Crowdfunding campaign launched after murder of girl raises €400K

A crowdfunding campaign started following the murder of a 17-year-old girl as she cycled home from a night out in Amsterdam has raised more than €400,000 in its first 24 hours.

The billboard campaign set an initial target of €3,500, but the figure has since been raised to €530,000 after it hit €425,000 at 3pm on Monday.

The adverts, with the slogans wij eisen de nacht op (“reclaim the night”) and laat vrouwen veilig thuiskomen (“let women get home safely”), have been displayed at railway stations and prominent sites in cites across the Netherlands.

The campaign was launched in the response to the fatal attack on 17-year-old Lisa on her way home from Amsterdam in the early hours of Wednesday. She was found dead beside a canal with stab wounds to her neck and body.

A 22-year-old asylum seeker has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her and attacking another woman in Amsterdam just after midnight on August 15. The victim on that occasion managed to escape and was treated in hospital for her injuries.

Police are also investigating whether the suspect was involved in a third incident on August 10 that was initially treated as an attempted robbery, but is now believed to be an attempted rape. The man appeared in court on Monday and has been detained in custody for a further 14 days.

The crowdfunding campaign at wijeisendenachtop.nl has attracted individual donations of up to €6,500, as well as contributions from organisations.

Founder Danique de Jong told NOS: “We’ve had hundreds of thousands of euros from people donating money out of their own their savings and earnings. When people do that, you have to conclude that it really matters to them.”