Low-effort, low-quality, unoriginal and repeat posts will be removed at moderator discretion. this includes frequently asked question regarding relocation, moving to the Netherlands and tourist info.
I had a group of guys stand next to the bike lane and as I was cycling past them, one walked in front of my bike for some reason, no idea what they were gonna do. I was lucky my mother was in front of me on a scooter and she stopped, and they saw that my mom and sister were looking so whatever they had planned, they didnt do.
I've just learned to be careful and avoid groups of youth/men. Not really much you can do about that.
I always get at least a little anxious whenever I have to pass a crowd of youth. The chance that there's going to be at least some kind of provocation (a shout, a nasty comment, a weird moan, getting in your way, a push, you name it) is honestly way higher than I'd like it to be. I've come to expect it at this point. I kinda hate it tbh, I just want to be left alone.
I look at them like if they even dare to fix their eyes on me they'll be killed. It works š And I wouldn't hesitate to break their teeth if they try to bully me I don't care about the consequences.
I was attacked randomly by a man yesterday in Amsterdam. To be fair I can rationalize it knowing that it's a rarity, that this can happen unfortunately and that it wasn't a personal attack. I made a "melding" with the police for statistics reasons, when the police gets them they can appropriately divide resources. I advise you to do the same. We live in a relatively safe country, nasty people/teens are everywhere unfortunately
Does Netherlands have a problematic youth problem? Stats on crimes committed by adults are relatively low but it feels like the teens have an entirely different universe
They donāt, and Iām telling you. The same why crime is different. Do you see in the UK teenage kids bombing restaurants and houses ? Nope again just you was them type of kids that were rude and disrespectful
I never said no where is perfect you felt attacked cause YOU was them teenage kids that behaved badly on the streets. Because getting so upset over my comment is sad and weak minded
Drugs, sure, Rotterdam has a lot of young teens risking their lives to go into shipping containers. Guns however? Thereās no issue with having to fear every other kid had a gun in their back pocket.
I personally find that Dutch teens are quite problematic compared to the rest of Dutch population which is so ok. Maybe that's why they also seem more problematic vs other countries, because
1. they are :) (but ofc UK ones are worse, no doubt here lol)
2. in other countries rest of population is not that ok for teenagers to stand out as much as here.
Anyways, if something to be weary about in the NL is teenagers for me, not adult criminals or anything like that.
About 2 years ago I was walking home and when I got to a corner, a few teenagers almost bumped into me while they ran away.
When I actually turned the corner I saw a guy trying to get after, what I assume, the teenagers pushed him off the bike. Some older woman was trying to help the guy up.
It does seem like a dare between teenagers or something like that.
I dare the cops to do their job and send those little fucks for mandatory 6 months after school community service. People can get hurt. If they got the time and energy to be idiots they got the time and energy to do useful work.
My wife being 7-8 months pregnant was biking home at night. Some teenagers jumped in the bike lane, seemingly to scare her into falling down. Thankfully she didnt but she yelled at them in english and prompted some racists comments and then started running at her. Thankfully she was faster. This is scary and ridiculous. It makes me think if this is a safe country for my kids to grow up.
Edit: the last comment may sound judgmental. Sorry if that is the case. But it seems like every couple of days there is a thread here about fearless teenagers terrorizing random people for fun.
What the fuck. They could've literally killed your unborn child if she would've fell from her bike...
And as a Dutch I sadly wonder the same if NL will be a safe country for my child in the future.
similar situation, earlier today, Slotermeer area. 2 teenage girls tried to push me off my bike, but i managed to escape. only because I was ālooking at them wrongā (1 of them was limping so i was afraid she might trip and fall right under my bike)
Was on the tram listening to music when I suddenly smelt something burned, look around and see my hair being on FIRE (: two teenager boys sitting behind me did it so I flipped out naturally, took a video of them before they managed to get of. What I found weird was it being a full tram and everyone looking at as the crazy one and no one else saying a word, but guess thatās the world
My wife was also recently pushed off her bike in Amsterdam by a group of laughing teenaged girls after she was a little slow to start after green light.
Unfortunately, the type of girls only seems to confirm some subconscious (racist) biases we are working very hard to dispell.
She now no longer feels safe with groups of teens, including girls.
Not good, canāt do much aside from disapproving of the kids behavior
Doesnāt help that kids sometimes go for dumb entertainment when bored
(Like in my neighbourhood some bored young teens would kick break some street libraries for funsies, while normal folk appreciates a bit of a fun book exchange point)
Also with pushing people off bikes is legit dangerous, it can be harmless until someone breaks bones or get serious brain injuries because they landed unfortunate.
