Jetten becomes first Dutch PM to join Pride canal parade

Rob Jetten became the first serving Dutch prime minister to take part in Amsterdam’s Pride canal parade on Saturday, joining a boat at the Scheepvaartmuseum and sailing part of the route through the city centre.

He used his appearance to announce that the cabinet would implement the Regenboog Stembusakkoord, a set of pledges on LGBTQI+ rights signed by seven parties last October.

Jetten also said new laws will be coming to strengthen the position of LGBTQI+ people, and that the cabinet was setting aside €35 million for safety measures and work with the police and the big cities.

The agreement was drawn up by the rights organisation COC and signed in October 2025 by all three parties now in the coalition government.

Its commitments include raising the number of police discrimination detectives from four to at least 40 and reviving a bill easing legal gender change that was withdrawn under the previous cabinet.

Jetten, who is openly gay, said in February that he receives constant threats over his sexuality. He encouraged young LGBTQI+ people to be open about who they are, saying it remained difficult in the Netherlands in 2026.

Eighty boats, tighter security
Around 80 boats sailed from the Oosterdok along the Nieuwe Herengracht and the Amstel to the Prinsengracht, where temporary stands had been built for WorldPride. Organisers gave no visitor figure but described the crowds as very busy.

The city council’s boat marked 25 years since the Netherlands became the first country to open civil marriage to same-sex couples.

Security was tightened after the attack on a Pride event in Berlin the previous week, with 250 concrete blocks placed along the canals. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema said the city had prepared thoroughly but did not specify what the extra measures were.

The parade was the midpoint of WorldPride, which runs until August 8. The UNITY Concert takes place on Museumplein on Tuesday, followed by a human rights conference at the Beurs van Berlage, a mass wedding celebration on August 6 and a closing concert on August 8.