The Municipality of Eindhoven must crack down harder on homophobic violence and behaviour in the city. That is what eleven political groups in the city council are arguing, following the stalking of a group of lgbti’s in the city centre last weekend.
On Saturday evening, a group of LGBTI’s were assaulted at the premises of gay interest group COC in Eindhoven, presumably by twenty soccer supporters. The assailants pulled the rainbow flag off the facade and tried to set it on fire. A volunteer who said something about it was beaten. The young people present were also scolded for “cancer homosexual”.
All political groups in the Eindhoven city council, with the exception of Forum voor Democratie (forum for democracy), expressed concern about the incident. The 11 parties believe the city council must therefore take tougher action against homophobia. ‘We express our disgust about this. This cannot and should not happen in Eindhoven’, they argue.
Chants
The parties want the city council to take stricter action against discriminatory chants in and outside the PSV and FC Eindhoven soccer stadiums. The Mayor and Aldermen should find out what is possible. Extra action would also be needed in general to counter homophobic behaviour in the city. In addition, the groups call on the Mayor and Aldermen to enter into discussions with PSV and FC Eindhoven about safety around matches when it comes to this issue.
Safety
Furthermore, the parties want the municipality to guarantee that the COC building remains a safe haven for young people in the LGBTI community. There should also be similar guarantees during the Pride Walk, which will be held in the city in June.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
