Queen Juliana abdicated the throne on 30 April 1980. The inauguration of her eldest daughter Beatrix was seized upon by the Amsterdam Squatter’s movement as a day to stage a protest against the housing shortage. Their slogan was: ‘No housing, no crowning!’ However the squatter’s protest developed into riots between troublemakers and the riot police. This painting provides an impression of that moment. Investors often left houses standing empty in anticipation of a sale or ‘developments’. The latter often effectively meant that the houses would become unaffordable for the ordinary person. Squatting in empty houses or commercial properties was the method of choice for protesting against the housing policy. Jan van den Berg used a single painting to bring together various elements that intrigued him. His paintings are based on photos and reflect a personal, imaginative reality.