Eighth monitor racism & extremism - the official Anne Frank House website

Islamophobia on the rise

- December 10, 2008

Monitor Racism & Extremism: 8th report

(Photo: Francis Nijenhuis)

The problem of 'Islamophobia' in the Netherlands has grown considerably in the past year, not only in terms of negative public opinion towards Muslims but also in terms of the increased violence directed at this community and the growing tendency to turn a blind eye to crimes of expression aimed at them.

This is one of the most salient findings the Racism & Extremism Monitor, a work published today that is part of the running scholarly study being carried out by Leiden University and the Anne Frank House. The eighth Racism & Extremism Monitor is edited by Jaap van Donselaar and Peter R. Rodrigues, with contributions by thirteen researchers from various universities and institutions in the Netherlands.

Striking findings

Besides this rise in Islamophobia, there have been two other striking findings.

The right-wing extremist landscape in the Netherlands has undergone drastic change in recent years, caused not only by the sharp increase in extreme right-wing street activism but also by the public stance taken by the Party for Freedom (Partij voor de Vrijheid, or the PVV), which has become more radical. The PVV can be called an extreme right-wing party.

The balance between the freedom of expression and protection against discrimination has become disrupted in the past Monitor period. The causes are a changing political climate − briefly summarised, 'you should be able to say what you think' − and the side-effects of counterterrorism and radicalisation policy.

Broad spectrum

The Racism & Extremism Monitor traces several different forms of racism and extremism in the Netherlands. This eighth report features a broad spectrum of topics such as racial violence, expressions of right-wing extremism (including those made by the Party for Freedom), dealing with discrimination and extremism through the criminal courts, coping with right-wing extremist demonstrations, and policy against the radicalisation and deradicalisation of right-wing and Islamic radicals.