Jan Laurier

Who is Jan Laurier?

Johannes Pieter Laurier is a Dutch politician. From 2007 to 2011, he was a member of the Senate for GreenLeft.

Laurier studied sociology and during his studies he was active in the Leiden social movements. In 1981 he founded the left wing city paper. Between 1983 and 1993 he worked as a researcher for the research centre on Land Management and Public Housing and the Leiden Institute for Social Science.

In 1987 Laurier joined the Leiden City Council for the Left Leiden, an alliance of the communist Communist Party of the Netherlands, the left-socialist Pacifist Socialist Party and the progressive Christian Political Party of Radicals. Laurier himself was a member of the CPN. In 1990 the three parties merged to form GreenLeft. Between 1990 and 1993 Laurier was fractievoorzitter of GreenLeft in the Leiden city council. Between 1993 and 1998 he was alderman for social affairs, integration and employment. He also was vice-mayor. When he was vice-mayor Laurier was arrested during a clearing of a Leiden squat. He refused to give his identity, because no one had committed a crime. In order to release those who were already detained he gave out his identity as vice-mayor.