Amsterdam’s council has agreed to close its infamous red light district, replacing it with an “erotic centre” away from the centre.
The proposal, brought forward by the city’s mayor, Femke Halsema, found wide backing from a spectrum of political parties.
The sex workers in the De Wallen red light district will be invited to move to a purpose-built centre elsewhere in Amsterdam, the location of which remains to be identified.
The CDA and ChristenUnie have long lobbied for the closure of the windows, and they have now been backed by the VVD, the party of the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, as well as the Labour party and the Greens.
Dutch Labour’s Dennis Boutkan described this decision as “a reset of Amsterdam as a visitor city”.
Presenting the proposal, Halsema had argued that the brothel windows should be closed as women working in the area had become a tourist attraction, attracting gawping and abuse.
On the other hand, a second proposal to ban tourists from buying cannabis from the city’s cafes is struggling to win support owing to fears that it will hand over trade to dealers on the streets.
via The Guardian
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