Provotarian monuments: on the symbolic connotations of the monument in Provo’s protests and actions

Abstract

Provo was a revolutionary movement that developed its activity in Amsterdam between 1965 and 1967. One of its strategies for occupying the public space was to gather around different civic monuments of the city in order to appropriate and subvert its symbolism. This paper reviews the history of the movement in relation to three Amsterdam monuments that played a decisive role in Provo’s protests and actions: Het Lieverdje, the place of the anti-smoking campaign and the consolidation of Provo, the General Van Heutsz monument, where the critical questioning of Dutch colonial past took place, and the Dokwerker, where the revolts of 10 March 1966 and 14 June 1966 began.