Woman pressing charges against Amsterdam student association over misogynistic speeches

A criminal report was filed against several male members of the Amsterdam Studenten Corps who were embroiled in scandal this summer because of sexist statements made during an event there. The report was filed with authorities alleging "incitement to hatred, discrimination and/or violence,” said law firm Prakken d'Oliveira, who is assisting the woman who filed the report.

The speeches were delivered this summer during the lustrum celebration of the Amsterdamsch Studenten Corps and the Amsterdamsche Vrouwen Studenten Vereeniging. The speeches included statements suggesting men could “break women’s necks to stick their dicks in,” with women referred to as “cum buckets” who are “nothing more than a whore.”

"These statements, also viewed in conjunction with each other, can be interpreted as incitement to hatred, discrimination and/or violence against women. In the view of the client, there is misogyny here," said Prakken d'Oliveira.

Prakken d'Oliveira said that their client has no ties to the Corps or the student body and is "in a different phase of life than the average student.”

The law firm also stated that media reports show that no investigation has been initiated by the Public Prosecution Service. However, the woman who reported the incident believes that resolving the issue should not be left to the ASC/AVSV itself.

"It appears from various sources that the statements in question are characteristic of a deep-rooted culture within the Corps in which this type of behavior towards women is more or less normalized. It is dismissed as a 'joke' that should not be taken seriously. According to the client's conviction, however, there is nothing funny about it and trivializing it further lowers the threshold for sexually transgressive (and violent) behavior."