Amsterdam launches campaign to discourage young British men planning drug & alcohol-fuelled parties

The Netherlands' capital city Amsterdam launched a campaign on Tuesday (March 28) to discourage tourists from planning drug- and alcohol-fuelled parties -- starting with young British men. The campaign, called- "Stay Away", would involve people searching online for some getaways in Amsterdam and receiving special warnings, a report by the news agency AFP said. According to a statement by the Amsterdam City Council, "The campaign will commence in Great Britain, aimed at males in the age category of 18 to 35 years."

The council said that the campaign is aimed at nuisance tourists who want to visit the Netherlands' capital to 'go wild', with all the ensuing consequences. The council added the campaign would be expanded to potential nuisance-causing visitors from the Netherlands and other EU countries in the coming year.

For a long time, Amsterdam has been trying to curb rowdy behaviour such as stag parties, especially near the famed red light area where sex workers operate. The city council also said on Tuesday that people searching for terms such as "stag party Amsterdam" or "pub crawl Amsterdam" will be shown warning advertisements.

These advertisements would show the risks and consequences of anti-social behaviour and excessive drug and alcohol abuse including fines, arrest, criminal records, hospitalisation and health issues.

Last month, Amsterdam announced a ban on smoking cannabis in the red light district, coupled with further restrictions on alcohol consumption and earlier closures for cafes, bars and sex clubs.

The city has been wanting to move legal prostitution outside its famed red light district over complaints from residents about crime and often rowdy behaviour. AFP earlier reported that two of three proposed locations for the huge new brothel are near the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) purpose-built headquarters in a business district on the southern outskirts of Amsterdam.

Earlier in March, the EMA said that it was extremely concerned about this proposal.

"EMA is very concerned that this will create safety, security and nuisance issues" for staff and for visiting delegates, who often have to leave late in the evening. The change of the location of the red light district is motivated by concerns of nuisance, drug-dealing, drunkenness and disorderly behaviour," the regulator said in a statement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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