A'dam journalist’s son attacked with bike chain lock after story about football violence
The son of Parool columnist Yesim Candan was beaten with a chain lock in Amsterdam-Zuid on Tuesday evening. This follows the Amsterdam journalist being threatened after she wrote a column about sexism and violence in amateur football. The police are investigating whether the assault on Candan’s son is connected to this.
“I am truly devastated,” Candan said about the attack on her son. She told NOS that he is doing okay “considering the circumstances.” The police confirmed to the broadcaster that they are investigating the assault and asked witnesses to come forward.
On May 15, Parool published a column by Candan about a football match between ASV and De Dijk, which she attended. “The moment the female referee awarded a penalty to AFC, a group of boys from the opposing team stormed her collectively,” she wrote, adding that the young football players verbally abused the woman.
According to Candan, this is not an isolated incident. “This is about something bigger: about respect, upbringing, and the way boys learn to deal with authority, and with women.” She wrote that in some football districts, over 70 percent of clubs are experiencing a sharp rise in aggression. “That is a structural problem.”
After the column, Parool received an anonymous threatening letter, warning the newspaper not to publish the column. The letter writers explicitly said that they know where to find Candan and her son.
Parool chief editor Michiel Couzy spoke of a “terrible” attack. “If this attack is related to her column, this is also an attack on freedom of the press. A columnist must be able to raise topics in complete freedom. We stand behind Yesim and her son.”
Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema is horrified by this “unacceptable” attack. “In her column, Yesim Candan advocates for respect and decency,” the mayor wrote on social media. “Instead, her son is assaulted, possibly to silence the mother.”
