The police are investigating a break-in and arson incident that occurred last Friday morning in a student building in Amsterdam-West. They suspect that the attack was fueled by the rainbow flag on the building.
Earlier attempts to vandalize flags and doors left with swastikas in the same building preceded the Friday incident, which left four victims hospitalized and involved theft of valuables.
Several other incidents which involved the LGBTQ+ community have been reported since the start of Amsterdam Pride at the end of July, according to RTL Nieuws.
Fundraiser
In counter efforts, the attacks sparked a fundraising campaign to hang as many rainbow flags as possible in the targeted Amsterdam neighbourhood. The target amount of the campaign — €3,000 — was easily achieved. That’ll show them! 🏳️🌈 📣
Why flags?
Why were the incidents all sparked by flags? “A flag clearly stands for a certain group,” Theun Okkerse of the Dutch Association for Flag Science explains to RTL Nieuws.
“A rainbow flag is very important for that group. If you want to manifest yourself somewhere, such a flag is important,” he adds.
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Feature Image: massonforstock/ Depositphotos
