After more than two years, the protest camp at Sportpark Vierhoeven in Roosendaal has to disappear. The court has decided this after a long legal wrangling. It is a bitter pill for caravan resident Joke Mentzij and her family. “This hurts, but we fight on.”
Two caravans and two tents, the camp is no bigger. The caravan of 41-year-old Polish Januszewski Slawomir is green with moss. After a few hard knocks on the front door, he comes out with bare torso. “I have lived here for a year now. I have no idea where to go,” he says, half in English, half in Dutch.
The five residents call the camp a long-term demonstration for more caravan places. “We do not live here. We are here with a clear goal, not for our pleasure”, emphasizes 33-year-old Joke again. The municipality calls it an illegal place to live and is now right.
Fighting day and night
“This is a huge downer after two years of struggle. We fought for this day and night,” says Joke. She is at the camp with her uncle Jos and two children.
The camp has been located at Turfvaartsestraat in Roosendaal since June 2020. It had to be a bridge until the residents get a permanent place at one of the caravan camps in the area. They say they have not yet received them, due to long waiting lists. “We are being kept on a lead.”
evict
The residents were given a permit to demonstrate a few times. But mayor Han van Midden asked the residents in November last year to evacuate the camp. The caravan dwellers refused to leave.
“Obviously I support and respect the fundamental right to demonstrate. However, I am of the opinion that this is not a continuous demonstration, but the permanent parking of caravans in a place that is not intended for that purpose,” the mayor wrote in a letter this week. He says he will take further steps in response to the ruling: the residents must vacate the location.
Jos Mentzij says that all five residents will comply with the ruling. “We’ll be leaving at the end of next week. Still, we’ll keep fighting!” He may want to move the camp to Parklaan in Roosendaal. “We just want to continue demonstrating. We are a bit more visible there.”
A normal home is not an option for residents. Jos: “We were born in a caravan. That is a way of life. I would prefer to travel around. Only then do you really have freedom.”