Slotervaart is a former stadsdeel

Stadsdeel

A stadsdeel is the name used for city districts in some of the larger municipalities of the Netherlands.Amsterdam calls 7 of its 8 deelgemeenten stadsdeel...

 (borough

Borough

A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....

) of Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, it has 48.540 inhabitants (2008) and an area of 11.14 km². As of 2010, Slotervaart is part of the newly formed stadsdeel Nieuw-West.

Slotervaart has a significant immigrant population; 33% of the inhabitants are from Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

, 21% are from Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

, and 5% are from Suriname

Suriname

Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...

.

In 2006, Slotervaart youngsters burned cars and threw stones at the police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

 after a stabbing accident at the Allebeplein, where the police killed a Moroccan boy.

At the edge of Slootervaart is De Oeverlanden park, a recreational location popular among young families with children, and also among men who have sex with men

Men who have sex with men

Men who have sex with men are male persons who engage in sexual activity with members of the same sex, regardless of how they identify themselves; many men choose not to accept sexual identities of homosexual or bisexual...

 for whom the park is a famous cruising

Cruising for sex

Cruising for sex, or cruising is the act of walking or driving about a locality in search of a sex partner, usually of the anonymous, casual, one-time variety...

 spot. The different clienteles traditionally frequent separate areas of the large park. Sometimes, homosexual tourists (who visit Slootervaart for its famous park) have not been aware of this distinction, and this has led to incidents of gay bashing

Gay bashing

Gay bashing and gay bullying is verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived to be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender . Such abuse is used also to bully heterosexual persons and persons of non-specific or unknown sexual orientation.A "bashing" may be a specific incident, and one...

. In early 2009 signs were erected pointing out the "family" and "cruising" areas.

External links

• Schwule links, Heteros rechts - German news article about De Oeverlanden park