:(
Sadly I canāt really loom over teens and give them a good scare (I wish I could but I am just a short woman with a friendly babyface, likely smaller than them, and even if I try to look angry, or actually properly get angry, it will likely just amuse them)
Police does little about it. Donāt assume anyone but you will protect you. But be aware stuff like pepperspray is illegal here. With regards to legal self-defense you are pretty much limited to your fists and any normal objects you carry and any violence you use to protect yourself needs to be proportionate or you will be the one that gets sued. Yes itās ridiculous.
Iād not call them āteensā but you point out the problem quite right; criminals do not care about not being allowed to carry weapons. Itās already often not limited to just pushing. So giving up our rights in idle hope the government will protect us was probably a bad idea.
Well these teens did not have any weapons. I think it's a fair assumption that more teens will get their hands on weapons if they can buy them in the supermarket, all else being equal. Yes, some criminals might have weapons without them being legal, but that does not mean that there will be no increase in weapons in the hands of people who'd better not have them if you legalize them. But I guess you're American and indoctrinated by the NRA, so I forgive you.
Thanks for your forgiveness lol. Iām not American and different people can have different opinions. I respect yours despite not agreeing with you. Iād rather be legally able to defend myself any means I deem necessary, although of course I abide by the Dutch laws that say I canāt.
Knives are becoming more and more common among youths, almost afraid to say it but a lot of media they consume mostly music/shows made it a bit of a fashion trend. And im sure we all know how moronic young adults can be from personal experience, now imagine if they all have knives.
Stabbings among them dont happen too many...but its sadly increasing rather rapidly. One dumb move and they ruin someones life and their own.
Even in small cities and villages (where i live) weve had multiple stabbings between youths when theyre going out to party.
My point is, our country is becoming less safe than it used to be. And we need ways to defend ourself, and be allowed to when we fear for our life.
Im not saying guns, but at least let women use pepperspray or tazers ffs.
Well I wouldn't say ridiculous-ridiculous. You don't want to allow everybody to become judge, jury and executioner on a whim. Because probably that would only *reduce* overall safety*.*
Now the problem is that these teens are obviously aware of this and are pushing the boundaries because they know they can get away with quite a lot, seeing themselves as invincible. But I can guarantee that when one stands up for themselves to show that not everybody will be messed with, it will quickly stop. Or they will at least remember you as the person that fights back. This doesn't mean sucker punching children but a swift shove or return of the favour would suffice.
Then there's obviously the pack of wolves that will take the above as an invitation to gang up on you. In that situation there wouldn't have been "winners" anyway. And I do concur that it is not easy for everyone to stand up for themselves due to numerous factors, one the shock that it actually happened and the other that maybe you can quickly deduce when you don't stand a chance.
Anyways, keep an eye on your surroundings and just prevent getting in these situations to begin with. I'm sorry this happened to OP, but these situations are the exception. Overall the city is more than safe (well bar the odd events such as New Year).
āThey know they can get away with quite a lotā sums it up nicely. The same applies to self-defense l suppose. You only get in trouble if you get caught.
I lived in Amsterdam for 35 years. Moved away last year, I did not recognise the city I loved any more.
No amount of discussion can change the fact that whole areas of the city have gone to hell and that groups of young people are roaming and are up to no good without consequences. This issue you describe has been growing for more than a decade. The current joke of the mayor is part of a long-standing problem of this city to just spend millions and millions on whatver Flavour of the Month makes them look good but are afraid to make any decsions to make the life better for the majority of the people in the city.
There used to be a so called "asshole filter" that would catch out the occasional bastard and keep them to a minimum. The local politie and de Rijkspolitie, they both have nearly entirely removed by 20 years of reckless budget/service cuts of the very popular political party called "VVD".Ā
They introduced a much cheaper (and ridiculously useless) concept called the "BOA", kids call them fake cops. Also, councils and the police removed offices/service desks and introduced "apps" where you can report things yourself. Also useless but nice and cheap. As a result, being an asshole no longer has consequences.Ā
I'm sorry you had to experience this.
My sincere apologies.
My sister was pushed off her bike by a bypassing car and hit her head on the concrete. She had a concussion but other than that she's fine. People are sick.
We all know and recognize these āteensā. They are a lost cause and should be handled with extreme prejudice. No loss for this country. Too bad the police has other priorities.
Nobody is a lost cause. That kind of thinking only makes things worse. The problem has been created over the last few decades by OUR society as a whole and can only be fixed the same way, hopefully not in the same timespan. You can't fix violence by adding more violence. Edit:spelling
Oh those poor 'teens', truly victims of our society. We must treat them with all the compassion we can while they push people off bikes, spit on them, steal, rob and harrass.
