Good evening everybody,

It’s good to be here at the opening of another edition the Freethinkers Festival, on the eve of the city’s seven hundred and forty eighth anniversary.

This year’s theme is: Amsterdam Queer Capital?

With a question mark at the end.

Answering the question with a clear yes is presumptuous.

But it certainly is an ideal we cherish.

And this evening about trans literature is contributing to this ideal.

The Dutch novelist Connie Palmen says that we live in the age of trans.

I quote:

“What once most clearly determined a person’s fate – the country and body in which you were born – has gradually lost its fatal grip on a human life and has made way for a tempting and yet frightening freedom. The tormenting unfreedom of fate has made way for the terrifying freedom of choice. Fate has become plot.” [1] [End of quote].

When fate becomes plot, we need fiction writers more than ever.

So I warmly welcome Torrey Peters to Amsterdam!

I also welcome the age of trans.

But I think we’re not quite there yet.

To truly have an age of trans, we need not only the possibility of being of trans, but also the acceptance of trans.

This means embracing transgender people and the whole queer community, and standing in solidarity with their struggle for equal rights and complete acceptance by society.

But like Connie Palmen, I’d also like to advocate the idea of trans as a broader concept.

The idea that not everything is fixed.

That not everything is black or white.

That things can change and will change.

And that both unfreedom and freedom can make us anxious.

In other words, a true age of trans is filled with empathy and tolerance.

The empathy and tolerance that great literature can teach us.

Frankly, I worry about the lack of empathy and tolerance.

In the world, and in this city.

People who deviate from mainstream society because they’re queer, because of their convictions or background, still suffer from ongoing discrimination.

This is sometimes subtle, sometimes far from subtle.

Attempts to educate people about transgender issues, for example, are often met with the hostile reaction that this is an ideology being forced on society.

This reaction completely lacks empathy for people who really deserve it.

Let me be clear: transgender people are strong and don’t need our pity, but they’re vulnerable when they become the object of hate and nobody stands up for them. Hate because of who they are. The choices trans gender people make, to transition, or as in the novel by Torrey Peters, detransition, are choices they make to become who they are.

The queer community, migrants and other minorities face this kind of hate because of who they are.

But Amsterdam is a city made up of minorities.

Our city runs on empathy and tolerance.

It would be ruined, as it has been in the past, by hatred.

When I refer to the need for empathy and tolerance, I can’t ignore the situation in Israel and Gaza, and the effect it’s having on Amsterdam and other cities. Please allow me to say a few words on this.

The City of Amsterdam has condemned the brutal attack by the Hamas terrorists. It has called for attention for the dire situation of the people in Gaza and is contributing to humanitarian aid.

The Israeli government deserves harsh criticism for violating human rights and international law in Gaza and on the West Bank.

Jewish people, here and elsewhere, cannot be blamed for the wrongdoings of Israel.

They deserve our empathy.

They feel vulnerable.

They feel vulnerable when fellow citizens refuse to condemn Hamas.

Or when they see dog whistles like “one ummah, one flag, one army, one solution.”

They feel seriously threatened when they hear calls for the destruction of Israel.

And they’re terrified when they see social media posts praising Hitler and the gas chambers.

I stand for the freedom to protest, and freedom of expression.

It’s almost impossible to stop anonymous social media trolling.

But in this city, which didn’t prevent the murder of 60,000 Jewish residents 80 years ago, I will not be silent when antisemitism rears its ugly head.

I call on everyone who has feelings of solidarity with Palestinians to also show empathy towards Jewish people.

Please make a distinction between the government of Israel and Jewish people.

I call on everyone to look beyond the positions people take in this conflict and see the basic humanity that we all share.

A man waving a Palestinian flag is also a son and maybe a loving father and a an inspiring teacher.

A woman wearing the star of David around her neck is also a daughter and maybe a caring sister and  a lifesaving doctor.

Their tears both spring from deeply felt sorrow.

Supporters of the Palestinian cause and members of the Jewish community initiate dialogues and promote mutual understanding.

Despite their sometimes strong disagreements, they are doing everything they can to prevent the conflict from flaring up here in Amsterdam.

We should all support these efforts.

We should all, to the best of our ability, reach for our empathy and our tolerance.

Dear guests,

The age of trans as an age of empathy and tolerance hasn’t arrived yet.

But together we can bring it a step closer.

In view of world events, listening to great writers seems like a small step, but it is a meaningful step.

Because writers can infect us with hope.

Enjoy the evening, baby.

Heb je een passie voor techniek en een hart voor cultuur? Dit is jouw kans om deel uit te maken van een inspirerend en dynamisch team in het bruisende hart van Amsterdam!

In het hart van Amsterdam produceert De Balie talkshows, publieksprogramma’s en films over thema’s die ons allemaal aangaan. Met haar programmering vraagt De Balie voortdurend aandacht van publiek, politiek en media voor ontwikkelingen in de samenleving. Deze programma’s zijn live te bezoeken en worden via livestream ook online getoond.

De Balie is meer dan een podium; we zijn een broedplaats voor vernieuwende ideeën en diepgaande gesprekken over thema’s die er echt toe doen. Onze programmering reikt van hoogstaande talkshows en publieksprogramma’s tot aan boeiende filmvertoningen. Deze evenementen zijn niet alleen live te bezoeken, maar worden ook via livestreams online gedeeld.

Waarom je bij ons wilt werken?

• Je wordt onderdeel van een bevlogen team van ongeveer 100 collega’s die allemaal één ding gemeen hebben: passie voor hun vak.
• Je krijgt de kans om jezelf te ontwikkelen en aan uitdagende en veelzijdige projecten te werken.
• Een inspirerende werkplek in het centrum van Amsterdam, waar geen dag hetzelfde is!

