A number of Amsterdam clubs have formed a collective night-time safety campaign after a 17-year-old girl was murdered on the way home from a night out in the city’s Leidseplein district.
The victim, whose family has requested media identify only as “Lisa”, was stabbed to death while cycling home in the early morning hours of Wednesday, August 20, as NL Times reports. Prior to the attack, she had called police to report that someone was following her. A 22-year-old man is currently in police custody on suspicion of her murder. Authorities have not publicly released his name, but he is reportedly also facing charges for two separate sexual offences.
In response to the tragedy, Amsterdam clubs such as Garage Noord, Radio Radio, Melkweg, BRET and Jimmy Woo have formed a campaign centred around the hashtag #rechtopdenacht (which translates in English to “right to the night) to “demand a safe night for all our visitors, from the dancefloor to their bed at home!”
The slogan has also appeared on a number of billboards across the city as the campaign picks up increased attention. A GoFundMe page supporting the further spread of the awareness campaign throughout The Netherlands has also raised almost €500,000 at the time of writing, having been launched on August 23.
The GoFundMe campaign description reads: “We claim the night. In our newest skirt. In our highest pumps. Or running shoes. In the middle of the night. Walking. Cycling. Jogging. On quiet streets. Through a park. Or in the city. Whatever we wear, wherever we are, whatever time it is: let women get home safely.”
From 10 PM this evening (August 26), bars and clubs throughout Amsterdam will illuminate orange and display text from a poem by author Nienke’s Gravemade as part of the campaign.
