Sex workers clash with Amsterdam mayor after protest against Red Light District policy

Sex workers from the Red Light District in Amsterdam's city center briefly argued with Mayor Femke Halsema at City Hall about several new policies they believe will negatively impact them, including the proposed construction of an erotic center away from the main Red Light District. Dozens of windows where sex workers are allowed to conduct business are likely to be closed if the erotic center is built. The full city council was debating the erotic center proposal when the sex workers concluded their protest march to deliver a petition to the mayor on Thursday afternoon.

The council meeting was suspended as Halsema stepped outside to greet the sex workers. She was booed by many of them, but still managed to smile uncomfortably as she and several police officers stepped towards the aggravated demonstrators, who were accompanied by a drum line, and journalists from print, broadcast, and online media outlets.

"In all the debates about the erotic center and about sex workers in the city center, I always make clear that the problems we have in the Red Light Districts are not because of the sex workers," Halsema said in English to the crowd. "You are not at fault. They are the result of over-tourism, of crime, and other problems. But the situation in the city center is becoming very problematic, and we have to find a solution."

Starting this weekend, many businesses in the Red Light District and the surrounding streets in De Wallen neighborhood will be subjected to earlier closing times. The businesses affected include the windows prostitution brothels and other sex work companies, which will have to close at 3 a.m. on weekends instead of 6 a.m. Many of the sex workers told NL Times they need those extra hours to turn a profit after paying for the rooms they rent out. Other policy changes include a ban on smoking cannabis in public, changes to the opening hours of bars, cafes, and other businesses that sell alcohol, and tighter policy towards coffeeshops.

One sex worker told Halsema, "But it is not our fault!" Another lamented that the Red Light District proposals threaten her ability to provide for herself.

"Let me say for now, I will come back to you without cameras, without a lot of noise, and we're going to talk calmly," Halsema said. She then slid back inside, as the council members resumed their debate on the erotic center.

She was again booed by those in attendance. “You refuse to talk,” shouted someone in the crowd.

"Problems happen way before 3 a.m."

Sex workers in the Red Light District are against the proposal to move up the closing times. They argue that earlier closing times will not necessarily lead to a more peaceful environment in the neighborhood. According to Kenya, who has been a sex worker in the Red Light District for 27 years, these measures do not make sense, as “problems happen way before 3 a.m.” On the contrary, it might even increase insecurity, because social control will disappear, she told NL Times.

Another problem is that earlier closing time cut down the earning time for sex workers in the Red Light District roughly by half. To be profitable, sex workers must earn back their room rental fee of 180 euros every night. In reality, this means that the people standing int the windows only start earning a profit after earning money from three or four clients.

“We might end up going home with empty pockets,” said Kenya.

Hundreds of people marched on Thursday

The protest began at 3 p.m. on Oudekerksplein, followed by a march to the Stopera building. It was organized by the sex workers in the Red Light District with the support of the Prostitution Information Center (PIC), Red Light United, a lobby group for sex workers, and SAVE, a collective of current and former sex workers.

Hundreds of people, including dozens of sex workers, joined the protest, many of whom wore different masks to hide their identities from the cameras that were present. The demonstrators carried protest signs with slogans such as, "Save the Red Light," “wij laten ons niet uit roken,” and “Stop de heksenjacht.” The latter two translate as, "We will not be smoked out," and "Stop the Witchhunt."

They also shouted slogans such as “Wij blijven hier,” or "We're staying here," and “no erotic center.” The march ended with the City Hall confrontation. “You don’t listen to us, you use us,” shouted one sex worker to the mayor.

Many of the latest restrictions in the Red Light District take effect on April 1, though the proposals came a year ago. They affect the area bound by Nieuwebrugsteeg, Sint Olofsteeg, Oudezijds Voorburgwal, Oudezijds Achterburgwal, as well as the adjacent alleys and streets north of Damstraat, Oude Doelenstraat, Oude Hoogstraat.

Changes in De Wallen due to problematic tourists, says Amsterdam coalition

“During the weekend in particular, nuisance from tourists and day-trippers means that residents of the old city center find their quality of life and ability to sleep at night under too much pressure,” the coalition government wrote in a statement. By closing those businesses earlier, the mayor and aldermen want “to offer residents peace of mind earlier, because visitors go home or to their hotel earlier, or spread out over other locations in the city.”

These rules changes are part of a larger package of measures adopted by the full city council in December 2022 to combat the crowds and nuisance in the Red Light District. The municipality's governing coalition also agreed to plans to construct an erotic center with room for 100 sex workers either in Amsterdam Noord or Zuid, which would likely lead to the closure of many windows in the Red Light District.

The sex workers believe the new closing times are designed to prepare for the complete closure of the Red Light District and force them into relocating to the erotic center. “We belong here!” said Baronesa, sex worker. “Take the garbage out, not us.”

Many expressed regrets that the perspectives of sex workers were not really considered by the municipality during the decision-making process regarding the future of the Red Light District. “Nobody listens to us,” said one of them.

At the end of the march, protestors stayed in front of the city hall for several minutes. “The fight is not over” shouted one sex worker after Halsema left.

The demonstration ended peacefully around 4 pm.