Wie zoeken wij?

Voor onze afdeling Techniek zijn we op zoek naar een proactieve, initiatiefrijke allround technicus die zelfstandig kan bijdragen aan de technische uitvoering van onze programmering. Je komt te werken in een team dat nauw samenwerkt met verschillende afdelingen zoals programmering, productie en gebouw- en systeembeheer.

Waaruit bestaan je werkzaamheden?

• Je verzorgt de opbouw en bediening van apparatuur en richt de zalen in bij programma’s van De Balie en haar huurders.
• Tijdens het programma ben je aanspreekpunt met betrekking tot technische aspecten voor de programmamakers en/of externe gebruikers van de zaal.
• Je verricht onderhouds-, reparatie- en vervangingswerkzaamheden aan de (podium)technische apparatuur.
• Je werkt veilig met de (podium)technische installaties en – hulpmiddelen en let op de publieksveiligheid.

Wat breng je mee?

• Minimaal 1 jaar relevante werkervaring.
• Minimaal mbo werk- en denkniveau.
• Een opleiding in theatertechniek is een pré.
• Je bent enthousiast, collegiaal, oplossingsgericht en stressbestendig.
• Servicegerichte instelling en goede communicatie skills.
• Je kunt zowel zelfstandig als in teamverband werken.
• Flexibiliteit in inzet, bereid tot werken op onregelmatige tijden.
• In het bezit van geldig BHV-certificaat of bereid deze te halen.
• Woonachtig in Amsterdam of omgeving.
• Affiniteit met de missie en activiteiten van De Balie.

Wat bieden wij?

• Een contract van 32 uur per week (dit is een jaargemiddelde).
• Marktconform salaris, afgestemd op je ervaring en competenties.
• De mogelijkheid om onze boeiende programma’s en films gratis of met korting te bezoeken.
• Een jaarcontract met de intentie tot verlenging.

Ben jij de allround technicus die wij zoeken? Wacht niet langer en solliciteer nu om deel uit te maken van ons team!

In het hart van Amsterdam produceert De Balie talkshows, publieksprogramma’s en films over thema’s die ons allemaal aangaan. Met haar programmering vraagt De Balie voortdurend aandacht van publiek, politiek en media voor ontwikkelingen in de samenleving. 

Maar De Balie is meer: het is een kweekplaats voor nieuwe initiatieven en ideeën, het is een denktank. Het is de plek waar kunstenaars, wetenschappers en journalisten commentaar leveren op maatschappelijke ontwikkelingen en waar politici en beleidsmakers met kunstenaars, denkers, opinieleiders, aanstormende talenten en publiek met elkaar in contact komen.

We programmeren nationaal en internationaal, vaak in een mengvorm met kunst: film, theater, literatuur en muziek. De Balie werkt vanuit het idee dat podiumkunst een uitgelezen kunstvorm is om het publiek tot introspectie, empathie, overpeinzingen en nieuwe inzichten te brengen. 

De Balie bestaat uit een bevlogen team van circa 80 collega’s. Binnen De Balie is de afdeling communicatie verantwoordelijk voor het creëren van aandacht voor de programmering, het enthousiasmeren van mensen voor een bezoek aan De Balie, het vergroten van de impact van de programma’s en het branden van De Balie an sich. 

Het team communicatie bestaat uit: Manager communicatie, medewerker communicatie, tekstschrijver, pers en freepublicity medewerker, video redacteur en vormgever. Als uitbreiding van het team zoeken we per direct een online marketeer die verstand heeft van de werking van de diverse social-mediakanalen, datagedreven is en een goede balans tussen organisch en paid content kan creëren.

Waaruit bestaan je werkzaamheden?

• Je creëert content voor onze grootste kanalen: Instagram, Facebook, Twitter en LinkedIn. Dit doe je in samenwerking met collega’s van communicatie, redactie en regelmatig met externe partijen. 
  
• Je houdt je bezig met SEO en beheert Google Grants.
  
• Je meet en analyseert de data van campagnes en content via de verschillende platforms van google, meta, linkedIn, twitter en YouTube.
  
• Je bent verantwoordelijk voor het ontwikkelen van nieuwe social content. Je vertaalt de communicatieplannen naar een contentkalender en bewaakt de planning. Op basis van templates maak je zelfstandig posts voor alle kanalen. Voor social video werk je samen met onze videoredacteur. Je werk hierin pro-actief samen met je andere collega’s van afdeling communicatie en redactie.
  
• Je vindt een goede balans tussen verschillende thema’s en communicatiestijlen en je houdt de volgers geactiveerd en betrokken. Je hebt oog voor de behoeftes en interesses van verschillende doelgroepen. Je zorgt voor groei van de follow base en voor het bereiken en betrekken van nieuwe doelgroepen. 
  
• Je stemt organische en paid communicatie in alle kanalen optimaal af. Je analyseert resultaten en bouwt op basis van best practices continu aan optimalisatie van de onlinemarketing.
  
• Als onze belangrijkste deskundige op het gebied van social media volg je de trends en ontwikkelingen binnen social media op de voet, je deelt je kennis binnen en buiten de afdeling en geeft waar nodig advies.

Wat breng je mee?

