Rob Jetten announces €7.5m annual fund to improve LGBTQ+ safety in the Netherlands
The Dutch prime minister spoke at the opening of the WorldPride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam today (5 August)
By Callum Wells
Rob Jetten has announced the Dutch government will spend €7.5 million (£6.4m) a year over the next three years on improving the safety of LGBTQ+ people.
Speaking at the opening of the WorldPride Human Rights Conference in Amsterdam today (5 August), the country’s prime minister said the funding would support initiatives designed to tackle discrimination, improve public safety and counter the spread of anti-LGBTQ+ misinformation.
He used his opening address to warn that progress on LGBTQ+ equality is being reversed in parts of the world, arguing that hate speech is becoming increasingly mainstream.
What did Rob Jetten say about anti-LGBTQ+ hate?
According to Jetten, “toxic, highly organised and well-funded groups hiding behind the façade of freedom of expression” are helping fuel the shift.
He also accused major social media platforms of failing to deal with abusive content.
“Hate groups no longer feel restrained,” he said. “In my view, the rise of online hatred is one of the biggest threats facing LGBTQI+ people today… Misinformation – and disinformation – can be spread in the blink of an eye, with a single mouse-click.”
“Reaching much further than NGOs, youth workers and health organisations can.
“This is always how hatred takes hold: In the shadows. Outside the spotlight of society. Underestimated by everyone.”
Inside the Netherlands’ new LGBTQ+ safety plan
Alongside the funding package, Jetten said the government will launch a public information campaign intended to challenge discrimination and online disinformation.
Part of the investment will be used to expand support for Purple Friday, the annual initiative encouraging schools across the Netherlands to discuss LGBTQI+ inclusion. Organised by LGBTQ+ organisation COC since 2010, the campaign sees pupils and teachers wear purple as a sign of support.
The event has become increasingly contentious in recent years. Surveys carried out by Dutch broadcasters NOS and RTL in 2024 found that around three-quarters of participating schools had experienced problems linked to Purple Friday, including rainbow flags being burned, posters being vandalised and objections from parents. Some schools have since replaced it with broader “be yourself” events.
Jetten’s speech was briefly interrupted by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who repeatedly shouted “where is your red line” before one protester called out: “Shame on you being at a human rights conference when you’re complicit in genocide.”
What happened during Jetten’s WorldPride speech?
As security staff escorted the protesters from the auditorium, the prime minister asked the audience to applaud them and described the situation in Gaza and the West Bank as “horrific”.
The speech also referenced the attack at Berlin Pride on 25 July, in which one person was killed and 29 others were injured. The suspect was later shot dead by police. Jetten said that, in the days afterwards, his “heart was filled with hope” when thousands gathered at Amsterdam’s Homomonument to remember those affected.
This year’s WorldPride takes place as the Netherlands marks 25 years since becoming the first country to legalise same-sex marriage. Four couples married at Amsterdam City Hall just after midnight on 1 April 2001, and more than 36,000 same-sex couples have married in the country since.