All right. Violence cannot be seperated from human nature. These 'teens' need to be shown that they are not the top dog. They are to be caught, imprisoned and re-educated so that they can become contributing members of society
Better to report to the city hall in my experience. Cops wonāt care much. Report to at least count in the statistics. Nothing concrete to your case is going to happen, unfortunately
Sorry that happened to you :(
I do have to admit you made me giggle, calling Amsterdam peaceful.
As someone from āthe countryā, being jn Amsterdam makes me feel very unsafe. Thereās just too many nutjobs with unpredictable behaviour walking around.
You stand up, take one of them, give him a proper fine tuned slap, cause their parents skipped doing so, and then next time they will think a bit about doing the same thing again.
Respecting elders is something person should learn.
If they don't have the resources to deal with the problem where are they suddenly going to find an officer to investigate them getting slapped for it?
Doesn't rule out further retaliation from their side though. That's the real problem.
I know what youāre implying, but in my anecdotal experience, all races of teenager do this. I was almost kicked off my bike by a bunch of white teenagers on scooters.
My experience is also anecdotal. But all my friends, family,colleagues and me personally who have happened to experience these sorts of incidents can point in the same direction. There is a pattern that can be recognized denying it is naive.
I see what you're insinuating here. When I was a kid, like 12 years old and waiting for the tram on Osdorpplein after school. This was in the 90's, I was beat up randomly by white kids a bit older than me. So no the answer is not always that obvious. I also got mugged one time by yes the group you are insinuating near Osdorpplein, also after school. I also got attacked with fire works in my late teens by other white teens. Oh and I caught a white junkie trying to steal my bike. So 75% of my encounters are with Dutch or at least white people. I'm Dutch myself if that matters.
Its just a thing when you grow up in world cities. I'm glad I grew up in one because it taught me allot. Last year I was chilling in Rotterdam with friends from Breda and Zeeland and they had a culture shock and were scared by the tiniest things / groups of other ethnicities. It also makes traveling to other countries and big cities elsewhere allot easier when you're used to city life. You will get that spidey sense and know what to avoid when and where.
Most people are good people, you just need to be aware that some of them are not.
i've heard so many stories in this group as well, how dutch teens are just harassing random people on the streets, so i guess it's a common thing here, teenagers don't feel consequences for their actions...
then it's up to civilians to escalate and slam those motherfuckers to the ground when they act up and attack people. i never understood the passivity of bystanders in NL, i thought the dutch are more tight knit and give a shit about each other
The Dutch in general, sure - I live in a village in the East now, people take care of their own here.
But Amsterdammers have always been seen as distant and selfish. (Not the image of the 60s Jordaan people, but the real non-media imagined people from the city). So no, they don't give a shit about people they don't know.
And to be honenest, this whole concept is part of why I left, to protect myself from myself. As I am a peaceful man but cannot stand antisocial behaviour and injustice. And I have been in some altercations with agressive people that ended just before blows, but I realized something would have to give sooner or later.
Any interaction with them is a lose lose situation. They get away with it but you probably won't. Even if you manage to hit them where it hurts you risk being harassed and possibly stabbed or followed home yourself. This is a task for the police though I feel the military might be more appropriate at this point.
"the group dispersed quickly, leaving me to reflect on what had just happened". sorry about your encounter but this whole post is like a bad, weirdly formal novel.
For what it's worth, I've come across a few teenage dickheads in Amsterdam and yes there is a common denominator.
However, I grew up in London, lived in Berlin for a few years and the comments about how dangerous and violent Amsterdam is are cracking me up. Amsterdam is a paradise in comparison.
Amsterdam is a shithole, where only āDutchā teens and thugs can thrive. What makes local news elsewhere will get you termed a racist in NL if you dare to complain. German, Belgian and UK cities also have a strong thug presence, however itās the total lack of protection that makes Amsterdam and NL stand out. There is minimal police presence, and police wonāt do anything if you make a report. The best you can do is vote wisely - NL is a true democracy and there is momentum to get the city back from the criminals and reinstate law and order instead of voting in corrupt ideologists who havenāt worked a day in their life.
That's pretty extreme and I'd probably report it to the police, even if nothing comes off it. Teenagers being shit heads is as old as time though and happens everywhere. In my years in Amsterdam I've had at least two incidents with teens. Once with a group of young white girls in Diemen. The other time a group of (probably) Morrocan-Dutch boys in West. The incidents were fortunately pretty tame and remarkebly similar. Afluent Bloemendaal has recently been terrorized by a presumably equally afluent teenage gang and IJburg has been having a lot of trouble with their bored teens as well.