• Minimaal 3 jaar werkervaring op het gebied van onlinemarketing;
• Afgeronde hbo-opleiding op het gebied van communicatie;
• Leergierigheid, humor en hands-on mentaliteit;
• Servicegerichte instelling met goede communicatie skills;
• Je bent stressbestendig en laat je niet makkelijk van je stuk brengen; 
• Zowel zelfstandig als in teamverband kunnen werken;
• Je hebt een uitstekende beheersing van de Nederlandse taal en de Engelse taal;
• Ervaring met Google Ads / Google Analytics / Facebook Ads is een must;
• Ervaring met HTML / CSS / InDesign / Photoshop is een pre;
• Ervaring met WordPress is een pre;
• Je bent bij voorkeur woonachtig in Amsterdam of omgeving;
• Affiniteit met de activiteiten van De Balie.
• Je hebt een goed verantwoordelijkheidsgevoel en hands-on mentaliteit

Wat bieden wij?

• Een inspirerende en dynamische werkplek in het hart van Amsterdam;
• Een dienstverband van 36-40 uur met een salaris afhankelijk van leeftijd en ervaring; voor salariëring en arbeidsvoor­waarden wordt uitgegaan van de cao Nederlandse podia, schaal 5;
• Een jaarcontract met de intentie tot verlenging;
• De mogelijkheid om naar hartenlust onze programma’s en films te bezoeken;
• De kans om je te ontwikkelen op een prominente plek, midden in de actualiteit; 
• Een open, professioneel en bevlogen team van collega’s.
• Heerlijke koffie

Solliciteer

Stuur je motivatiebrief met CV o.v.v. “Sollicitatie online marketeer” naar hr@debalie.nl
Voor inhoudelijke vragen kun je ook contact opnemen met Anne Heijs, manager communicatie.

Acquisitie naar aanleiding van deze vacature wordt niet op prijs gesteld.

My name is Justyna Wydrzyńska and I have been helping with abortions in Poland for 17 years. On March 14, 2023, I was found guilty by a Polish court of “helping in abortion”. I was convicted for sending my own set of abortion pills to Ania. It was the beginning of the pandemic, Ania was already 12 weeks pregnant and she couldn’t go abroad. She wrote in e-mails that she would terminate these pregnancies regardless of whether we helped her or not. She was desperate and emphasized that the unwanted pregnancy was taking away her strength and will to live, and that she was trapped in the house by her partner. I sent her my abortion pills, but she couldn’t use them because her abusive partner reported her to the police, who came to her house and took the pills. This is how we got caught.

The trial lasted 12 months. It was a very difficult year for me; I had 7 court hearings, and I knew from the get-go that there was a minimal chance for a fair verdict.  The judge on the case was a political opponent. In recent years in Poland the independent judiciary was dismantled by the right-wing populist government.  The day of the verdict, the judge got a major promotion from the minister of justice. Additionally, an ultra-Catholic organization of fundamentalist lawyers joined the case to represent the interests of the fetus and his ancestors.  Pure absurdity – because a fetus has no legal rights under the  Polish law. This trial was a farce, a judicial harassment, an attempt to exhaust me and my activist colleagues by draining our resources – our time, our money, our mental and our emotional energy. 

I am glad that the first stage of the case is now behind me. So what is next?  I am currently waiting for the hearing in the appeal court. And in my daily life, I just continue to help with abortions. Nothing much has changed for the activists. And if there is any silver lining to the last year – I would hope that due to the campaign around my case and so many media interviews, more people know about safe abortion and there is even more political agitation around abortion in Poland. 

Abortion Without Borders

On a daily basis, my work was and still is to answer the phone of the Abortion Without Borders hotline. Every day from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. people can call +48 22 29 22 597 and get abortion support. Abortion Without Borders is a feminist grassroot initiative of 9 European groups to help people to get the abortion pills so that they can do their abortions at home, or to help them travel abroad especially in the second and third trimester of pregnancy, by arranging clinical procedures, travel, accommodation in countries where later abortion care is available and very importantly, paying for it. 

We are not theoreticians – we provide practical assistance in abortions.  We advise where to order safe pills, how to prepare for a medical abortion, what will happen during it, and we guide people through the entire process. Most people in Poland just use pills at home.

In the last two years 2,000 people went  to a foreign clinic for a surgical abortion, with our help. Actually, mostly came here –   to the Netherlands.

As Abortion Without Borders, over the last two years alone, we have helped over 100,000 people from Poland gain access to safe abortion. In all of 2021, the Polish state provided 107 abortions in total. We, Abortion without Borders,  support 107 abortions every day, as many each day as the state provides in a whole year. 

It is a well-known fact that Poland, along with Malta, has the strictest anti-abortion laws in Europe. We used to have legal abortion up until 1993, when abortion rights were taken away as a “thank you” gesture to the Catholic church and Pope John Paul II, for fighting communism. Just like that – one day, women’s bodies and autonomy were traded away.  And two years ago, the Constitutional Court, politicized by the government, banned abortion even in the case of fetal defects. 

In the formal healthcare system in Poland it is virtually impossible to get abortions. 

Every week we receive stories of more women who tried to have abortions in a Polish hospital. They are treated in a hostile and patronizing manner by the Polish doctors. Ukrainian women who are now in Poland are asking us “Why isn’t it normal like it was in Ukraine?” Women are dismissed with the words “not here, go to  another hospital” but are not given any concrete referral. Poland is a country with a long history of obstetric violence, where most gynecologists and obstetricians still conduct medicine as if it is a master and servant relationship.  

Obstetric violence and fetus-centered medicine

Doctors call the police on their patients. At Abortion Without Borders, we sometimes receive calls from terrified pregnant women who are in hospitals because of a  risk of sepsis. Doctors wait until the fetus dies “naturally” before taking any action. But  there is no possibility to save the fetus in the first place; those fetuses are too young to survive. This is how Iza, Agnieszka and recently Dorota died. Their deaths were completely unnecessary, because coward doctors choose to …. torture us – and wait till the fetus dies even though the woman is likely to die first. 

