Amsterdam city councilors from various parties supported Mayor Femke Halsem’s proposal to move brothels located in the city’s infamous red-light district from the back streets of the city center frequented by tourists looking at women sitting in front of open windows waiting for clients.
The mayor proposed to move these “entertainment” objects to a new “erotic center”, the location of which has not yet been determined. Amsterdam is still under quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic, and Halsema wants the red lights to be located in a “less publicized” area when the quarantine ends and tourists return. “This is about changing the reputation of Amsterdam as a tourist city,” said one of the city councilors.
The mayor also wants to ban tourists from buying cannabis from city coffee shops, although residents of the capital can do so. However, other members of the city council fear that such a ban will lead to an increase in the sale of illegal drugs on city streets, and therefore this proposal did not receive such widespread support as the movement of “workers of the sexual front” to another area. However, police and prosecutors have supported a proposal to enact a rule requiring people to show proof of residence in Amsterdam when purchasing cannabis. Similar restrictions are already in place in other cities in the Netherlands.
Newspaper headline:
Red light “red lanterns”