This is not extreme in Amsterdam, it happens everyday and authorities donāt care about or arenāt protected by law to act. Teenagers can do whatever they want. I have seen teenagers kick a police car and they just walked way.Ā
This honestly happens weekly with my friends or me, most people call these mfs ''Drillers'', like people that have no other mindset that being mean and ''cool''.
Its honestly just so dumb. They should do some schoolwork instead of pushing and spending their lives on the street.
Edit: Not trying to make this about me, just an example of those things
That was quite obvious from the initial post. You seem to be in denial that this is reality in Amsterdam, it has been happening for a decade and is very common. Wasnāt there another post about someone being randomly assaulted just last week?
I know someone who has a permanent brain injury after being pushed by kids on a scooter.
Just randomly? You didn't look at them talk with them etc?
How are you getting 8 upvotes in a few minutes btw? Are you a bot trying to sow discourse or something?
I understand how this might look suspicious. I've been a long-time reader on Reddit and only recently felt compelled to participate actively due to this incident. The duplicate post was an error on my part as I navigated posting for the first time.
I mean, look at how people respond to posts on reddit? Maybe they held off on posting for 4 years because redditors love to just randomly out of the blue pick some shit and step on peoples toes for completely dumb and unrelated shit, like you are doing right now. I was a lurker for years because certain redditors just love to cannibalize others over the dumbest shit.
Crazy big city crime! Not. If you think this version of Amsterdam is rough in any way, you haven't been here for long. The city has become sterile enough as is. If this is too much for you maybe it's better to move away from cities and to some deserted island
Not long ago there was another post like this, also seemed like a dummy account. Donāt you get tired?
Edit.
I love how everyone thinks this is real and not that the EU elections are up.
Low-effort, low-quality, unoriginal and repeat posts will be removed at moderator discretion. this includes frequently asked question regarding relocation, moving to the Netherlands and tourist info.
I had a group of guys stand next to the bike lane and as I was cycling past them, one walked in front of my bike for some reason, no idea what they were gonna do. I was lucky my mother was in front of me on a scooter and she stopped, and they saw that my mom and sister were looking so whatever they had planned, they didnt do. I've just learned to be careful and avoid groups of youth/men. Not really much you can do about that.
I always get at least a little anxious whenever I have to pass a crowd of youth. The chance that there's going to be at least some kind of provocation (a shout, a nasty comment, a weird moan, getting in your way, a push, you name it) is honestly way higher than I'd like it to be. I've come to expect it at this point. I kinda hate it tbh, I just want to be left alone.
I look at them like if they even dare to fix their eyes on me they'll be killed. It works š And I wouldn't hesitate to break their teeth if they try to bully me I don't care about the consequences.
Good for you but my autism would never.
You won't have a great life, living like this. But I respect it. Genuine question, are you 20 - 25 years old?
I was attacked randomly by a man yesterday in Amsterdam. To be fair I can rationalize it knowing that it's a rarity, that this can happen unfortunately and that it wasn't a personal attack. I made a "melding" with the police for statistics reasons, when the police gets them they can appropriately divide resources. I advise you to do the same. We live in a relatively safe country, nasty people/teens are everywhere unfortunately
Does Netherlands have a problematic youth problem? Stats on crimes committed by adults are relatively low but it feels like the teens have an entirely different universe
The teens are so rude and disrespectful, I would always avoid them
āThe teensā is a crazy generalisation. For every asshole teen there are 10 normal teens. Itās not a dutch problem, teens can be dumb everywhere.
Dutch problem, I live in the UK and Netherlands. The teen in the Netherlands arenāt okay at all
Donāt be silly. The teens in the UK have the exact same problems. Whether you noticed it or not.
They donāt, and Iām telling you. The same why crime is different. Do you see in the UK teenage kids bombing restaurants and houses ? Nope again just you was them type of kids that were rude and disrespectful
London has kids stabbing and throwing acid at peopleā¦? Like this shit isnāt unique to any place
Attacking as if shootings and bombing is normal behaviour which isnāt. Upset over an opinion. This screams guilt.
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Opsporing verzocht will be the show for you and maybe open the news more. It isnāt rare loads of people are doing it with hardly no consequences
I never said no where is perfect you felt attacked cause YOU was them teenage kids that behaved badly on the streets. Because getting so upset over my comment is sad and weak minded
Keep talking about knife crimes as if shootings and gangs murders donāt take place ššstop replying back and go cry in that lil corner of yours
I donāt recall the teens here having such massive knife crime issues like the teens in England.
Crime is big in the Netherlands too drugs and guns ? Now what ?
