Gay couple harassed during Uber ride
A gay couple was harassed by an Uber driver in Amsterdam on Sunday. They were holding hands in the Uber, on their way home from Pride Amsterdam, when the driver insulted them and spat on them, they said, NOS reports.
After a party in Amsterdam, the two boarded the Uber taxi at around 8:30 p.m. Sitting in the back, they were holding hands and gave each other a kiss. "This is Amsterdam, that is not a problem, we thought", one of the men said to the broadcaster. But the driver got angry and started swearing at them, he said. "He suddenly became very aggressive and intimidated us." They asked the driver to stop. When they got out, the driver spat in one of their faces. "The driver bent over the seats and tried to lash out at us. It looked like he wanted to hit us."
The couple went to the police station to report the incident immediately after it happened, according to NH Nieuws. They also reported the incident to Uber - which launched a 'discrimination button' for easily reporting discriminatory behavior just last week. "We contacted Uber directly, because we were worried about others during the Pride weekend. This driver is driving around the city during this celebration." According to the couple, they have not yet received any response fro the company.
Uber told AT5 that it regrets the incident. "Discrimination is unacceptable and goes against our policy. Everyone deserves a safe experience with Uber and that is why we sent extra information to drivers last week to stimulate awareness and good behavior. We take this complaint very seriously and are investigating this incident, so that we can take appropriate measures."
