Things were brewing in Amsterdam in the early eighties. After squatting and evictions in March 1980, the inauguration of Queen Beatrix was used for a new confrontation. April 30, 1980 was declared national squatting day, resulting in massive public disturbances in Amsterdam. Under the slogan ‘No house, no coronation’, squatters and young people took to the streets.
But who Het Parool of April 30, 1980, you will read surprisingly little about the riots of that day. Het Parool was an afternoon newspaper at that time, and the newspaper was probably already at the printer when the unrest in the city started. ‘Inauguration in quiet Amsterdam,’ read the front page.
During Juliana’s speech, a smoke bomb exploded on Dam Square, the reporter wrote, but other than that there were no noticeable disturbances and the police did not have to take action in the morning.
A day later, the newspaper’s front page looked very different: “Hundreds of injuries including 101 police officers and damage of many millions to shops and municipal and private property,” wrote Het Parool. ‘According to the police, the riots were the worst Amsterdam has seen after the war.’
Street fighters
‘In Amsterdam the disturbances started with a squatting action,’ the reporter wrote. ‘A group of people occupied an empty building on the corner of Kinkerstraat and Bilderdijkstraat in the morning. A little later, a battle raged in the vicinity of the building between the mobile police unit and squatters, who were increasingly joined by street fighters.’
During the day, the disturbances spread throughout the city. ‘With the exception of the so-called ‘iron ring’ around the palace on Dam Square and the Nieuwe Kerk, where the ceremonies surrounding the change of throne could take place virtually undisturbed.’
Extremely grim
According to our reporter, the ‘most serious confrontation’ took place near the Blauwbrug. There, a large police force wanted to prevent 2,000 participants of the monarchist demonstration from going to Dam Square. ‘The fighting had an extremely grim character on both sides.’
A police force of more than 5,000 people used tear gas and water cannons, among other things. Activists pelted the police with stones, sticks and street furniture. Cars were set on fire and dozens of shop windows were destroyed.
Het Parool asked readers in 2010 about memories of that day in 1980. Read an anthology of those stories here: ‘Hey, Hans… the whole city is on fire, boy.’
A role for the Hell’s Angels
Motorcycle club Hell’s Angels had according to Het Parool ‘whether intentionally or not, a major contribution’ to the cessation of the riots on April 30, 1980. This is what the newspaper wrote about it a day later:
Whether intentionally or not, the Amsterdam Heli’s Angels have made a major contribution to stopping the disturbances in the vicinity of the Kloveniersburgwal. When the Mobile Unit drove the demonstrators from the Oude Hoogstraat towards the Nieuwmarkt, the Angels’ ‘Beatrix Festival’ was just about to start. A building on the corner of Nieuwmarkt and Jodenbreestraat had been chosen as the location for this.
The visitors of the festival had parked their numerous shiny motorcycles on a vacant lot opposite the building. Fearing that flying stones would damage their vehicles, Angels leader ‘Big Willem’ warned the mob by megaphone that every stone thrown would be answered with ‘a charge’ from his friends. A warning that had to be honored once. A small chase was initiated with sticks and iron pipes. ‘Big Willem’ later: “We are not on the side of the Mobile Unit. This is only about protecting our engines. There is an amount of one and a half million guilders here. Moreover, because of all this nonsense, no one is coming in for our festival, which cost us 15 grand to organize.”
