Lisa, 17, killed whilst cycling home as 22-year-old suspect linked to two other sexual assaults ignites outrage across Netherlands
A 17-year-old girl has been brutally murdered by an asylum seeker in Amsterdam, sparking nationwide protests and a powerful movement demanding women’s right to safety in public spaces.
Lisa, a student from Abcoude, was fatally stabbed in the early hours of Wednesday, 20 August, as she cycled home after an evening out with friends in central Amsterdam. The teenager managed to call emergency services when she realised she was being followed, but police found her dead beside the Holterbergweg canal near the Johan Cruijff Arena at 4:15am.
Amsterdam police arrested a 22-year-old man residing at a Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) facility in the capital on Thursday evening. The suspect faces charges of murder and is also linked to a violent sexual assault on 15 August and an attempted sexual assault on 10 August, both in Amsterdam’s Weesperzijde area.
She was killed with significant violence, and several stab wounds and slashes were found at the neck,” Amsterdam police chief Peter Holla confirmed at a press conference on Friday, describing the attack as particularly brutal.
The murder has ignited a national outcry, with Dutch actress and author Nienke ‘s Gravemade’s powerful poem about Lisa’s death going viral across social media. The poem, which has been shared tens of thousands of times, focuses on the red handbag that hung from Lisa’s bicycle handlebars.
“I claim the night. I claim the streets. I demand that the fear be lifted,” ‘s Gravemade wrote on Instagram. “The red bag. I keep thinking about that red bag. How it dangled from her handlebars as she drove through the night. A night that belonged to her too, because we all have 24 hours in our day. 24 hours that we are free to use how and where we choose.”
The poem, accompanied by the hashtag #reclaimthenight, has become a rallying cry for women across the Netherlands and Belgium, with thousands joining protests demanding their right to move freely without fear.
Head of public prosecution René de Beukelaer revealed that the suspect was already in custody when linked to Lisa’s murder, having been arrested for the 15 August sexual assault. “On the basis of the findings of the investigation, we have the serious suspicion that it was one and the same suspect,” he said.
Disturbing revelations have emerged that the suspect may have been staying illegally at the Amsterdam asylum centre. During a closed-door residents’ meeting at the facility, which houses approximately 850 people, COA officials confirmed the man had not been formally housed at the location.
One asylum seeker at the centre told Het Parool anonymously: “Here is a lot of criminality, drugs are being dealt with, and the COA does nothing, also not against violence. No wonder that such a criminal can live here. Above all, there are no cameras. It is super unsafe for children among all these bad men.”
The COA spokesperson rejected these claims, stating: “We do not recognise ourselves in the picture painted by one resident.
Lisa’s family released a statement saying their “hearts are broken” by the loss. The teenager had left Amsterdam city centre around 3:30am on her electric bike, a route she had frequently taken. When she noticed someone following her, she called 112 for help, with dispatchers hearing her screams as the attack unfolded.
Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema described the murder as “appalling and unforgivable,” announcing extra measures to enhance women’s safety. “Women’s ability to move freely without fear is not guaranteed in society,” she acknowledged.
The tragedy has reignited fierce debate about victim blaming, with ‘s Gravemade addressing common questions that shift responsibility onto victims: “Why didn’t she just take a taxi with her friends? Was it really smart to get on her bike alone? Why was she still cycling that late at night?”
“The blame should never rest on women,” she wrote. “It belongs solely with the perpetrator.”
A crowdfunding campaign launched for billboard advertisements with slogans “reclaim the night” and “let women get home safely” raised over €400,000 in its first 24 hours, far exceeding its initial €3,500 target. The adverts have been displayed at railway stations and prominent sites across the Netherlands.
Author Lois Kruidenier published another viral poem listing the precautions women routinely take: “I put on my sneakers before getting on my bike with no lights. I tie my hair into a bun or tuck it into my jacket, trying to be as invisible as possible. I listen to music, but very quietly.
The suspect, whose nationality has not been disclosed by police, is scheduled for a court hearing on 25 August. He faces preliminary charges of murder for Lisa’s death and rape for the 15 August incident.
The case has sparked calls for stricter asylum policies and mass deportations on social media, though authorities have urged against generalising about asylum seekers based on this incident.
Lisa’s murder represents a tragic addition to ongoing concerns about women’s safety in public spaces. The “Reclaim the Night” movement, which originated in Leeds in 1977, has found renewed urgency in the Netherlands, with women demanding their fundamental right to move freely at any hour without fear.
As one protestor’s sign read: “Every woman deserves her 24 hours.”
Follow for more updates on Britannia Daily
