Harassment hotline launched for Dutch Grand Prix this weekend

The Dutch Grand Prix will have a hotline for women and others who experience harassment during the Formula 1 races at the Circuit Zandvoort this weekend. Two confidential advisers from health service GGD will man the support point, the Volkskrant reports.

The Dutch Grand Prix set up the support point after dozens of women reported being harassed at the Zandvoort circuit last year. Men grabbed their breasts, pinched their buttocks, threw beer at them, and filmed them without their consent, Svenja Tillemans of Formula 1 Women, a club for female racing fans, told the newspaper. Two women filed assault charges. The police investigated, but “unfortunately, this has not led to a suspect or an arrest,” a spokesperson said.

This year, there will be a support point for people who experience harassment at the Formula 1, which is expected to attract 105,000 visitors per day to Zandvoort this weekend. The hotline won’t be visibly present, but behind the scenes, a spokesperson for the Dutch Grand Prix told the Volkskrant. Visitors can text an emergency number or speak to an employee who will refer them to the hotline.

The spokesperson said that the GGD employees operating the hotline are a man and a woman whom the organization specifically hired for the task. He wouldn’t say exactly how these confidential advisers would act if someone reported to them. “That’s confidential. I’m not going to ask you what exactly happens at your GP, am I?” he said to the newspaper.

He did say that the support line is not just for women. “Everyone should feel safe. It is also for men, children, and people with disabilities. Because disabled people are also abused, so to speak,” the spokesperson said, according to the Volkskrant. “It is very nice that you all ask us about this, but harassment of women doesn’t only happen in Formula 1. This is a social problem. Do we have to be the best boy in the class?”

Last week, the Dutch Grand Prix also announced that it would increase security at the races this year after a man disrupted the previous event by throwing a smoke bomb onto the track. Security personnel will receive stricter instructions and be present in more areas of the stands. Strict bag checks were already in place last year.