Interest in the Tour de France is raised as the Dutch are in with a chance. Angry residents protest against a possible paedophile in their neighbourhood, while volunteers warn holiday makers about child prostitution at their vacation destination. And the Dutch women’s hockey team win Champions Trophy in spite of bizarre twist.

French Tour makes it to the Dutch front pages
Photos of Le Depart of the Tour de France have made it on to the front pages of many of the papers. Not least because of the impressive Passage de Gois - a road through the sea at low tide flanked by seaweed-covered rocks and wide expanses of sand. Trouw reflects on how the national cycling fever has pushed the Dominique Strauss-Kahn sex scandal into the background.

The other papers focus on the Dutch Rabobank cyclists, one of whom is tipped to be a winner this year. Hopes are high that Robert Gesink will spend at least some time wearing the yellow jersey. De Telegraaf writes “Rabo off to a good start” after the team came 7th in Sunday’s team time trial. Nrc.next describes the good atmosphere among the team.

Residents demonstrate against paedophile chairman
Between 100 and 200 demonstrators marched yesterday to a house in Hengelo in the eastern Netherlands. They were protesting against its new owner, the chairman of a pro-paedophile association called Martijn. Photos in De Volkskrant and Trouw show demonstrators peering into Martijn Uittenbogaard’s front room. Nrc.next reports that Mr Uittenbogaard and his boyfriend were at home but did not come to the door.

Martijn has been trying to create acceptance of paedophilia for 30 years. A few years ago the organisation tried - and failed - to set up a political party. More recently the Public Prosecution Office has been looking into whether the club could be banned as a criminal organisation. Up to now, Martijn Uittenbogaard has never been prosecuted for abusing a child in spite of his outspoken ideas on the acceptance of paedophilia. As a result, the mayor of Hengelo did not immediately inform locals about their new neighbour. Now that they do know, the next-door neighbours are moving house.

Volunteers warn holiday makers against child prostitution
Girls Rights Watch volunteers spent the weekend at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport, warning tourists to be on the lookout for child prostitution at their holiday destination. Trouw describes how a group of unsuspecting lads on holiday in Brazil took local girls back to their hotel rooms, only to find out they were underage prostitutes expecting to be paid.

People are familiar with the image of older men travelling to Thailand to have sex with children. But it happens in less well-known destinations as well, like northern Brazil. There, well-educated southerners are brought in to staff the tourist industry while the poorer northerners are left without work; many turn to prostitution. The awareness campaign has been set up by Plan (formerly known as Foster Parents Plan). 

To help raise awareness, the volunteers displayed a large pink suitcase with a pair of shop dummy legs in tights sticking out. The volunteers handed out suitcase labels with a website where people can report child prostitution. While many appreciated the campaign, some refused to believe there could be child prostitution at their destination.

Drugs operation: “fishing in a full pond”
If you had French number plates, looked a little nervous and were driving too fast in a southerly direction last week, you were likely to be stopped and searched by police reports de Volkskrant. From Tuesday until Sunday night, Dutch, French, Luxembourg and Belgian police were involved in anti-drug operation Étoile.

In total 8.2 kilos of cannabis and 6.85 kilos of heroine were confiscated in the Netherlands. The operation was held because of two large pop festivals at the weekend: Rock Werchter in Belgium and Arras in France. One police chief described the operation as “fishing in a full pond.” Apparently, drugs smuggling in small quantities goes on around the clock at such events. This year, the ‘small fish’ got fined while the bigger ones landed in a cell.

Interestingly, the operation was held on the same night that robbers eluded police following a violent confrontation in Amsterdam. But, remarkably, that particular car – going a reported 240kmph – escaped police notice...

Bizarre weekend for women’s hockey finalists
AD and Trouw agree it must have been a bizarre weekend for the Dutch women’s national field hockey team. Nrc.next reports that the players received a middle-of-the-night text message that they would play Argentina - the reigning world champions – in Sunday’s Champion’s Trophy final in Amsterdam. They thought they would play South Korea, but, due to a change in the rules, the International Hockey Federation was forced to concede to a protest from the Argentineans.

The spectacular game ended in a draw and was decided by penalty shoot-outs. In the end, the last-minute team change didn’t matter - the girls in orange are pictured with their arms in the air in celebration of their hard-earned victory.