After three attacks on women, Halsema is 'cold-hearted as mayor and as a woman'

The arrest of a suspect who attacked three women in a short period in and near the city, killing one, prompted Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema on Friday evening to deliver an impassioned speech about violence against women. During a press conference where the Amsterdam triad of mayor, police chief, and chief public prosecutor briefly explained the crimes and the investigation, Halsema said that the city council and the police "will do everything in their power to combat misogyny and violence against women." Halsema could not yet say what measures she is considering. "There are no blueprints ready."

Halsema said that last week, "as mayor, as a woman, and as a mother, I was deeply moved." In a short period of time, several women were attacked with extremely serious violence—as it now appears, by one and the same perpetrator. "The anger, the powerlessness. This is the greatest fear of every woman and every parent," Halsema said of the death of 17-year-old Lisa. "What should be self-evident, the safety of girls and women, is not self-evident," Halsema continued. "This is a stain on our society. Thousands of women are rightly reclaiming the night."

Stab wounds

Lisa, whose last name is being withheld at the family's express request, was stabbed to death along a bicycle path in Duivendrecht overnight Tuesday night. She had called 112 shortly before to report that she had been attacked.

The location of the crime, the time of day it was committed, and the serious violence used led police to link it to two previous cases. One occurred last Friday, when a woman was the victim of serious sexual assault along Weespertrekvaart, not far from where Lisa was killed. The woman was "beaten several times," Police Chief Peter Holla said at the press conference. And on Wednesday, a woman reported having been attacked by a man in the same neighborhood on August 10th. However, he was interrupted before he could assault her more seriously. According to Holla, her report contributed to the identification of the suspect. The suspect is a 22-year-old man who was staying as an asylum seeker in a COA shelter. He was arrested Thursday evening and is not allowed to have contact with anyone other than his lawyer. He will appear before the examining magistrate on Monday on suspicion of murder and rape.

Comments expected

The fact that the man is an asylum seeker could lead to unrest in the city and in society, Holla said. "We understand there will be reactions." Therefore, the triangle declined to say at which of the COA locations in Amsterdam the man was detained. No further information was provided about his identity either. "This is also because we still need to verify whether we have the correct identity of this man," Holla said.

Mayor Halsema declined to comment on any potential tensions surrounding asylum centers. "For now, the overwhelming sense of relief is that a suspect has been arrested," the mayor said. "What happens next, we will address at that time."

After the press conference, Lisa's family released a statement expressing relief at the arrest "and the prospect of justice." "For us as a family, the focus is now on saying goodbye to Lisa. We hope to be able to do so in peace and security, together with our loved ones." "Lisa was taken from them," Halsema said, addressing the young woman's family and friends. "That is terrible and unforgivable. The world was at her feet. We cannot imagine their grief."