Ironically, there are some amazing younger doctors who know the new standards and want to provide abortions, but they often are silenced, penalized, ridiculed and even forced to work abroad. We stand strongly with them.  Recently, a doctor from a Polish hospital contacted us. She asked us to organize a trip to a Dutch clinic for her to learn modern methods of abortion in the second trimester. 

Because of a very real health risk to women in Polish hospitals, stemming from negligence in providing care, lack of standards and deeply rooted stigma, whenever we can, we send women with longer pregnancies to the clinics mostly in the Netherlands, but also Germany, Belgium, England, France, the Czech Republic or Austria. 

Poland exports the problem – second trimester abortions happen abroad, mostly in The Netherlands

YES, we export the problem, because it’s too risky to trust that it would be handled locally. Women are almost always pleasantly surprised by how humanely and nicely they were treated here. We need a deep pro-patient reform in our healthcare. Until then the trauma of interactions with the local healthcare, where you have to beg for abortions and can be mistreated is prevented by exporting the problem. 

But those trips constitute only 1% of all abortions that we help arrange. Only a percentage, because there is a simpler, more available method of terminating an unwanted pregnancy, especially in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. A method recommended by the World Health Organization: non-invasive; safe, safer than tooth extraction, paracetamol, or even a Viagra tablet… A method that, according to the WHO, does not require a doctor, or an ultrasound, and can be done at home by the pregnant person themselves. This method is an abortion with pills.

Self-managed abortions with pills – the feminist revolution

Despite stereotypes, abortion with pills at home, is in no way a substandard, but equally safe and recommended method as clinical procedures. In essence, self-managed abortion embodies the principles of reproductive justice. It is a practice against the control of various systems of oppression, like the law, the medicine, the costly market for abortions. The feminist movement in countries with restricted access to abortion has embraced this technology. For decades we have been promoting the practice as a communal self-defense strategy against  stigma and criminalization.  The global activist movement for self-managed abortion is not led by doctors, and we  have been building new norms of how we care for each other, with dignity and love. Abortion rights today are not anymore abstract legal solutions or “just healthcare”. Abortion today is mostly about power and engagement. 

Most women in Poland and around the world take those abortion pills to terminate their pregnancies (shows a set of abortion pills), a set of mifepristone and misoprostol or misoprostol alone. They request those pills from many sources, including the Dutch operated non profit called Women Help Women, which mails those medicines to their home address in Poland. 

Years ago, I ended my pregnancy this way too. I learned from my own experience that in Poland women cannot count on the state, doctors or politicians. But they can count on each other. My recent trial exposed me to real repressions that are devastating to me, yet I still believe that any empathetic person would choose to help another woman, even at the risk of their own safety. I know I would do it again. I feel like I’m not guilty. And I don’t say this to sound like a hero. I am deeply ethically repulsed  by the idea of any guilt when you try to support somebody in realizing their human rights.  Voluntarily supporting another woman in need is never a crime. It’s not something any of us should be ashamed of. Helping with abortions is necessary in a country like Poland. We, the activists, are those reducing the harm that the Polish anti-abortion law and stigma have caused us for the last 30 years. 

However, I won’t lie to you: It’s not only in Poland that I could end up in prison for handing over these pills.  To be honest, nearly all European countries, including those that financially support our work or write to the Polish government demanding that the charges be dropped, any of them, could bring such charges against me – for providing abortion drugs without an “appropriate license” and criminalizing the use outside of the of absurdly overregulated abortion care.

Europe, we have a problem! Irrational, unjust laws and over-medicalization everywhere

Even here in the Netherlands – a country associated with liberal abortion law – I could be  prosecuted and convicted for doing just this – handing the pills to somebody else (Justyna hands Kinga the pills, as re-enactment of the crime). And for my colleague it is also not allowed to take those pills on her own, without control and she would be subject to penalty, even though she is herself a competent abortion provider, with 17 years of experience. Yes, have no illusions or doubts, those simple and completely safe acts we just performed in front of you, can be criminalized here.  Old, archaic  regulations are still in place and prevent safe innovations and rational practices.

European legislation and medical practices, not only Polish, but Western European too, are significantly behind scientific knowledge and the abortion guidelines of the World Health Organization.  Almost every country has its own arbitrary conditions that make access to abortion difficult and criminalizes abortion besides some arbitrary exceptions.  The conditions are absurd, inconsistent with scientific knowledge, but above all, inconsistent with the needs of women and human rights standards. Why? Because  access to abortion has never been  just a function of scientific evidence and commitment to human  rights. For access to abortion to thrive, for our abortion wellbeing,  we need change of norms and values in society. 

I am appealing to you: abortion cannot be an element of a political game. When abortion law falls under criminal code, like in Poland or in the Netherlands, it creates dangerous spaces of negotiation, judgements and trade-offs, narrow situations when the law decides who can and cannot do an abortion, how, why and when. Those trade-off and “exceptional situations” are sometimes won by progressive parties, but sometimes they are won by misogynist fanatics. And who loses the most are pregnant people who need abortions. Abortion laws and archaic over-medicalized  practices  are not about commitment to scientific evidence, very clear guidelines of the WHO against any restrictions,  or human right standards. Abortion access is politicized and laws and medical practices  are about PROFIT and POWER, protected through the marriage of over-medicalization and criminalization.  And, believe me, there is a lot of profit and power to gain from abortion stigma and from not giving abortion back to common people. 

