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Woonopstand Rotterdam!

On October 17, 2021, the nationwide housing demonstration Woonopstand took place in Rotterdam. What began as a peaceful gathering of concerned citizens ended in confrontation when the police decided to surround a group of demonstrators in order to remove them from the demonstration and thus effectively deprive them of their right to demonstrate. How could this happen? How could a peaceful protest escalate like this?

In the Netherlands, the right to demonstrate is enshrined in law: the possibility to speak out and have your voice heard is a fundamental right that not all citizens are equally aware of. It is therefore important that this right is protected. But what if law enforcement agencies break down this right? Who takes the decisions and responsibility for this?

The creators spoke to organizations that help citizens understand how the law works and what you are entitled to as a citizen. In this way they gained insight into the course of and the atmosphere during this particular demonstration. On that basis they created this level: Woonopstand Rotterdam!

In Woonopstand Rotterdam! you find yourself in the middle of the Erasmus Bridge in Rotterdam on that autumn day in October, when concerned citizens were fighting for their right to live. After the police and SWAT/riot squad surround the 'black bloc', the tension between police and citizens rises high. Play from the point of view of a police officer or demonstrator and experience how you would maneuver between the interests of citizens and law enforcement.
See and learn how demonstrations work and what dangers lurk in small corners.

The level will be playable in the showroom of MAMA in Rotterdam until the 26th of June 2022.

Context Links:
Woonopstand: https://woonopstand.nl/
Police Violence Blackbook: https://woonopstand.nl/zwartboek/
Police Statement: https://www.politie.nl/nieuws/2021/oktober/31/politiechef-fred-westerbeke-reageert-op-kritiek-na-optreden-woonopstand-en-deelt-dronebeelden.html

Photo by Michiel Huijben
Videos by
Doorbraak eu: https://youtu.be/1gzsJKyqhLU
De Sociëteit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YO31xq7yXx8



(In order to play this level you will need to buy the game here first: https://store.steampowered.com/app/342310/RIOT_Civil_Unrest/)

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For the level we actually went in, and modified some files of the game so we could get our own sprites in. If you want to play it with that, you can download the files here:
https://my.hidrive.com/share/pwbrhacvhh

Be sure to make a backup copy of the files before you overwrite them. Also, don't worry too much. Steam can always rebuild these files if you delete them.
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