Protest march against Amsterdam's controversial erotic center on Thursday

Sex workers, business owners and residents from the Wallen neighborhood, as well as the Zuid and Noord districts, will protest on Thursday against the proposed erotic center. Through this protest march, they aim to express their disagreement with the city's plans to relocate the window brothels from the Red Light District to an erotic center situated in a different part of the city. The march is being organized by Mariska Majoor, the founder of the Prostitution Information Center.

The proposed erotic center is intended to provide a workspace for about a hundred sex workers in either Amsterdam-Noord or Zuid district. This would replace some of the windows in the Wallen. According to the city council, the objective is to enhance the position of sex workers, reduce nuisance and over-tourism in the Wallen, and combat criminal activity.

However, the plan has raised the concerns of Noord and Zuid residents and the sex workers themselves, who do not want to leave the city center. A survey in June revealed that only one in five Amsterdammers supports the plans for the erotic center. The Amsterdam branch of the hospitality association KHN also announced its opposition. Last month, a petition with over 22,000 signatures against the proposed erotic center was presented to Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema. The petition was initiated by a coalition called the "monsterverbond," which includes various businesses, educational and cultural institutions, residents' associations, and interest groups.

"We call on the municipality of Amsterdam to engage in close consultation with all local stakeholders to jointly find agreed-upon solutions to address nuisance, peak crowds, and criminality,” the organizers of the protest stated. They believe that it is important to preserve the diversity of the Wallen but also to keep sex workers' windows and erotic entertainment.

The municipality confirmed that the demonstration had been registered. The march will proceed from Oudekerksplein, through Oudezijds Achterburgwal and Nieuwmarkt, ending at the Stopera on Waterlooplein. At the city hall, a manifesto will be presented to the members of the city council. Majoor indicated that there seems to be "sufficient interest" in the demonstration, from both sex workers as well as entrepreneurs and residents. She said she hoped for a turnout of "a few hundred people."

The city council will present a proposal concerning the final location by the end of this year. The council will then make a decision on the matter.