Decriminalization of abortion is a must

I have the honor to  stand here in front of you  today,  and I feel it is my responsibility to call for total decriminalization of abortion. Human rights matters, and simple, safe technologies CANNOT be part of any criminal code. We deserve better.  We can do better, and what is now in Europe is not good enough. We deserve full respect for our bodily autonomy. Join the campaign to decriminalize abortion. We have not only moral right to demand decriminalization but also evidence to back up this need.

My trail in Poland showed  that populist governed Poland has a big appetite to prosecute. Perhaps here in Holland, fortunately,  there is no political appetite yet to prosecute, but my own trial or what has happened in the United States with the overturn of Roe versus Wade should be a cautionary tale for all of us. 

We, at Abortion Without Borders, are often asked by people in Europe how they can help. We appreciate a lot this interest. International solidarity and support truly helped me during my trial. The Netherlands is a very special place to me. I think few Dutch people realize how crucial and essential the self-organizing of feminists in the Netherlands is for abortion in Poland. You should be proud. I am very proud and grateful for my colleagues here. 

Please allow me and also forgive me for being very straightforward in my ask.  I am a practitioner and I speak from the perspective of real concrete needs of people who need abortions.

Help needed

Abortion abroad cost a lot of money

Firstly, and maybe most obviously – abortion care abroad costs a lot of money. As Abortion Without Borders, we have spent over PLN 2 million, that is about  500 000 Euro on travel for women. When people go abroad, mostly to Holland, and concretely to Amsterdam and to Haarlem, we need to pay the clinics, because that is how the system is organized here. Usually more than 1500 Euro per individual, for travel and the procedure is required. Those who travel are supported logistically and financially by the Amsterdam based collective – Abortion Network Amsterdam, as well as the newly founded SAFE;  both of those groups are members of Abortion Without Border operating from Holland. In the past we received financial support not only from individual donors, but also from some European countries.  One of them was Belgium – on the initiative of the Minister for Equality. Such support goes beyond the simple matter of money. It gives a clear sign that in Europe abortion access is considered a matter of women’s human rights.. Truth be told, we need more of this support. Every day, at least 7 women go to foreign clinics with the help of Abortion Without Borders. We do not want people to be forced to continue unwanted pregnancies only because they cannot pay for abortions. 

However, while 7 women travel every day, the majority in Poland –  at least another 100 a day –  take abortion pills. Very many of them are supported by the Dutch operated foundation Women Help Women, which includes Polish immigrants in the Netherlands, who understand the Polish reality and needs and  are fierce advocates alongside those of us based in Poland.

Abortion pills could get to Poland by post from NL safer and quicker

And here comes a second request – they need the possibility to run the mail telehealth service for abortion pills to Poland from here, with the opportunity to purchase and send pills from here, locally in Holland, as a human rights and emergency intervention. They unfortunately do not have this ability now, and they are the single biggest provider giving people safe and dignified abortions.  An MP from Holland, Corinne Ellemeet met with us, and initiated a request to grant them this support as a matter of humanitarian exception. This would make a huge change for all of us, it would make our network and activists safer, the operation more sustainable, cut costs, and as a result allow to help more people much quicker. 

Protection for activists and human rights defenders

And lastly – women human rights defenders in times of backlash on abortion rights need protection. Political protection, solidarity, resources to protect ourselves, and should it come to the worst, possibility to shelter. That is my third and last request. 

Users and providers of self-managed abortion are at danger of prosecution, even though those practices are medically perfectly safe! Decriminalization and protective measures for human rights activists are necessary in today’s Europe. 

I want to thank every individual person and organization who supported the campaign for my freedom. Special thanks to Amnesty International for the campaign on my behalf. The efforts my colleagues and I put into campaigning, go beyond my case.  The support we galvanized,  the alliances we built, the doors we opened, even the speeches I gave, like today, are in honor and for the future protection of all women helping other women in abortions, and all the activists who may soon face prosecution for providing abortion care and standing out to oppression. To all abortion activists out there and women facing judicial harassment and criminalization now and in the future –  I and my colleagues are here for you, we will share all we know and be available to fight if needed.     

De Balie gaat in samenwerking met de Nationale Postcode Loterij ‘on tour’ in de regio. Samen met verschillende podia, zoals Sphinx in Maastricht en de Vonk in Zaandam worden programma’s ontwikkeld waarbij onderwerpen die dicht bij de inwoners liggen centraal staan. Thema’s als jeugdcriminaliteit, ongelijkheid en vertrouwen in de overheid komen voorbij.

Met de tour willen we gesprekken mogelijk maken met experts en ervaringsdeskundigen, maar ook beleidsmakers en politici, over de plaatselijke problematiek waar inwoners mee te maken hebben. De tour wordt mede mogelijk gemaakt door de Nationale Postcode Loterij en gaat deze samenwerking aan voor de komende 3 jaar. 

In de programma’s hebben goede doelen, die door de Nationale Postcode Loterij worden gesteund, een inhoudelijke rol. Deze maatschappelijke organisaties zitten in de haarvaten van de samenleving; weten daardoor maar al te goed wat er echt leeft. De eerste editie vindt 25 september plaats in samenwerking met de Vonk in Zaandam met als thema: cultuurvisie. De tweede editie zal in Maastricht zijn met podium Sphinx.

We zijn ontzettend verheugd met deze samenwerking. Eén van de doelstellingen van De Balie is om meer gesprekken plaats te laten vinden op de plek waar het om gaat. Zo bereiken we een grotere groep en creëren we ook buiten Amsterdam veel impact.

Sophie Rutenfrans – programmamaker De Balie

Wij zijn in 1989 opgericht om fondsen te werven voor goede doelen. Wij steunen maatschappelijke initiatieven en geven aandacht aan hun werk. Zowel onze deelnemers als de organisaties die wij dankzij hen ondersteunen zitten door het hele land. De samenwerking met diverse podia en debatcentra via De Balie biedt kansen om de verbinding te zoeken en naar elkaar te luisteren bij onderwerpen die lokaal spelen.

