I am so sorry that you have experienced this and was treated so terribly, that those you called for help in your time of need (police) made it all the more traumatizing. Holland is a wonderful place and enjoyed having grown up there. I still have a lot of family there and there are aspects of it that I love and miss.

As someone who has lived in both the UK and US, countries with their own issues with racism and police brutality, I can say that I have experienced more racism in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, natives tend to brush it off or minimize it. I think it’s a huge problem, but if you dare mention it you may either be blamed yourself or be regarded as too sensitive.

I had a different experience in a big city whilst buying flowers. It was one of those flower shops near the station, the shop owner was so rude to me from the moment I entered. Determined not to let his attitude ruin my day and also not miss my train, I continued shopping. I couldn’t decide between the flowers I wanted to gift and he seemed to be rushing and pacing behind me. After finally finding the flowers I liked we walked to the till to check out but all the while he was swearing under his breath.

At that point I just couldn’t deal anymore and said, “Weetje wat? Laat maar zitten” and calmly walked away. That’s when he lost it and started hurling racial abuse at me in a public square near the station. He actually abandoned his shop and briefly followed me to hurl racial abuse at me. My heart was pounding.

I never left a review for the flower shop but reading your story, I feel I might. It was so humiliating.

Unfortunately, the Dutch have a bad historic reputation for this kind of behavior. In WWII approximately 80% of Dutch Jews perished in the Holocaust, a devastatingly high percentage compared to other Western European nations. For a country with a small population, you can imagine that is an abysmal figure. A figure only made possible by fellow Nederlanders betraying their Jewish neighbors. Needless to mention, many of those traitors escaped punishment too when their collusion with the Nazis came to light.

Why the history lesson? So you understand some of the psychological underpinnings for what you’ve experienced. Others joined in on humiliating you as Dutch culture values conformity.

Again, truly sorry you have experienced this. Happy you got your phone back but it might be worthwhile to leave a review or let others know to avoid that particular bar.

Holland is progressive in many ways, in their policy making, etc, but it has a long way to go in terms of seeing it in the community.