Amsterdam on Edge Amid Blasts and Violence Against Women

The Dutch capital, Amsterdam, is facing an increasingly serious crime wave. Violence is spreading, residents have had enough, yet the minister, for the time being, appears unwilling to entrust the problem to the authorities – preferring instead to place the burden on women.

English NAGYVILÁG 2025. SZEPTEMBER 4. 11:14

Police have stepped up their presence in Amsterdam’s Plantage Kerklaan following three explosions in the past five days. The latest targeted explosion occured at a pizza chain’s takeaway location on Tuesday. Police are seeking a man in his early twenties seen riding a black motocross bike in Oosterpark. He has not been arrested, and investigators are examining whether he is linked to any of the three explosion.

Earlier incidents in the same street targeted locations of the nationwide De Pizzabakkers chain. On Thursday and Sunday, there were explosiong at similar venues, according to the NL Times news site.

RIP Lisa

In recent weeks Amsterdam has been in the headlines for a dramatic deterioration in public safety, following the murder of a 17-year-old girl in the city by an asylum seeker just ahead of October’s parliamentary elections in the Netherlands. The killing sparked outrage, mass protests and heated political debate.

Lisa – whose full name has not been made public – was stabbed to death in the early hours of 20 August while cycling home. Although paramedics were called, they could only confirm her death. Prosecutors have charged a 22-year-old migrant with murder and rape. He is also suspected of a sexual assault earlier in the month, but his identity has not yet been fully established as he lacks official documents. On Monday, 1 September, an Amsterdam court extended his pre-trial detention by ninety days while investigators continue their work.

The teenage girl’s murder has sent shockwaves across the country. Many expressed anger and dismay at yet another senseless death – one that could have been prevented had the migrant criminal been deported after his first offence.

Football stadiums across the country marked the loss with a minute’s silence in the 17th minute of matches in memory of the 17-year-old. At games involving Ajax, Feyenoord, Sparta and others, supporters displayed Dutch flags.

At some fixtures, fans chanted against refugee camps, underlining how the tragedy has become intertwined with the political debate on immigration. One banner read: “Too young, too soon. Netherlands, stand up. Enough is enough.”

Geert Wilders, leader of the right-wing, anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV), which is expected to secure 33 of the 150 seats in parliament, invoked the teenager’s tragic death in a parliamentary debate as part of his argument against illegal migration.

At the same time, Lisa’s death has sparked a community campaign to improve women’s safety.

The “Reclaim the Night” initiative raised more than 500,000 euros within days through crowdfunding. The money will go towards awareness campaigns, petitions and local projects aimed at making public spaces safer. Since then, in at least 19 cities, hundreds of women have joined night-time cycling tours and marches organised by feminist groups, demanding the right to move freely without fear.

Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, described the murder as “shocking and unforgivable,” adding that the safety of women and girls “is not self-evident, and that is a disgrace to our society.” She vowed to push for tougher measures against violence targeting women.

Justice Minister David van Weel, in response to the events, is considering making the use of pepper spray legal again.

As he said, this is not a long-term solution to the problem. “But I can imagine there are women who would like to protect themselves with at least something, as a last resort,” he said. He will now examine whether this can be introduced “in a simple and swift manner.”

English NAGYVILÁG

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amsterdam, migrants, murder