The two couples are also said to have heard from other Russian-speaking asylum seekers in the days before the incident that it is “not normal” and “not natural” to be gay. They are also said to have been repeatedly called “fucking gays” in Russian, says Sandro Kortekaas, chairman of LGBT Asylum Support, who is in contact with the couples.
LGBT Asylum Support had received reports of this and therefore asked COA whether the couples could be transferred to special LGBT accommodation units. According to Kortekaas, however, there was no response from COA until the Z had been scratched on the wall. The couples were then moved to another location.
A spokesperson for the COA says he is not aware of the previous incidents. “They may have reported this,” the spokesperson said. “We came into action from the moment that Z was painted on the wall.”
Stress and insecurity
LGBT Asylum Support is in contact with about 500 asylum seekers with an LGBT background. Chairman Kortekaas says that he receives daily reports about unsafe incidents and homosexual violence in the asylum seekers’ centers in the Netherlands, which is why been a problem for a long time is. “We always forward those reports to the COA and other authorities, so that they can receive extra protection,” says Kortekaas.
According to Kortekaas, the fact that Russian LGBT people in asylum seekers’ centers now also have to deal with statements of support for Russian President Putin in the form of the letter Z, in addition to homophobia. “We have never experienced anything like this, that a vulnerable group is confronted with such a hostile symbol,” he says.
According to Kortekaas, this not only causes stress, but also creates feelings of insecurity. “Previously, most reports were about the oppression that LGBT people experience because of their sexuality,” he says. “But now they also have to deal with fear. Because where can they still flee the Russian regime? Where are they safe?”
Why is that Z used to show support for Russia? We explain it in this photo slider:
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