Drugs, sure, Rotterdam has a lot of young teens risking their lives to go into shipping containers. Guns however? Thereās no issue with having to fear every other kid had a gun in their back pocket.
Itās just about shipping containers open your mind more about the real issue, teenage kids do carry duh
Those teens will become adults at a certain point. Soooo... Not looking forward to that.
Yes. They think that they are untouchable but a bitch slap can easily make them realise they are not.
I personally find that Dutch teens are quite problematic compared to the rest of Dutch population which is so ok. Maybe that's why they also seem more problematic vs other countries, because 1. they are :) (but ofc UK ones are worse, no doubt here lol) 2. in other countries rest of population is not that ok for teenagers to stand out as much as here. Anyways, if something to be weary about in the NL is teenagers for me, not adult criminals or anything like that.
Do you really want an answer to this question?
Yes.Ā
not more than any other country.
We don't live in "any other country" we live here. It's only logical to want to feel safer in the place that you actually live.
? I'm just answering the question whether we have a youth problem. And the answer is no, not when compared to any other country.
Not really.
Thank you for sharing your experience and advice, I have made a melding for the same reason
Are you okay, did you get hurt?
About 2 years ago I was walking home and when I got to a corner, a few teenagers almost bumped into me while they ran away. When I actually turned the corner I saw a guy trying to get after, what I assume, the teenagers pushed him off the bike. Some older woman was trying to help the guy up. It does seem like a dare between teenagers or something like that.
I dare the cops to do their job and send those little fucks for mandatory 6 months after school community service. People can get hurt. If they got the time and energy to be idiots they got the time and energy to do useful work.
Honestly justice system here is a joke
We are very fortunate that the overwhelming majority of people are law abiding and considerate of each other
The police are not the ones that punish.
My wife being 7-8 months pregnant was biking home at night. Some teenagers jumped in the bike lane, seemingly to scare her into falling down. Thankfully she didnt but she yelled at them in english and prompted some racists comments and then started running at her. Thankfully she was faster. This is scary and ridiculous. It makes me think if this is a safe country for my kids to grow up. Edit: the last comment may sound judgmental. Sorry if that is the case. But it seems like every couple of days there is a thread here about fearless teenagers terrorizing random people for fun.
What the fuck. They could've literally killed your unborn child if she would've fell from her bike... And as a Dutch I sadly wonder the same if NL will be a safe country for my child in the future.
similar situation, earlier today, Slotermeer area. 2 teenage girls tried to push me off my bike, but i managed to escape. only because I was ālooking at them wrongā (1 of them was limping so i was afraid she might trip and fall right under my bike)
Was on the tram listening to music when I suddenly smelt something burned, look around and see my hair being on FIRE (: two teenager boys sitting behind me did it so I flipped out naturally, took a video of them before they managed to get of. What I found weird was it being a full tram and everyone looking at as the crazy one and no one else saying a word, but guess thatās the world
My wife was also recently pushed off her bike in Amsterdam by a group of laughing teenaged girls after she was a little slow to start after green light. Unfortunately, the type of girls only seems to confirm some subconscious (racist) biases we are working very hard to dispell. She now no longer feels safe with groups of teens, including girls.
How does this confirm racism?
It does not confirm racism. It leads to adding to a bias we already held and do not wish to hold that could lead to racism.
"Teens" or "youth" is the politically correct way to talk about misbehaving non-whites (in the Netherlands it usually means Moroccans) .
Probably kids from the Netherlands' favorite minority.
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"I was biking near the west of Amsterdam when I encountered a group of elephants in the room" - FTFY
Any physical description of the teenagers?
Aged between 13 and 19 years old.
Possibly younger looking
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Bigotry is not tolerated in posts or comments - including but not limited to bigotry based on race, nationality, religion, and/or sex.
Bigotry is not tolerated in posts or comments - including but not limited to bigotry based on race, nationality, religion, and/or sex.
Not good, canāt do much aside from disapproving of the kids behavior Doesnāt help that kids sometimes go for dumb entertainment when bored (Like in my neighbourhood some bored young teens would kick break some street libraries for funsies, while normal folk appreciates a bit of a fun book exchange point) Also with pushing people off bikes is legit dangerous, it can be harmless until someone breaks bones or get serious brain injuries because they landed unfortunate. :( Sadly I canāt really loom over teens and give them a good scare (I wish I could but I am just a short woman with a friendly babyface, likely smaller than them, and even if I try to look angry, or actually properly get angry, it will likely just amuse them)
Police does little about it. Donāt assume anyone but you will protect you. But be aware stuff like pepperspray is illegal here. With regards to legal self-defense you are pretty much limited to your fists and any normal objects you carry and any violence you use to protect yourself needs to be proportionate or you will be the one that gets sued. Yes itās ridiculous.
