. Although the police took photos of each the occupiers, neither they nor the Public Prosecution Service managed to identify them before the case.

‘The cases where a name was or is now known have been executed’

The Public Prosecution Service demanded those who refused to identify themselves spend three days in prison. The four identified occupiers were to be issued fines. The judge, however found the demands too high, and sentenced each of the occupiers with fines ranging from 150 to 300 Euros.

 

Multiple sources have told Folia that the 27 anonymous arrestees have yet to hear anything from the Public Prosecution Service while the four identified have already been fined. A spokesperson for the Public Prosecutor confirms this. ‘The cases where a name was or is now known have been executed. The unidentified cases cannot be executed.’

 

This, however, doesn’t mean the unidentified get off scotch free the Public Prosecution warns. ‘If they are arrested in the future the sentence can still be executed. This is also the case if the police manage to identify them in the meantime.’

 

On September 28 2018 the P.C. Hoofthuis was occupied by a group of students and teachers known as the Autonomous University Postcolonial House. They were protesting against government cutbacks and the ‘erosion of education’. The occupiers refused to leave the same day, even when the university threatened to evict the building. An attempt to mediate by mayor Femke Halsema failed after which the building was evicted and the occupiers placed under arrest.