Lesbian couple beaten up during Amsterdam Pride
Ana Camboim (L) and Katya Sazanova (R) were attacked during Amsterdam Pride weekend. (Ana Camboim/Getty)
A lesbian couple were reportedly attacked by two men after they rejected their advances during Amsterdam Pride weekend.
Katya Sazanova and her Brazilian girlfriend Ana Camboim told Het Parool they were walking hand-in-hand through Amsterdam city centre early Saturday (August 3) morning when two men shouted at them from a scooter.
“You are so hot, can we join you?” one of them said, according to the NL Times.
After Sazanova and Camboim told the men to go away, they jumped off their scooter and attacked.
Both women took blows to the face and between them were left with a busted lip and a swollen nose.
“It was so frightening,” said Sazanova, a Kazakhstan ex-pat.
We might expect something like this in our own countries, but not in Amsterdam.
“People sometimes look when we hold hands, but people have never been physical.
“We might expect something like this in our own countries, but not in Amsterdam.”
Sazanonva said that while the assault was reported to police, there is little chance of the attackers being caught.
She added: “People sometimes ask: why do you celebrate Pride? Why is it necessary to talk about this? This is why. What happened to us can happen to any couple. It is still happening.”
Uber driver spat at gay couple
In a separate incident, two gay men were spat at by an Uber driver after they held hands and kissed in the back of his car.
The couple said that they were heading home from Pride celebrations on Sunday (August 4) when the driver lashed out.
“He suddenly became very aggressive. He looked like he wanted to hit us,” one of the men, Luke, told NH News.
“The incident has traumatised me, if I am honest,” he added.
“In the three years we have lived here I have felt so free and happy. This is the first time I have experienced anything like this.”
Amsterdam Pride is headlined by a Canal Parade of 80 boats. (Getty)
Amsterdam Pride took place over a long weekend, headlined by the annual Canal Parade on Saturday (August 3).
An estimated 500,000 LGBT+ people and their allies descended on the Dutch capital to cheer on an 80-strong flotilla adorned with rainbows and banners supporting this year’s theme: “Remember the past, create the future.”