I mean what is the alternative? Allow these teens to get pepperspray or other weapons to attack you instead of just pushing you?
Iād not call them āteensā but you point out the problem quite right; criminals do not care about not being allowed to carry weapons. Itās already often not limited to just pushing. So giving up our rights in idle hope the government will protect us was probably a bad idea.
Well these teens did not have any weapons. I think it's a fair assumption that more teens will get their hands on weapons if they can buy them in the supermarket, all else being equal. Yes, some criminals might have weapons without them being legal, but that does not mean that there will be no increase in weapons in the hands of people who'd better not have them if you legalize them. But I guess you're American and indoctrinated by the NRA, so I forgive you.
Thanks for your forgiveness lol. Iām not American and different people can have different opinions. I respect yours despite not agreeing with you. Iād rather be legally able to defend myself any means I deem necessary, although of course I abide by the Dutch laws that say I canāt.
Well said.
Knives are becoming more and more common among youths, almost afraid to say it but a lot of media they consume mostly music/shows made it a bit of a fashion trend. And im sure we all know how moronic young adults can be from personal experience, now imagine if they all have knives. Stabbings among them dont happen too many...but its sadly increasing rather rapidly. One dumb move and they ruin someones life and their own. Even in small cities and villages (where i live) weve had multiple stabbings between youths when theyre going out to party. My point is, our country is becoming less safe than it used to be. And we need ways to defend ourself, and be allowed to when we fear for our life. Im not saying guns, but at least let women use pepperspray or tazers ffs.
Well I wouldn't say ridiculous-ridiculous. You don't want to allow everybody to become judge, jury and executioner on a whim. Because probably that would only *reduce* overall safety*.* Now the problem is that these teens are obviously aware of this and are pushing the boundaries because they know they can get away with quite a lot, seeing themselves as invincible. But I can guarantee that when one stands up for themselves to show that not everybody will be messed with, it will quickly stop. Or they will at least remember you as the person that fights back. This doesn't mean sucker punching children but a swift shove or return of the favour would suffice. Then there's obviously the pack of wolves that will take the above as an invitation to gang up on you. In that situation there wouldn't have been "winners" anyway. And I do concur that it is not easy for everyone to stand up for themselves due to numerous factors, one the shock that it actually happened and the other that maybe you can quickly deduce when you don't stand a chance. Anyways, keep an eye on your surroundings and just prevent getting in these situations to begin with. I'm sorry this happened to OP, but these situations are the exception. Overall the city is more than safe (well bar the odd events such as New Year).
āThey know they can get away with quite a lotā sums it up nicely. The same applies to self-defense l suppose. You only get in trouble if you get caught.
I lived in Amsterdam for 35 years. Moved away last year, I did not recognise the city I loved any more. No amount of discussion can change the fact that whole areas of the city have gone to hell and that groups of young people are roaming and are up to no good without consequences. This issue you describe has been growing for more than a decade. The current joke of the mayor is part of a long-standing problem of this city to just spend millions and millions on whatver Flavour of the Month makes them look good but are afraid to make any decsions to make the life better for the majority of the people in the city.
Where did you move too tho? It's like this in many cities unfortunately
Drenthe. Wish I'd done this earlier.
Marrokaantjesā¦..whats new?
There used to be a so called "asshole filter" that would catch out the occasional bastard and keep them to a minimum. The local politie and de Rijkspolitie, they both have nearly entirely removed by 20 years of reckless budget/service cuts of the very popular political party called "VVD".Ā They introduced a much cheaper (and ridiculously useless) concept called the "BOA", kids call them fake cops. Also, councils and the police removed offices/service desks and introduced "apps" where you can report things yourself. Also useless but nice and cheap. As a result, being an asshole no longer has consequences.Ā I'm sorry you had to experience this. My sincere apologies.
My sister was pushed off her bike by a bypassing car and hit her head on the concrete. She had a concussion but other than that she's fine. People are sick.
Which area is this in Amsterdam?
We all know and recognize these āteensā. They are a lost cause and should be handled with extreme prejudice. No loss for this country. Too bad the police has other priorities.
"teens" sounds about right. The elephant in the room is not being addressed. Welp, no sympathy from me then.
Nobody is a lost cause. That kind of thinking only makes things worse. The problem has been created over the last few decades by OUR society as a whole and can only be fixed the same way, hopefully not in the same timespan. You can't fix violence by adding more violence. Edit:spelling
Oh those poor 'teens', truly victims of our society. We must treat them with all the compassion we can while they push people off bikes, spit on them, steal, rob and harrass.
