DutchNews.nl - Opinion: The truth about Amsterdam

Opinion

The truth about Amsterdam

Friday 07 August 2009

Amsterdam was recently given a bashing by the hectoring right-wing US news station, Fox News. But a video on You Tube is hitting back, says journalist Mark Fuller.

Amsterdam was recently given a bashing by the hectoring right-wing US news station, Fox News. The city was closing down cannabis selling coffee-shops and brothels because organised crime was taking over, according to Fox.

Two Republican politicians were shown condemning the city as a cess pool of corruption which was totally out of control.

The piece was no doubt sparked off by Amsterdam city council’s drive to close down businesses - coffee-shops and brothels included - whose owners are suspected of shady dealings.

For example, the city recently closed down one of its high-profile brothels, Yab Yum, because of alleged illegal practices. And it is taking tough measures against other businesses.

Organised crime is a problem for the capital and the Netherlands in general and seems to thrive on the opportunities offered by the decriminalisation of soft drugs, a liberal attitude to prostitution and the country's position as a distribution hub for Europe.

So there is a grain of truth in the Fox News piece. But that’s about it. The tirades from the Republicans were as vicious as they were misinformed.

Fortunately, an Amsterdam firm has countered the vitriol with a fact-based video posted on You Tube () which has been picked up by bloggers and websites in the US.

Titled ‘The Truth About Amsterdam’ the film shows idyllic scenes of cyclists, friendly old people and fun-loving youngsters enjoying the sunshine while displaying some hard-hitting statistical comparisons between Amsterdam and the US.

The city has far fewer dope addicts, murders and drug-related deaths than the US.

It may be not as idyllic as the You tube video suggests, but Amsterdam is certainly a far more pleasant place to live than many an American city. It also has more accurate news reports!

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Readers' comments

North America has over 300 million people living in the country, the country is way larger, it is like comparing apples and oranges.

By sandra | August 7, 2009 3:06 PM

You are correct. Only 5% of Amsterdam looks like the Fox film and only 5% of Amsterdam looks like the You Tube response. The other 90% is very different.

By Pieter | August 7, 2009 5:09 PM

Those yahoos on Fox News need to take a vacation to Amsterdam, rent a bicycle, take a walk along the canals, sit on a terrass on a sunny afternoon, visit a coffee shop, and learn to relax. A day at the Vondelpark would show them what they are missing in our troubled country on the other side of right wing extremism and repressive 21st century Puritanism. I have enjoyed the myriad pleasures of Amsterdam many times and everyone I know who has been there has high praise (no pun intended!) for its ambiance and atmosphere.

By eric | August 8, 2009 12:15 AM

Fox News is a Rupert Murdoch controlled publication - the worst of many - as is Britain's News of the World. Amsterdam's publicity machine should not have responded. Only the lunatic fringe (die-hard American Republicans) take any notice of Fox News and they're busy trying to prove that President Obama isn't an American.

By Michael Dawkes | August 10, 2009 2:43 PM

comment6

By anatole | August 10, 2009 2:51 PM

I bet if the Netherlands legalized commericial production of marijuana a large part of your problems with organized crime would be gone. They make billions from marijuana every year and this money funds all sorts of other criminal activities. Just legalize commercial production. You'll hear some grumblings from other countries for a while, but they'll get over it. You'll have far more control over the marijuana industry, rpoduction and imports, and marijuana exports from the Netherlands would probably decrease, not increase.

By John Q. Public | August 17, 2009 5:24 PM

You are correct. Only 5% of Amsterdam looks like the Fox film and only 5% of Amsterdam looks like the You Tube response. The other 90% is very different.

By Ignorance | August 20, 2009 8:28 AM

The Fox TV made me think of the kind of misleading journalism you see typicaly in in places like North Korea

By Frederick William Dines | February 17, 2010 10:34 PM

'North America has over 300 million people living in the country, the country is way larger, it is like comparing apples and oranges.'

Sandra-it doesnt matter how many people are there, statistics are statistics and they are not, as John O'Reilly put it 'done differently in Amsterdam' than they are anywhere else in the world.
Fox news get way too much attention-its a tabloid news station that tries to be as arrogant as possible

By Jennifer | February 19, 2010 1:00 PM

Fox News is indeed a right-wing Republican extremist organization that more closely resembles terrorism at its best. The "news" personalities distort and twist the facts and often outright lie to their audience to advance the Rupert Murdoch agenda.

Having worked at Fox, I can testify personally that Rupert Murdoch's agenda is to control the world through his huge global holdings. Let's hope that he never succeeds and that wiser and more genuine minds will prevail.

By Bram | February 20, 2010 5:21 AM

Not to worry folks-
the wackos on FOX are some of the right wing wackos Republicans we deal with daily-soon they will be on the news-charged with drug use or sex acts with prostitutes-the GOP in America is highly corrupt and lacking any social grace what so ever-just ignore FOX in general..

By rob2tall | February 20, 2010 6:08 AM