Women sexually harassed during protests for safer streets
The feminist group Dolle Mina has received multiple reports of women being sexually harassed and threatened during “We Claim the Night” marches in various Dutch cities on Saturday night. The Limburg faction of the organization urged women who experienced anything bad during the marches to come forward.
On Saturday night, hundreds of people cycled on illuminated bicycles and marched through the streets of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Haarlem, Amersfoort, Arnhem, Groningen, Leeuwarden, Zwolle, Enschede, Deventer, Coevorden, Eindhoven, Tilburg, Nijmegen, Den Bosch, and Maastricht, among other places, to draw attention to women being unsafe on the streets. The marches were prompted by the brutal murder of 17-year-old Lisa from Abcoude in Duivendrecht last month. A man killed her with multiple stab wounds as she cycled home from a night out with friends in Amsterdam.
But even in big crowds protesting for safer streets, women are not safe, Dolle Mina said. The Limburg faction of the organization shared stories on Instagram of women being harassed during the march in Maastricht. “During the night, we were surrounded, touched, assaulted, spat upon, verbally abused, catcalled, and chased by men. The night was not safe,” the organization wrote.
Other cities also had incidents, Nynke van Zwol, spokesperson for the national and Amsterdam branches of Dolle Mina, told ANP. In Groningen, a man kissed a woman on the mouth without her consent. In Amersfoort, Amsterdam, and Utrecht, among other places, participants were verbally abused, and misogynistic slogans were chanted. In Eindhoven, so much happened that the route of the march had to be adjusted. Men repeatedly stopped the procession, and several women reported being touched.
“After the euphoria of the successful action, reports of unpleasant incidents have been trickling in since Sunday, Van Zwol said. The organization is currently collecting reports and is considering going to the police.