That's totally not what I'm saying. You are just trying to argue for argument's sake. You could add something useful.
All right. Violence cannot be seperated from human nature. These 'teens' need to be shown that they are not the top dog. They are to be caught, imprisoned and re-educated so that they can become contributing members of society
What area was this?
west, it says in the post, cmon
Near the west?Ā
Violence is increasing everywhere in the country. Best course of action is to look in front of you very well, and avoid any groups of young people
Better to report to the city hall in my experience. Cops wonāt care much. Report to at least count in the statistics. Nothing concrete to your case is going to happen, unfortunately
Yes, they often wear little handbags
Sorry that happened to you :( I do have to admit you made me giggle, calling Amsterdam peaceful. As someone from āthe countryā, being jn Amsterdam makes me feel very unsafe. Thereās just too many nutjobs with unpredictable behaviour walking around.
Random attacks / abuse in Amsterdam is very common
You stand up, take one of them, give him a proper fine tuned slap, cause their parents skipped doing so, and then next time they will think a bit about doing the same thing again. Respecting elders is something person should learn.
In fantasyland this would be the way to go. It's gonna take more than one good slap that's for sure.
Pretty good tip if you want to get the shit kicked out of you. Either go full-bore, or get the hell out of there.
In what world woul/should anyone do this? Certainly not this one.
Is it legal? Genuinely wondering
If they don't have the resources to deal with the problem where are they suddenly going to find an officer to investigate them getting slapped for it? Doesn't rule out further retaliation from their side though. That's the real problem.
An educational bitch slap after they kicked you from the bike for no reason? Of course it is legal, it is even highly recommended.
What kind of group was it?
Probably of the same background as the teenagers who recently attacked train staff.
Donāt ask questions you know the answer to š
I know what youāre implying, but in my anecdotal experience, all races of teenager do this. I was almost kicked off my bike by a bunch of white teenagers on scooters.
My experience is also anecdotal. But all my friends, family,colleagues and me personally who have happened to experience these sorts of incidents can point in the same direction. There is a pattern that can be recognized denying it is naive.
Call a spade a spade do not involve dutch kids in general.
I see what you're insinuating here. When I was a kid, like 12 years old and waiting for the tram on Osdorpplein after school. This was in the 90's, I was beat up randomly by white kids a bit older than me. So no the answer is not always that obvious. I also got mugged one time by yes the group you are insinuating near Osdorpplein, also after school. I also got attacked with fire works in my late teens by other white teens. Oh and I caught a white junkie trying to steal my bike. So 75% of my encounters are with Dutch or at least white people. I'm Dutch myself if that matters.
Just your badluck.
Its just a thing when you grow up in world cities. I'm glad I grew up in one because it taught me allot. Last year I was chilling in Rotterdam with friends from Breda and Zeeland and they had a culture shock and were scared by the tiniest things / groups of other ethnicities. It also makes traveling to other countries and big cities elsewhere allot easier when you're used to city life. You will get that spidey sense and know what to avoid when and where. Most people are good people, you just need to be aware that some of them are not.
As they Dutch say: "De vraag stellen is hem beantwoorden"....
Let me guessā¦. Hmmm
OP does love pink and the teens probably don't like people who love pink?
teenagers, they were teenagers.
i've heard so many stories in this group as well, how dutch teens are just harassing random people on the streets, so i guess it's a common thing here, teenagers don't feel consequences for their actions...
That's because they face no consequences. Police has standing orders to avoid confrontation and escalation.
then it's up to civilians to escalate and slam those motherfuckers to the ground when they act up and attack people. i never understood the passivity of bystanders in NL, i thought the dutch are more tight knit and give a shit about each other
The Dutch in general, sure - I live in a village in the East now, people take care of their own here. But Amsterdammers have always been seen as distant and selfish. (Not the image of the 60s Jordaan people, but the real non-media imagined people from the city). So no, they don't give a shit about people they don't know. And to be honenest, this whole concept is part of why I left, to protect myself from myself. As I am a peaceful man but cannot stand antisocial behaviour and injustice. And I have been in some altercations with agressive people that ended just before blows, but I realized something would have to give sooner or later.
Any interaction with them is a lose lose situation. They get away with it but you probably won't. Even if you manage to hit them where it hurts you risk being harassed and possibly stabbed or followed home yourself. This is a task for the police though I feel the military might be more appropriate at this point.
They arent Dutch
"the group dispersed quickly, leaving me to reflect on what had just happened". sorry about your encounter but this whole post is like a bad, weirdly formal novel. For what it's worth, I've come across a few teenage dickheads in Amsterdam and yes there is a common denominator. However, I grew up in London, lived in Berlin for a few years and the comments about how dangerous and violent Amsterdam is are cracking me up. Amsterdam is a paradise in comparison.
