“Recht Op De Nacht” translates to “Right To The Night,” and it’s being shared on social media by Amsterdam clubs like Garage Noord and Shelter.
Amsterdam nightlife is mobilizing in the wake of the murder of a 17-year-old girl who was returning home after a night out with friends.
The girl — known only to the general public as Lisa — was said to be riding her bike from Amsterdam to Abcoude around 3:30am on Wednesday, August 20. Before she was attacked in Duivendrecht, she reportedly called the police to report that someone was following her. Police have arrested a 22-year-old man, not only on suspicion of the murder, but also a separate rape in addition to a separate attempted sexual assault.
In response to the incident, Night Mayor Freek Wallagh and the Amsterdam Clubs Consultation (OAC) have introduced an awareness campaign called “Recht Op De Nacht” (which translates to “Right To The Night”) to promote safety at night in and around the city. They posited that “Every eight days, a woman is murdered in the Netherlands,” arguing that the system must be reimagined for the sake of gender equality.
The campaign gets its name from a poem written in response to the incident by Dutch actress and author Nienke ‘s Gravemade. “The red handbag. I keep thinking about the red handbag,” it reads. “How it dangled from her handlebars as she rode through the night. A night that belonged to her too, because we all have 24 hours in our day. 24 hours that we are free to use how and where we choose.”
Participating in the initiative are clubs like Garage Noord, Shelter, and Skate Cafe, who have shared it via images and posts on social media. Additionally, the message will appear on more than 80 billboards on highways and train stations throughout the country.
A GoFundMe campaign launched to fund additional signs is currently sitting at over €500,000 at the time of writing.
