Netherlands Gym CrossFit Gold Pact Cleaning up After Homophobic Hate Crime 

Photo by AD News

On Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021, CrossFit Gold Pact in Rotterdam, Netherlands, was vandalized in a hate crime targeting its LGBTQ+ community. The crime occurred a few days after affiliate owner Paul van Dorst founded an LGBTQ+ football fan club called Roze Kameraden (Pink Comrades) at the gym.

According to a local news outlet, around 12:30 in the morning, the Rotterdam police received a report of a loud noise and possible fire at a building not far from the Feyenoord neighborhood.

During their investigation, police found graffiti containing homophobic slurs spray-painted on the side of van Dorst’s facility and discovered a fire had been set inside the building.

CrossFit Gold Pact’s Roze Kameraden football club was formed on Thursday, Aug. 19, in support of Feyenoord Rotterdam, a professional football club that plays in the highest tier in Dutch football. The goal of the Roze Kameraden club is to combat LGBTQ+ discrimination among football supporters.

AD News reports van Dorst was shocked and devastated by the incident at his gym. During an interview, he said he was not surprised by the graffiti, but he never expected the burglary and arson.

Nevertheless, van Dorst has not considered disbanding the Roze Kameraden club or halting his gym’s support of the LGBTQ+ community. If anything, the crime has strengthened everyone’s resolve.

“We are stronger. There have been many more positive than negative reactions. This strengthens us in our mission,” van Dorst said.

On Twitter, van Dorst wrote: “This just shows that there is still a very long way to go.”

CrossFit’s Response

“We were appalled to learn one of our affiliates was the victim of a hate crime,” Gary Gaines, CrossFit GM of Global Affiliates, said. “CrossFit stands with the community at CrossFit Gold Pact and the global LGBTQ+ community.”

“We have no tolerance for discrimination in CrossFit. One of our core values is building community by recognizing our common humanity. We view hate crimes as a direct opposition to CrossFit’s core values,” Gaines said.

After learning of the crime, CrossFit Affiliate Representative for Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg Wesley Cloos created a GoFundMe page to support the clean-up efforts at CrossFit Gold Pact. To contribute, click the first button below.