Amsterdam police are investigating an attack on a family home on the Amstelkade in the Zuid district. On the evening of Wednesday 21 October 2026, at about 22:00, someone threw a brick through a ground-floor window of the house. Next to the front door, where the family had hung a rainbow flag, a threat had been painted on the wall. According to the police appeal, the text was probably applied between 21:30 and 22:00. Nobody was hurt.
The police describe the case as anti-LGBTIQ+ violence. Officers carried out door-to-door enquiries the same evening and continued them in the area over the following days, and officers from Roze in Blauw, the police network for LGBTIQ+ cases, are working on it. No suspect had been arrested when the reports appeared.
The family told Het Parool that the brick hit the bedroom of their 13-year-old daughter, who was elsewhere in the house at the time. The wall reads "Drop dead xxx gay! I kill gay", AT5 reported on 22 October. The family also said that at the start of October the words "gay cancer" had been sprayed on the same wall, and that their flag had earlier been taken down once and damaged once. They have filed a police report and have removed the flag.
The police appeal
The police are asking anyone who was near the Amstelkade between 21:00 and 22:00 on 21 October, or who has camera or dashcam footage, to come forward. The tip line is 0800-6070. Information can also be given anonymously on 0800-7000, quoting registration number 2026281227.
If something happens to you in Amsterdam
The Amstelkade is a residential street south of the city centre, well away from the bars around Reguliersdwarsstraat, Zeedijk and Warmoesstraat. Visitors who meet hostility in the city can use the same channels as residents.
- In an emergency, call 112.
- Roze in Blauw can be reached on +31 88 169 1234 or at RozeinBlauw@politie.nl. You can also ask for one of its officers when you report something at a police station. The I amsterdam visitor page on LGBTQI+ safety lists these contacts and further support lines.
- Incidents you do not want to report to the police can go to Meldpunt Discriminatie Regio Amsterdam, +31 20 638 55 51 on weekdays.
- Pink Point, the information kiosk beside the Homomonument, is a good first stop for local advice.
Our Amsterdam page lists the bars, clubs, saunas and hotels of the city's scene, and the Netherlands page covers the legal situation for LGBTQ+ travellers.
