MERA25’s Leeuwarden campaign launch highlights grassroots municipalism, community spaces and bottom-up democracy in the city’s upcoming local elections.

MERA25 Netherlands launched its Leeuwarden municipal election campaign last Saturday with a grassroots gathering centred on neighbourhood organising, shared spaces and democratic participation. The meeting introduced lead candidate Ilse Terheggen, a resident of Vrijheidswijk whose candidacy reflects the movement’s emphasis on ordinary members stepping directly into politics.

In her speech, Ilse linked local concerns – affordability, housing, public space and participation – to a wider critique of market-driven politics, arguing that democracy must be rebuilt from the neighbourhood upward.

Neoliberalism and consumerism destroy our democracy and sense of community

“On paper, we live in a social-democratic constitutional state, but in practice it seems less and less so. Because of the far right and their anti-democracy, of course, but this politics has been made possible for decades by neoliberal policies. The government is a repressive apparatus that hinders progress, justice and autonomy while protecting the interests of big business.

Retail chains are becoming the same everywhere, everything is focused on consumption, and everywhere you buy the same plastic junk made to be thrown away. Small shops, cafés and other meeting places are struggling. While Leeuwarden could be so nice. There are still quite a few nice businesses, thrift stores, shops, restaurants and cafés. But things aren’t getting any better. And for people with little money, shopping, having coffee or grabbing a bite to eat isn’t really an option anyway. Leeuwarden currently doesn’t have an easily accessible cultural centre either; all subsidies go to the Harmonie and the Neushoorn, where tickets are still unaffordable.”

Focus on communities and affordability

“I want our city to become a better place for people with limited income. According to statistics, 11 percent of our residents struggled to make ends meet last year. I believe that all these people — working people, people with small businesses, people receiving homeless benefits, social assistance or unemployment benefits, young people and the elderly in poverty – should be represented on the city council.

Everyone should be able to participate. Where do you start? With easily accessible, free meeting places. And free shops, for example. A few years ago, a shopkeeper in Bilgaard created a free corner, ‘the wall of kindness’. It was a great success. People chatted with each other, browsed through the shelves and put away their clothes together. It was much more convivial than standing among the dead-end lines under the fluorescent lights of Action. But because it doesn’t generate any revenue, it was discontinued.

Quite often, when I see people taking the initiative to make their immediate living environment more accessible, pleasant and social, those people face repression from the municipality.”

Squatting as political activism

“Squatting makes housing, community and self-determination possible. These are human rights, although it often seems as if politicians have forgotten that. These residential groups almost always go hand in hand with cultural activities, meetings, community kitchens, free shops and other forms of action that make a direct difference in the lives of people pushed into poverty.

The waiting lists for housing are getting longer while much remains vacant. The old tax office on Tesselschadestraat used to be squatted. There was living space, workspace, a cultural space, a free shop and a skate park. It was evicted even though it’s owned by the state and has been empty behind fences for years. So much could happen there, but it remains a ghost of a building.

Squatting is political activism in a housing situation, but it has been criminalised because of the owners, who with their influence and money achieved this in politics.”

Capitalism is incompatible with equality

“Racist parties are in our government and municipality. Problems like the housing shortage and poverty are caused by capitalism, just like war and climate change. Scapegoat politics pits us against each other with the aim of destroying our society, because isolated we are easier to oppress and become part of endless consumption.

Differences are beautiful and we make each other better by learning from each other’s strengths. Everyone is different, everyone is equal. Racism, discrimination and exclusion are unacceptable.”

We need authorities that serve us instead of discipline us

“People who work for the municipality are often very human – community police officers, youth care and neighbourhood teams – and I don’t believe everyone in the administration has bad intentions. But it often seems the municipality mainly sees us as a problem when something is bothering us. They stand opposite us instead of beside us. They turn us into statistics.

Public participation that the municipality values so highly is often unrealistic or ineffective. When residents come up with ideas, they often end up going nowhere.”

Abolish the Leeuwarden airbase – and NATO

“Leeuwarden has a military air base on the outskirts of the city, and the daily sound of fighter jets far exceeding the legal limit is a defining characteristic of living here. In the Vrijheidswijk my windows vibrate when they fly low. These flights emit far too much and are extremely harmful to the environment.

The air base should be abolished along with NATO. The money currently being made available for weapons should be spent on better healthcare and social services. The base also pollutes the surrounding waterways and fields with PFAS – as long as it continues, it’s like mopping with the tap running.”

Why am I getting involved in politics?

“I’m 32, I live in the Vrijheidswijk, a very multicultural neighbourhood, and I’ve personally experienced many problems often associated with low incomes. I volunteer in elderly care and will start working at consultation hours for refugees. I repair and upcycle secondhand clothing and make punk with Kronol.

I enjoy living here mainly thanks to the community I’ve found among people who live on or below the social minimum. That’s why I want these people to have influence on local politics. I want to inspire and encourage others to find their strength wherever they come from.”

Voluntary work strengthens communities

“Unpaid work can directly and tangibly improve the lives of people at all levels of society. Until a basic income is in place, the municipality should allow people to do community-oriented unpaid work according to their own insight and ability while retaining benefits.

Most environmentally friendly and community-oriented activities in the municipality are resident initiatives or run by volunteers, and more of this is needed to create a society focused on well-being, not profit.”

More communal spaces without a price tag

“More free activities should be organised so people interact more — less loneliness and more connection. Every neighbourhood should have a repair and recycling workshop, a give-away shop and a shared refrigerator.

There should be freely accessible meeting places for young people where profit isn’t the focus and more cultural centres where people can organise themselves.”

We need a cultural revolution

“We want a reassessment of what we consider important in society: a cultural revolution based on community and our immediate living environment.”

Municipalism as a grassroots alternative

“Municipalism is local progressive politics that builds inclusive partnerships in neighbourhoods and constructs alternatives to the market and large corporations. We are critical of the system and believe in a world beyond capitalism.”

Less market, more citizenry

“MERA25 wants to change politics from the bottom up with direct democracy. This isn’t about individualism – it’s about togetherness and collective solutions where organised citizens regain control over their lives.

I’ve been a member since October and could already be the lead candidate. That is how grassroots MERA25 is. Join us and make your voice heard. Together we have power.”

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