Nieuwmarkt riots

The Nieuwmarkt riots (Dutch: Nieuwmarktrellen), also referred to as the Amsterdam metro riots, is a series of serious disturbances in the Nieuwmarkt neighbourhood of Amsterdam, Netherlands. On 24 March 1975, which later became known as Blue Monday,[1] and on 8 April 1975, protests against the planned demolition of homes ended in confrontations with over a hundred municipal police supported by 500 military police.[2] The homes were considered by residents and protesters to be in good condition, but had to make way for the construction of the East Line tunnel of the Amsterdam metro.[3] This was needed because the construction of the 3.5 km tunnel was largely done by sinking large concrete caissons. As a result of the riots, the city council of Amsterdam decided to abandon further plans for additional metro lines.

Nieuwmarkt riots
Nieuwmarkt Riots on 24 March 1975
Date	24 March 1975 - 8 April 1975
Location	Nieuwmarkt, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Caused by	Construction of the Amsterdam Metro
Methods	Rioting, protests, barricades
Resulted in	Future plans for additional metro lines are abandoned
Parties to the civil conflict
Local residents 100+ Municipal police officers 500 Military police officers

In 1980, the Nieuwmarkt metro station was opened. It is decorated with artworks that memorialize the turbulent times.[4]

See also

• Vondelstraat riots
• Amsterdam coronation riots

References

1. Christopher Catling (1 June 2003). Travellers Amsterdam. Thomas Cook Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84157-261-1.
2. Verstraete, Ginette (2013), "Underground Visions:: Strategies of Resistance along the Amsterdam Metro Lines", Paris-Amsterdam Underground, Essays on Cultural Resistance, Subversion, and Diversion, Amsterdam University Press: 77–96, ISBN 9789089645050, JSTOR j.ctt6wp6td.10
3. "Civil unrest: Nieuwmarkt ABC". City Archives of Amsterdam. Archived from the original on 2013-02-22. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
4. Susan S. Fainstein (22 July 2010). The Just City. Cornell University Press. pp. 146–. ISBN 978-0-8014-6218-4.