Jonne Arnoldussen – Managing director Nationale Postcode Loterij

Aankomende programma’s

Programma / wo 13 december 2023

De Balie on Tour: Sphinx Maastricht

In Maastricht leven meer dan 7000 gezinnen in armoede. Hun inkomens behoren gemiddeld tot de laagste van Nederland. Hoe kan dat, en wat kunnen we daaraan doen?

Programma / do 14 december 2023

De Balie on Tour: DBieb Leeuwarden

Welke vooroordelen hebben we eigenlijk? En… hoe kom je er weer vanaf? Onder leiding van Sander Veen worden de situatie áchter iemands stevige mening behandelt.

Geweest

Programma / ma 25 september 2023

De Balie on Tour: De Vonk in Zaandam

Heeft Zaanstad de vraag en eventuele veranderende behoeften goed in beeld en is er ruimte voor culturele vernieuwing?

In het hart van Amsterdam produceert De Balie talkshows en publieksprogramma’s over thema’s die ons allemaal aangaan voor zeer veel verschillende groepen. Met haar programmering vraagt De Balie voortdurend aandacht van publiek, politiek en media voor ontwikkelingen in de samenleving.

Slijten je zolen niet te snel en werk je graag op een mooie plek waar interessante dingen gebeuren en leuke mensen werken?

In ons café-restaurant draai je mee in de bediening, achter de bar en op onze evenementen of als host- en kassamedewerker van de programmering. Je werkt in een dynamische omgeving waar gastvrijheid, teamspirit en kwaliteit voorop staan.

Daarnaast krijg je als medewerker bij De Balie toegang tot al onze programma’s en films.

De Balie is, naast een bruisende plek om te eten en drinken, al meer dan dertig jaar hét Nederlandse podium voor het vrije woord, kunst, film, politiek en cultuur.

Interesse? Breng je CV langs bij de bar of stuur een mailtje naar joost.verspuij@debalie.nl

In de dagen die aan de Plein Publiek met cabaretier en kleinkunstenaar Stefano Keizers (hét bekende alter ego van Gover Meit) voorafgingen, kondigde hij aan niet meer door te gaan als Keizers. De faam maakte van Keizers naar eigen zeggen een luie kunstenaar. 

Het voelde voor Meit alsof hij niet langer zijn best hoefde te doen om volle zalen te trekken. ‘Een traan bij Jinek en ik word omarmd door Hilversum en de theaterwereld.’ Sinds zijn interview bij Plein Publiek maken we kennis met een nieuw alter ego: Donny Ronny. Waarom deze naam? ‘Iedereen op televisie heet Donny of Ronny tegenwoordig’. Het succes van Keizers zat creatieve groei en een persoonlijke uitdaging in de weg. Een ‘harde reset’ stelt hem weer in de mogelijkheid om zich als kunstenaar opnieuw uit te vinden. 

In de operatiekamer voor zijn jongste voorstelling, Hans Teeuwen, bedacht Keizers een list om het spanningsveld tussen hem en het publiek op de proef te stellen. Hij telde hardop, dan weer snel, dan weer langzaam, tot 725. Elk honderdtal sprong het publiek een gat in de lucht en werd zijn tellen ontvangen met hard gejuich.

‘Dat deel van de voorstelling kan alleen maar uitgevoerd worden als het publiek inderdaad juicht, klapt en meetelt,’ zegt programmamaker en interviewer Merlijn Geurts. Een uitdaging die, volgens Meit, parallel staat aan de manier waarop we met elkaar omgaan in de huidige samenleving. Men weet precies wat en wanneer gezegd moet worden om niet op te vallen: ‘We leven als het ware in een script’. 

Benieuwd naar het hele interview? Ga dan naar ons YouTubekanaal of De Balie Podcast op Spotify. Vanaf 9 september is Plein Publiek weer terug met o.a. Naaz, Florentijn Hofman en Lucky Fonz III.

Plein Publiek

Plein Publiek is een serie diepte-interviews met bekende makers, geïnterviewd door onze programmamakers. Wie er aan tafel zit en waarom, dat bepalen onze programmamakers.

Eén ding staat vast: het zijn allemaal uitzonderlijke en gedurfde makers waar iedereen wat van op kan steken. We nodigen je uit om op vrijdag aan te schuiven bij een interview over de kunst van het makerschap.

Begin je weekend onder het genot van een drankje en een dosis aan inspiratie. Geheel intiem in onze Pleinzaal aan het bruisende Leidseplein.

Uit onderzoek blijkt dat maar een op de vijftig minderjarige slachtoffers van seksuele uitbuiting in beeld is bij officiële instanties. Mogelijke oorzaken zijn angst en aanhoudende terughoudendheid van slachtoffers om aangifte te doen. Bovendien hebben hulpverleners en politie weinig zicht op het online ronselen van slachtoffers. De onderzoeksredactie van De Balie, Live Journalism, deed een halfjaar uitvoerig onderzoek naar seksuele uitbuiting van meisjes en vrouwen in Amsterdam.

Op 11 mei gingen de journalisten van Live Journalism een gesprek aan met experts, ervaringsdeskundigen en verantwoordelijken. Orthopedagoog (Qpido, Ping) Myrna Cleef vertelde dat slachtoffers zich vaak helemaal niet als slachtoffer beschouwen. ‘Als je jezelf als slachtoffer ziet, dan moet er ook van alles. Je bent aan het overleven. Je komt in je vecht- vlucht- of bevries stand. Hierdoor erken je niet dat je slachtoffer bent.’

