World · Europe · 1 hr ago
Velsen councillor seeks action after woman was touched on bus
A woman said a man touched her on bus line 3, which runs through the Velsen area in the Netherlands.
She said other passengers did not help, and her account prompted local councillor Cemil Altintas to demand action.
The accounts identify the woman by different names, so her name is unclear.
Altintas wants the town to do more than run its annual Orange the World campaign against violence towards women, which starts on 25 November.
He proposes hearing from women about unsafe places and routes, teaching bystanders how to help, and making support for victims easier to find.
He also wants the province to require Connexxion to act when harassment happens on its buses, since the province commissions the service.
Velsen’s mayor and councillors have 15 days to respond to his questions, including whether extra funding will be provided.
Velsen Lokaal councillor Cemil Altintas is urging action to improve women’s safety after a woman said she was touched on a bus.
Altintas asked Velsen mayor Frank Dales what the municipality will do this year and in 2027, and whether more funding is needed.
He also wants the province of North Holland to require bus operator Connexxion to take steps to identify harassment and support passengers.
The sources differ on the woman’s name: IJmond360 identifies her as Marian Woltman, while a De Telegraaf headline identifies her as Iris, 36.
- Who
- Velsen Lokaal councillor Cemil Altintas is seeking action after a woman reported being touched on a bus. The articles identify the woman differently: Marian Woltman and Iris, 36.
- What
- Altintas is calling for measures to improve women’s safety and for stronger action against harassment on buses.
- When
- IJmond360 published its report on October 29, 2026; the date of the incident is not stated.
- Where
- The incident was on bus line 3, on a bus route from Haarlem to IJmuiden, according to NH Nieuws.
- Why
- Altintas says women should not have to face harassment alone and wants practical help as well as awareness campaigns.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
NH Nieuws reported that a man touched a woman and harassed several women on a bus from Haarlem to IJmuiden.
IJmond360 reported that councillor Cemil Altintas was seeking action from Velsen mayor Frank Dales after Marian Woltman described her experience.
De Telegraaf published a headline identifying a 36-year-old woman named Iris as having been assaulted on a bus.
- Councillor
- Cemil Altintas of Velsen Lokaal
- Bus route
- Line 3; Haarlem to IJmuiden
- Municipal response deadline
- 15 days for the mayor and aldermen to answer the questions
- Campaign
- Orange the World begins on November 25
- Woman’s name
- Marian Woltman in IJmond360; Iris, 36, in De Telegraaf
3 sources
Iris (36) werd aangerand in de bus: ’Ik vroeg de chauffeur om hulp, maar kreeg te horen dat ik ergens anders kon gaan zitten’
Aanranding in buslijn 3 leidt tot politieke actie in Velsen: "Waar was de steun van anderen in die bus?"
Man betast vrouw en valt meerdere vrouwen lastig in bus van Haarlem naar IJmuiden
What people are saying
It must end that idea that women just have to put up with this.
Why does a woman have to fight that battle all by herself again? Where was the support of others, including the men on the bus?
A campaign in itself is not an answer to an acute unsafe situation.
Simply condemning it is not enough.