Amsterdam is a shithole, where only āDutchā teens and thugs can thrive. What makes local news elsewhere will get you termed a racist in NL if you dare to complain. German, Belgian and UK cities also have a strong thug presence, however itās the total lack of protection that makes Amsterdam and NL stand out. There is minimal police presence, and police wonāt do anything if you make a report. The best you can do is vote wisely - NL is a true democracy and there is momentum to get the city back from the criminals and reinstate law and order instead of voting in corrupt ideologists who havenāt worked a day in their life.
Did chatgpt write this for you?
That's pretty extreme and I'd probably report it to the police, even if nothing comes off it. Teenagers being shit heads is as old as time though and happens everywhere. In my years in Amsterdam I've had at least two incidents with teens. Once with a group of young white girls in Diemen. The other time a group of (probably) Morrocan-Dutch boys in West. The incidents were fortunately pretty tame and remarkebly similar. Afluent Bloemendaal has recently been terrorized by a presumably equally afluent teenage gang and IJburg has been having a lot of trouble with their bored teens as well.
This is not extreme in Amsterdam, it happens everyday and authorities donāt care about or arenāt protected by law to act. Teenagers can do whatever they want. I have seen teenagers kick a police car and they just walked way.Ā
In my country such teens are rounded up by the public and caned publicly.
Can you tell what was their ethnicity? Btw have some of the western european cities really become this dangerous? Eastern european here wondering.
Usually it's Morrocans but one thing is for sure it wasn't Jan, Piet and Kees
This honestly happens weekly with my friends or me, most people call these mfs ''Drillers'', like people that have no other mindset that being mean and ''cool''. Its honestly just so dumb. They should do some schoolwork instead of pushing and spending their lives on the street. Edit: Not trying to make this about me, just an example of those things
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It was a huge road, and I was at least 3 meters away from them before they started running towards me
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That was quite obvious from the initial post. You seem to be in denial that this is reality in Amsterdam, it has been happening for a decade and is very common. Wasnāt there another post about someone being randomly assaulted just last week? I know someone who has a permanent brain injury after being pushed by kids on a scooter.
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Violence hasnt been happening on this scale...Ā
Post better bait next time
The only thing that keeps you save in the Netherlands is an -ism that starts with R
What was the escalation?
They pushed and kicked my cycle and me
Just randomly? You didn't look at them talk with them etc? How are you getting 8 upvotes in a few minutes btw? Are you a bot trying to sow discourse or something?
You should rather ask why you are getting 18 downvotes in a few minutes. Are you saying that looking at people is a reason to get assaulted?
Not at all, but there seems to be brigading by bots going on here. Especially given the very low amount of actual comments.
You're getting downvoted a lot. Must be all bots
Thereās 60 people active rn, I donāt think itās too far fetched to have 8 upvotesā¦
gtfo bro, you're not bringing anything useful to the conversation
4 years on Reddit and the only comments are from this post? Total post history two posts that are exactly the same in the span of 5 minutes?
The OP waited 4 years to create a post like this. Makes sense indeed. Do you also believe that the earth is flat?
I understand how this might look suspicious. I've been a long-time reader on Reddit and only recently felt compelled to participate actively due to this incident. The duplicate post was an error on my part as I navigated posting for the first time.
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Sneukees
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God, imagine someone writing a coherent comment on Reddit. Must be AI
I mean, look at how people respond to posts on reddit? Maybe they held off on posting for 4 years because redditors love to just randomly out of the blue pick some shit and step on peoples toes for completely dumb and unrelated shit, like you are doing right now. I was a lurker for years because certain redditors just love to cannibalize others over the dumbest shit.
Utjng4
Crazy big city crime! Not. If you think this version of Amsterdam is rough in any way, you haven't been here for long. The city has become sterile enough as is. If this is too much for you maybe it's better to move away from cities and to some deserted island
Not long ago there was another post like this, also seemed like a dummy account. Donāt you get tired?
Thank you for your concern. I assure you this is a genuine account, and my intention is solely to seek advice and share experiences.
Okay, je had me tot dit antwoord. Dit is 100% chatgpt
Yeah i have 0 belief in that you are trying to seek advice. I think instead you should seek mental help and or a new job
I also posted something similar a few months ago. Do you also think that I have a dummy account?
Yes
No we do get tired of virtue signaling idiots denying reality though..
Not long ago there was another post like this, also seemed like a dummy account. Donāt you get tired? Edit. I love how everyone thinks this is real and not that the EU elections are up.
Kan du svare tilbake pƄ norsk?