Hundreds of residents and business people in the Dutch capital’s southern district have criticized Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema for wanting to replace the ‘red light district’ with a ‘red light district’ in the neighborhood to rid it of historic prostitution. Center.
This Wednesday Femke Halsema will meet with 400 residents and businessmen of the Amsterdam-Zuid district to “explain the plans for the Sensual Center”, the official invitation says.
But still She faced a lot of criticism from those who attended the meeting, some of whom displayed banners and red lights to protest the plan to move prostitution to the neighborhood and the problems it would cause.
“I no longer want to live in this neighborhood and let my son study on the Noord-Zuid line. I am against this and that is why I want my voice to be heard here. This is unacceptable”, he said. In reports for local channel AT5.
Since 2019, local political leaders have been preparing to launch a “sensual center” or “prostitute hotel” as an alternative to the red-light district, with the list of possible locations narrowed down to three in February: “de Krone Zoom” and “Europaboulevard”, close to the proposed Amsterdam-Zuid zone. And a third option in the Docklandslot area in Amsterdam-Noord.
The mayor expressed concerns at the meeting about potential shootings and drug trafficking in the ‘red light district’. And, in the face of criticism, he assured that “the moment there is an inconvenience, when there are smugglers – which I don’t think will happen – law enforcement will be there.”
After more than two hours of meeting, according to the local press, there was no agreement between the parties on moving prostitution to the southern district of Amsterdam.
The mayor himself admitted that he ended the meeting with a feeling of “No One Wins”Although he mentioned that “People are in no mood to convince themselves of anything, they actually came to protest, that’s their right, but the debate continues”, The final decision on the location of the emotional center is yet to be taken.
The project envisages the construction of a building with 100 places for sex workers, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, and the facility will have breakout rooms and spaces dedicated to social and health services and entertainment businesses (sexual), rehabilitation, education, art and culture.
In addition to residents, Amsterdam’s mayor has also clashed in recent weeks with sex workers, who also disagree with being relocated to the city’s outskirts.