De Grote Broek is a legalised squat and self-managed social centre in central Nijmegen in the Netherlands. It was occupied in 1984 and legalised from 2002 onwards. It spans two sides of a city block and has entrances on both Van Broeckhuysenstraat and Tweede Walstraat. The project consists of two separate housing co-operatives living above a cafe on one side and Extrapool and a music venue on the other. Groups with shared political objectives are hosted at the centre.
History of building
The building was first used by two newspapers, the Provinciale Geldersche and the Nijmeegsche Courant. Afterwards it was a furniture shop before becoming derelict in the 1980s.
Occupation
De Grote Broek was Squatting in the Netherlands|squatted on November 4, 1984. At first it was called De Grote Karel after the owner's name. The name later became De Grote Broek since one side of the block is on Van Broeckhuysenstraat. One resident was Louis Sévèke.
Legalisation
Following the death of the owner in 2002, the city of Nijmegen bought the building and a legalisation process began. Negotiations were made between the occupiers and a housing corporation, Standvast Wonen. The squatters therefore became renters and the renovations were completed in 2009.
Activities
The cafe is called De Klinker and serves vegan food. It actually began in another squat in the 1970s. There is also an anarchist library called De Zwarte Uil.
The venue is called De Onderbroek. It is located in the basement and hosts a variety of events, including punk and hardcore gigs. It is running since 1986.
The Grote Broek celebrated 30 years of existence in November 2014. In 2018, an extreme right group was offended by the Grote Broek organising a 'Refugees Welcome' picnic. The group demonstrated for the closure of the centre, which they termed "a violent breeding ground for extreme leftism". In the same time period there were also scuffles outside the Grote Broek between rightwing supporters of Zwarte Piet celebrations and leftwingers who see it as racism. In 2019, a person was arrested near the Grote Broek and charged with making a death threat against politician Thierry Baudet because the previous day they had been at a demonstration in Amsterdam and had shouted "If you want to shoot Thierry dead say pow!".