Ik moest bewijzen dat ik nee zei. Dat is mijn woord tegen het zijne. Zo’n zaak duurt jaren en ik blijf achter met mijn trauma.

Een van de slachtoffers

Ook Sara Dekker, expert en oprichter van de Safe Space Club, herkent dat. ‘Mensen, ook vanuit de gemeenten en projecten waar wij zijn aangesloten, zijn constant op zoek naar een manier om onzichtbare meiden zichtbaar te krijgen. Door op hele kleine signalen te letten, bijvoorbeeld.’

Een van de journalisten van Live Journalism is Zara Toksöz. Wat is haar kijk op het onderzoek? ‘Het is stuitend om te zien dat een groep uit de samenleving die professionele hulp misschien wel het hardst nodig heeft, de weg daar naartoe niet vindt. Het zijn meiden, nog geen 14 jaar oud, die pakketjes moeten rondbrengen of drugs dealen. Maar ook: gedwongen seks hebben in ruil voor geld. In garageboxen, hotels, of gewoon in woonhuizen. Dit gebeurt dagelijks in onze stad. Dat kan een meisje uit jouw klas zijn, de jonge vrouw in de tram, of een meisje dat je door het hotel uit ziet lopen.’

 “Tijdens ons onderzoek spraken we met politie, hulpverleners, docenten, huisartsen en jongerenwerkers. Zij willen uitbuiting met de juiste intentie tegen gaan, maar er is niet voldoende maatwerk. Een gesprek dat mij het beste bijgebleven is, was met een slachtoffer. Ze vertelde aangifte te hebben gedaan en dit was haar reactie: ‘Ik moest bewijzen dat ik nee zei. Dat is mijn woord tegen het zijne. Zo’n zaak duurt jaren en ik blijf achter met mijn trauma.”

Kijk het hele programma 👀

Na jarenlange inzet nemen we afscheid van onze Raad van Toezicht leden Bercan Günel en Roelof Kruize, omdat beiden hun zittingstermijnen hebben voltooid. Ritchy Drost zal toetreden als voorzitter van de auditcommissie, Ali Keles als lid van de auditcommissie en Cyanne Toebes Moe-Tjon als algemeen lid. 

‘We zijn Bercan en Roelof ontzettend dankbaar voor hun inzet in de afgelopen jaren. Met hun inzicht, expertise en toewijding hebben zij het fundament van De Balie verder verstevigd. Ook tijdens Corona hebben ze ons intensief bijgestaan,’ aldus zakelijk directeur Femke Monaghan van Wachem.

Ritchy Drost (CFO VodafoneZiggo), Ali Keles (Founding Managing Partner Lakeside Capital Partners) en Cyanne Toebes Moe-Tjon (Hoofd artistieke zaken Theater Diligentia en PePijn) zullen ieder hun eigen expertise toevoegen aan de Raad van Toezicht. ‘Als je de kans krijgt om als lid van de Raad van Toezicht een bijdrage te leveren aan een instituut als De Balie, dan is dat een grote eer,’ aldus Ritchy Drost.

Voorzitter Mirjam van Praag kijkt er erg naar uit om samen te werken met de ervaren, nieuwe RvT-leden: ‘Ik ben ervan overtuigd dat ze een zeer waardevolle bijdrage gaan leveren aan de ontwikkeling van De Balie in de komende jaren’.

Voltallige Raad van Toezicht op een rij

Mirjam van Praag (voorzitter)

Ritchy Drost (voorzitter auditcommissie)

Ali Keles (lid auditcommissie)

Peter Mensing (algemeen lid)

Doreen Boonekamp (algemeen lid)

Cyanne Toebes Moe-Tjon (algemeen lid)

Four great thinkers and activists came together at the Forum on European Culture to discuss the burning question of our time: can we save the planet without breaking the system? We – two climate activists ourselves – took their lessons around changing the system.

Have you ever wondered what’s next? You just joined a climate protest and felt solidarity, shared emotions and the hope that things will become better. Basking in the afterglow, you ask yourself: But, how? How exactly can we go about changing the system and make the change that’s needed?

You are not alone. We – Lena and Anja – are both climate activists and have been investigating how to change the system for years. Lena is currently working on a self-help book for societal action, and Anja is a civil servant working for the city of Amsterdam. Hoping to learn something new, we joined the debate of four great thinkers and activists: Ece Temelkuran, Eva Rovers, Clare Farrell and Loes Damhof, at the Forum on European Culture to discuss the burning question of our time: can we save the planet without breaking the system?

For anyone who considers themselves a climate activist (or soon to be), we noted their lessons around changing the system.

Shaking the system

Lesson 1: Our government and systems protect Big Capital – know who you are fighting

In recent crises, we have seen that our governments are able to respond quickly if there is urgency. So, you would imagine that – given the facts and figures – the climate crises would make governments act immediately? Wrong. Ece Temelkuran, Turkish journalist and renowned author of How to Lose a Country, explains that our governments and systems are designed to protect the status quo and furthermore: Big Capital. “We have to stay on the ground and challenge our politicians continuously”.

Lesson 2: Never underestimate your power inside the system

When is it worth staying within a system (the government for example) and when is it time to leave to fight it from the outside? Anja is the co-organizer of a petition (a letter) that 1200 civil servants of Amsterdam signed. In this collective action, the civil servants criticized their directors for the lack of urgency and implementation of pro-climate policies. Anja: “The petition helped us to gain space to work on pro-climate breakthrough ideas. But when do you say, enough, I quit my job?” Ece: “Use all your influence before you leave, only leave it if you’re certain you will be more influential outside.” Clare Farrell – one of the co-founders of Extinction Rebellion UK – adds that climate activists should not forget that it is real politics and not just activism that is needed to make the change.

