Amsterdam gay bashing up 7.5%

In Amsterdam, violence against homosexuals has increased over the last year. According to the police, there were 189 reported incidents, that are related to the victim's sexual orientation. Simultaneously, the police say that homosexual individuals are generally more prepared to report hate crimes now than they were before. In 2012, 176 people were victims of violence. In 2013, a total of 535 gay bashing incidents were recorded. This number was 488 in 2012. These kinds of incidents involve insults, bullying and vandalism. Police in Amsterdam say that there is a general relationship of trust in the Amsterdam community. This bond gives the police insight in how big the problem actually is. "Naturally, it remains an important point of attention for all of us to push the figure back, because it is 535 too many", says Ellie Lust, president of the police network Pink in Blue (Roze in Blauw). Pink in Blue handles the interests of lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transvestites within and outside of the police. Many of the network's agents are on the ground at Amsterdam's annual Gay Pride festivities, which is on until Sunday.