Published 6 September 2024
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Two years ago, writer and window worker El reported on the fight to keep workspaces open in Amsterdam’s De Wallen. During a pause from active protest, El writes an update from the eye of the storm.
Mayor Halsema wants to remove sex workers from the Red Light District, justified by her strategy to tackle overcrowding and misbehaviour in the area. Her plans to close De Wallen’s windows to build an erotic centre have persisted, codified in the city council's coalition accord.
Developments
In November 2022, Halsema announced a new plan to reduce the operating hours of the windows, bars and restaurants, to reduce crowds in the Red Light District. One month later, the city council agreed to reduce the closing times of windows from 6AM to 3AM on Friday and Saturday nights, and to fine any premises caught with a client in the building after 3AM.
Time’s up
Dissatisfied with this decision, Carmen, a window worker, filed a court case with her legal name. She went window to window, rallying colleagues to join the cause. Carmen felt the new measures were unfair and damaging: "They're my rights and... they gave this opportunity to work this job in this country legally. And now they just want to take it away from us. And it's gonna be very unsafe if this happens." The legal process put a lot of pressure on Carmen, and her case was rejected twice, despite appealing twice.
To the streets
A few current and former window workers organised a protest in March 2023, to challenge the closing times and the plans to force window workers to move into an erotic centre. One colleague and activist had participated in a protest against Project 1012, back in 2015. According to her: "Back then a lot of people thought that most us who worked here were forced. And after that, people started to realise that: ‘OK, it's not exactly how they show it in the media’. We started to see that the public were also on our side."
Over 150 window workers and allies walked from the Prostitution Information Center (PIC) to City Hall, demanding the city leave the windows open and reinstate the original closing times. We were physically barred from entering the building, but Halsema and some other politicians did come outside to speak with us. We had been asking to meet with Halsema for a couple of years, and after the protest we finally received an invitation.
Further threats
Despite all of this, the earlier closing times went into effect in April 2023, which caused loss of income and frightening times. Some colleagues saw clients they would usually reject, and others turned to working in hotel rooms or on the streets, which compromised their overall safety. Weeks later, a group of window workers met with Halsema. The Mayor simply insisted that the erotic centre would be suitable for us, so we demanded further discussions and meetings.
A smaller group of window workers met with Halsema again in August 2023, to discuss the erotic centre and the window closing times. This time conversation was more productive; Halsema suggested we meet with members of the city council. But Halsema expressed her frustration with us, claiming that we only ever said "No" and failed to suggest other solutions for handling the area’s overcrowding and misbehaviour.
So we wrote a letter detailing our previous proposals plus some new ideas, which we sent to Halsema and the entire city council in September. The letter received no response, meanwhile the dangerous motion to research the options for us to work with the curtains closed was proposed by party D66.
Solidarity
Window workers protested again in October 2023, supported by the Monsterverbond, a group of local business owners, residents and sex workers aligned against the erotic centre. By invitation of the Mayor, members of the city council met with us in January this year. We asked for the 6AM closing times to be reinstated, and explained our safety concerns in closing the curtains since it would reduce our ability to screen clients.
In February 2024, the city held a consultation evening over the erotic centre, with Halsema proposing Europaboulevard as its location. A former window worker spoke, supporting a current window worker’s written contribution. We expressed our determination to keep working in De Wallen, and to keep rejecting the erotic centre.
Finally some good news followed two weeks later; Halsema and city council agreed to reinstate the window closing times to 6AM, which went into effect that month. However in March, most of the council supported the decision in principle for the Europaboulevard location.
It’s not over yet
The council will announce their final decision on whether they will proceed with the centre and the closure of our windows sometime within the next year. After that, we can start the appeals process. The future of the Red Light District is not set in stone yet, and we will keep on fighting!
To get involved, contact PIC (Prostitute Information Centre), SAVE (Sex Workers Against Violence and Exploitation), and SWAD (Sex Work Alliance Destigmatization).
Photos by PIC
El
El is a part-time sex worker, full-time extroverted introvert. They are allergic to lilies.