Lesson 3: Lobby works if you have the streets

For every action by the climate movement, thousands of lobbyists are at work to create weaker climate policies. Should the climate movement also start lobbying politicians more directly? Or is lobbying ‘dirty’ and undemocratic? Ece: “It’s all about how strong the street is. We don’t have money unfortunately, what we can have is the streets”. When lobbying, be street smart: use mass protests and civil disobedience like Extinction Rebellion to build pressure towards governments and companies.Ece: “The most important thing is to shame them into doing something. There should be so many people that they cannot hide”.

Politics is a sphere where you do harm, and we’re choosing which side we’re going to harm. If we’re going to harm capital, it’s not a clean game.

Ece Temelkuran

Lesson 4: Democracy grows by involving all of us

As the climate debate seems to be more and more polarized and trust in governments declines, the need to involve a wide range of citizens in climate solutions becomes more urgent. Writer and co-founder of Bureau Burgerberaad, Eva Rovers, has been working on Citizen Assemblies and wrote the Dutch book Nu is Het Aan Ons. Eva: “Citizen assemblies work by selecting a random group of citizens and asking their input on an important societal question. The question needs to be big enough for new answers and concrete enough to be solved by a group of citizens.” With citizen assemblies, the climate movement could counter polarization by involving more people in the debate on the world’s biggest problem.

Lesson 5: You need people on the inside

To get your initiative within the climate movement and/or democratic space started, you require real-life experiments. Eva: “For the Citizen Assemblies, it turned out that it’s often one or two people within a municipality or local government that are really excited about the idea. They are your internal activists lobbying to create space for a first assembly”. One thing is crucial for it to be effective: make sure there is a political mandate for the results of the assembly.

Breaking the System

Lesson 6: Look for cracks in the narrative

To challenge the way change is going right now, we need to imagine a new future withouth boundaries. Loes Damhof, an expert in Futures Literacy, suggested we need to pay more detail to the stories we tell about our future. The strength of the current dominant story is that the people in power make it look like this is the only way to progress… This makes us forget that there are many possible futures. If someone tells a story about how it will unfold, look for little cracks. The inconsistencies, the parts that are unclear, that could be different. What are the cracks in the dominant story about the climate crisis? When you talk to someone with a different vision, figure out the deeper values and beliefs of their vision.

Lesson 7: You can’t stay clean if you want to play the game

Do outcomes justify the means in the battle against business as usual? Could we use the strategies of our opponents? Ece says that it depends on what you want to accomplish: “Do you want to keep yourself clean or do you want to play the game? Know that life is not a clean thing.” As activists, we sometimes struggle with the desire to be as ‘pure’ as possible in our tactics. Ece recognizes this: “What I find interesting in young generations is the scrutiny in clean and dirty. And a hardcore dedication not to harm anything. Politics is a sphere where you do harm, and we’re choosing which side we’re going to harm. If we’re going to harm capital, it’s not a clean game.”

Lesson 8: Find the red line of the system, then push it

The motorway is a symbol of freedom, a way to go wherever you’d like. You and your car, alone and the endless road ahead of you. Can you feel it? A deep emotional connection. That’s the reason people were outraged when Extinction Rebellion blocked the road. Clare explained that after trying different modes of action, the thing that worked, that people really cared for, was the motorway. “Find the red line, and then push it! (…) If someone isn’t losing their shit, it is not democracy”.

Lesson 9: Don’t quit, let them fire you!

Can you be a climate activist and a civil servant at the same time? The rules and moral sphere for civil servants are complex: civil servants have to be loyal to their democratically chosen leaders and act morally just. Some institutions abuse their power and pressure employees to leave when they join climate activism. Should civil servants just quit? Ece recommends being fired rather than quitting yourself, so we can find out the limits. And once you go: share it! “Under pressure, we feel lonely. You need to open up, and you ask for help – for moral and political reasons, you owe it to others to open up and show it.”

Lesson 10: Answer this: “what would I do if I were the boss?”

After breaking and shaking the system comes… leading it? Clare: “Activists often criticize, but forget to ask themselves what they would do if they controlled the state”. If you want things to be different, then it’s crucial to know how. Let’s ask ourselves: “what would we do if we had the power?” We can shake and break the system until it crumbles – but we do need something new to replace it.

This article is written by Lena Hartog and Anja Reimann, we are both participants in the Balie Studio Europa 2023. The Event ‘The Dilemma of Climate Democracy’ was organized on the 3rd of June by De Balie in cooperation with DutchCulture as part of the Forum on European Culture (2023).

Lesson 5: How to create a citizen assembly

We’ve created a list of requirements for an effective citizen assembly, to help people to organize them in a way that actually makes a difference.

Eva Rovers

1. Ask a good question
2. Give a clear assignment
3. Work with a weighted draw
4. Remove thresholds for participation
5. Ensure balanced information and be transparent
6. Aim for equal deliberation
7. Involve the rest of society
8. Trust citizens
9. Take the time
10. Do it more often

(Translated From the Bureau Burger Beraad website).

STUDIO Europa is funded by the Dutch representation of Europe in The Hague.]

Vormt jouw perspectief, kennis of ervaring (nog) geen of onvoldoende onderdeel van het publieke debat? Vind jij dat het publieke debat gevoed wordt met onvolledige of onjuiste informatie? Wil jij graag jouw kennis inzetten om bij te dragen aan een inclusiever en diverser samenspel van ideeën in de maatschappij? Dan is STUDIO op zoek naar jou!