Amsterdam police chief promises rainbow community will be safe during WorldPride, beyond

“Behind all the splendor, the high heels, and the glitter and glamour lies an enormous amount of courage. The courage to be yourself and to show yourself. That courage deserves admiration. And that courage deserves safety,” Amsterdam Police Chief Peter Holla said on Wednesday at the opening of the COC’s Shakespeare Club at the H’ART Museum on the Amstel.

He addressed a group of drag queens and drag kings who sailed from the Stopera to the jetty in front of the museum. There, the opening ceremony was led by figurehead Dolly Bellefleur.

Holla reflected on what the police are doing to make Amsterdam safe for all members of the LGBTQIA+ community. They provide education to rainbow refugees from countries where the police are “a source of fear” for them. With Pink in Blue, the police participate not only in the Canal Parade, but also in Asian Pride, the Trans Pride Walk, and the Trans Diner. “Because Pride is much bigger than one boat or one parade.”

He urged LGBTQIA+ people who experience intimidation and violence to always report it to the police. “Reporting is not easy; many victims are afraid or just want to get on with their lives. But we really need the information,” the police chief said. “Every report makes it possible to take action and increases the chance of tackling the problem.”

Holla said he enjoyed the “colorful, provocative, and extravagant procession” on the boat to the H’ART Museum and praised the presence of the police officers on board. “As far as I am concerned, this is how the police should be visible during Pride: on the boat, right in the middle of the community, not on the sidelines.”

Over the next week and a half, the H’ART Museum will host various activities by the Shakespeare Club, through which the COC gives a platform to the less prominent groups within the rainbow community. These include Asian queers, LGBTQIA+ refugees, religious gays, and fetish culture, among others. There are also three performances by choreographer and theater maker Barrie Stevens (82). With this farewell performance, he looks back on his life as a gay artist.