[ad_1]
News | 17-05-2024 | 14:10
Whether it is the threat of violence or the potential threat of extremism, it is everyone’s problem and therefore requires joint efforts. The government, professionals and social organizations need to pay continuous attention. Only in this way can we deal with the threat of extremism. This is stated in the first National Strategy on Extremism 2024-2029, which was submitted to the House of Representatives by Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius (Justice and Security), Minister De Jonge (Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations) and Minister Van Gennip (Social Affairs and Employment).
There have been concerns for some time about the rise in extremism and the threat it poses. Space for criticism, demonstration and other activities within legal boundaries is essential in our society. The limit of this space lies in undermining or threatening the democratic legal order itself. This is what this strategy is about. The Netherlands already has a solid foundation when it comes to combating extremism. The new strategy combines what has been done to counter this threat and where better things can be done. The strategy focuses on three pillars: In terms of promoting social resilience and openness, the strategy applies broadly to society as a whole. In terms of protecting the democratic legal order and combating extremism, the strategy specifically targets extremism.
Promoting resilient open societies
A resilient and open society is essential to reduce the breeding grounds and susceptibility to extremism and to build resilience to extremist ideas. Governments support municipalities, professionals and social organizations by providing knowledge and tools to protect individuals and groups from radicalization, polarization, discrimination and racism. For example, expertise in the field of conflict management, the right to demonstrate or to engage in difficult negotiations. Cooperation between the fields of education, welfare, health care and security is essential. This requires awareness, expertise and a common language to recognize the signals and deal with the problems.
Minister van Gennep: “A society where everyone can participate, where everyone is connected and where opportunities are equal. That, in my opinion, is what makes for a resilient society. It is not self-evident. It requires hard work from governments, social organizations and, of course, residents and communities themselves. Look after each other and have a dialogue, even if you disagree. Because in an open society there is room for different opinions, contradictions and criticism. As long as you respect each other and continue to see each other as human beings.”
Maintain democratic legal order and resist the influence of extremism
It is important that we continue to protect our country’s democratic legal order from the influence of extremism. Society and the government have a role to play in this. For example, open dialogue is part of this. We must protect our political officials and public debate, where necessary. We must prevent punishable speech, but also content that is not punishable but is harmful to society. For example, content that normalizes extremist ideas or false information. We do this by giving people the opportunity to verify information and, if necessary, refute false information. We are discussing with social media platforms at national and European level how to combat the frequent spread of false information.
Minister de Jonge: “The democratic rule of law is the foundation of our free and open society. We see that in countries around us this is not always self-evident. That is why we must constantly protect and renew our democratic rule of law. We do this, among other things, by making our politicians resistant to threats and intimidation. We provide space for open debate that is resistant to disinformation. This requires the efforts of all of us.”
Fighting extremism
In order to prevent extreme violence or illegal acts, it is important to intervene early, limit the impact and, if necessary, combat the excesses of extremism. Combating violent extremism is nothing new. For example, municipalities conduct multidisciplinary case consultations, take measures where necessary and implement tailored interventions. The online environment is increasingly a catalyst for hate speech and extremist messages, which also contribute to the normalization of extremist ideas. This leads to a lot of online insecurity, which is why a lot of effort is put into combating extremist speech. For example, platforms that do not cooperate are held accountable through international channels. Extremist speakers who incite hatred and violence are also banned where possible. They may be refused entry to the Netherlands if they pose a threat to public order or national security. Instigators who may incite others to violence, incite hatred or spread extremist ideas are also tracked down and combated.
Minister Yesilgezi: “In our open democracy, criticism and demonstrations must always exist, but we should not be naive. These should not be abused to spread extremist messages, promote hatred or incite violence. We must always continue to combat these acts. This must be done in a way that is also easy to understand and implement at the local level. This is why we must continue to support municipalities in continuing to take strong action.”
On the National Strategy on Extremism
The National Extremism Strategy was developed in collaboration with multiple agencies and interagency partners under the coordination of the National Security Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism (NCTV). It builds on the National Security Analytical Network’s analysis of extremism since October last year.
[ad_2]
Source link
