Maybe it has happened to you: you are on the train or walking down the street and see someone being harassed. What are you doing? Many people ignore these situations because they don’t know what to do and don’t want to risk their own safety. So here are a few tips you can follow to do something that doesn’t pose too much of a risk to your own safety.

De-escalation by a bystander can also be referred to as ‘third party intervention’. Some organizations, such as the Right to Be organization, have come up with a handy way to remember different strategies: they all start with a D.

So, what are these Five D’s? It’s about:

1. Distract: Divert the attention of the person who intimidates or bothers someone else in a nonchalant manner. You can do this by either addressing the person or the victim, for example by asking them for information. “Do you know from which platform the train to Amsterdam departs?”, “Do you know what time it is?” and so on.
2. Direct: speak directly to the person who intimidates or harasses another person in a clear and concise manner and do not engage in discussion. For example, if someone makes a racist comment to someone else such as “You cannot be Dutch, you are black,” or “here in the Netherlands we do not wear a headscarf,” you can say “People of all skin colors have the right to Dutch nationality.” .” or “In the Netherlands there is freedom of religion,” and the like. You try not to argue. A clear, “Leave him/her alone,” can also work. However, this response carries greater risks than diversion.
3. Delegate: Ask a person nearby to help you do something about the harassment or slander. Together you are stronger than alone. You can also call “Fire!”. Research has shown that more people respond to that than to “Help!”. Also an important tactic when you are with several people is to create a safe distance. For example, at a demonstration you can make a circle around the victim and sing “Happy birthday” or lead the victim away in a polonaise. Surprise guaranteed. There is also a video on YouTube of a large man in the subway who, without saying a word, stands between two arguing people while he eats a bag of chips and thus ensures that they do not hurt each other.
4. Delay (your response): Speak to the victim after the incident. Even if you do not intervene immediately, it is probably valuable for the victim to notice that you care about her/him/then. Ask if they needs help and, if necessary, provide information about where they can go, such as the anti-discrimination office in your municipality or other reporting points. You can also show solidarity on a train, tram, bus or metro by making eye contact or showing non-verbally that you disagree with the person who made an intimidating, discriminatory or aggressive comment. This also reduces the risk of your own safety being damaged. Also consider the position you are in: As a white man, it is easier to openly and directly address someone about their behavior than if you belong to a marginalized group.
5. Document: Finally, you can document the incident. Take a photo or video with your phone. Or make a note somewhere of the time, place and event. Ask the victim for permission to use this data. Perhaps the victim does not want you to go to the police, for example.

Hopefully this will give you inspiration the next time you see something you’d like to intervene on. Calling the police has a number of disadvantages: it takes a while before they can arrive, the police often do not de-escalate violence in a peaceful manner, the perpetrator and the victim may not want to come into contact with the police for all kinds of reasons that you cannot know.