Dutch government creates new national strategy for combatting antisemitism

The strategy will take effect immediately and encompasses all facets of society, including sports, education, immigration, and security.

By MATHILDA HELLER NOVEMBER 25, 2024 15:42 Updated: NOVEMBER 25, 2024 15:54

Demonstrators hold Palestinian and Israeli flags as they gather in front of the National Holocaust Museum on the day of its opening, in Amsterdam, Netherlands, March 10, 2024. (photo credit: REUTERS/PIROSCHKA VAN DE WOUW)

In the pursuit of a "Netherlands without antisemitism," the Dutch government has unveiled a new national strategy for combating antisemitism, to last from 2024 to 2030. Among other things, the strategy involves the release of an additional 4.5 million euros for tackling antisemitism from 2025, and the establishment of a "Taskforce for Combating Antisemitism."

The new strategy is to take a multi-year approach, and the cabinet will review its efficacy and take extra measures on a yearly basis. It is to be coordinated by the Justice and Security Ministry, and the National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism is to play a central role in advising the cabinet, as well as ensuring implementation of policy.

"With the current strategy, the government makes it clear that the fight against antisemitism concerns all Dutch people," the Cabinet said. "We all have a responsibility, as a society, to combat antisemitism and the insecurity of Jews. The Netherlands stands for an open, reasonable, and tolerant society. Jewish life is a very explicit part of that."

According to the statement, the Dutch Jewish community, which numbers about 50,000 (about 0.3% of the total population), "lives in great insecurity" and "without freedom."

The new taskforce, led by the Justice and Security Ministry, will be established immediately and last for at least a year. It will have a particular focus on antisemitism within university settings, and will take on tasks such as the banning of antisemitic speakers at colleges. 

Pro-Palestinian protesters face Dutch police during a banned demonstration in Amsterdam, Netherlands November 10, 2024. The sign reads: ''Police state''. (credit: REUTERS/Esther Verkaik)

The Cabinet added that the taskforce will consist of representatives from a range of ministries, including mayors, the education sector, the sports sector, the cultural sector, the public transport sector, and other social parties. Representatives of the Jewish community will also form part of the taskforce. 

Outline of the strategy

The new national strategy is based on three pillars.

The first is "protect, monitor and follow-up," which involves protecting Jewish institutions, punishing perpetrators, and supporting victims. 

The second is "education and prevention," which involves eliminating the breeding ground for antisemitism and fighting antisemitism in sports.

The third is "commemoration and celebration," which involves keeping Jewish memory alive and celebrating and educating on Jewish life in the Netherlands.

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Pillar one: Protect, monitor and follow-up

The first pillar stresses that perpetrators of antisemitism "must be dealt with severely."

The strategy notes that relatively few reports of antisemitism are made to the police, and therefore many incidents are unreported. It references a 2018 EU report that found that 74% of Dutch Jews who experience antisemitism do not report it to anyone. Even in cases of violent antisemitism, the percentage is only 52%.

Therefore, the strategy hopes to put measures in place that increase the willingness to report incidents, and that make victims feel confident that their reports will be followed up.

"By reporting incidents as standard, more incidents can be followed up, but there is also better insight into where antisemitism occurs and where it comes from."

This will be achieved by setting up a "Safety Fund" to financially support Jewish institutions with their security systems, so they do not have to bear the financial burden disproportionately.

The Cabinet is also revising the current reporting system with municipal anti-discrimination facilities (ADVs) to make sure victims of antisemitism can confidently report it.

The strategy added that many victims report antisemitism to CIDI (Center for Information and Documentation Israel) and not local centers, so the strategy promises to liaise with CIDI and develop protocols for information sharing.  

There is also the goal of providing aftercare for victims, with a certain budget allocated specifically for this purpose.

The Justice Minister has also requested an official investigation into the bottlenecks among victims of antisemitism when reporting and filing a report to begin in 2025. The results will be used to develop new measures.

The cabinet has also put forward a bill, which, if adopted, will increase the maximum prison sentence imposed for antisemitic offenses by one-third.

The task force will also gain insight into online antisemitism by carrying out an annual study into online antisemitism in the Dutch language.

Public prosecutors from 15 European countries have also met to exchange knowledge on the criminal justice approach to antisemitism, something which the report called "successful."

The Netherlands brought in a new law on October 1,  2024, which made all forms of Holocaust denial a criminal offense.

Pillar two: Education and Prevention

The second pillar considers the proliferation or "breeding grounds" for antisemitism and how to stem the spread of conspiracy theories.

It draws on a 2022 study that found that, of 200,395 expressions of online antisemitism, more than 11% of the total messages related to Judaism.

The key to combating this is in education, the strategy states.

Part of this will come as part of citizenship education (about the Dutch state), which the Cabinet says "plays an important role in combating antisemitism and other forms of discrimination."

There will also be a focus on improving Holocaust education, which "among the Dutch has fallen to a worryingly low level."

A four-year scheme for Holocaust education and forgotten stories of WWII will, therefore, come into effect in 2025.

The ‘Learn about the Holocaust’ campaign will start in January 2025. In the fall of 2025, the House of Representatives will be informed about the progress of the implementation of the National Plan for Strengthening Holocaust Education, the plan adds.

In order for new immigrants to pass the integration exam, they will now also have to show knowledge of the Holocaust.  This will come into force on 1 July 2025. New immigrants will also face questions about antisemitism.

The National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security, alongside the police, has also developed a "Symbol Bank" where professionals can look up information on extremist and antisemitic symbols that they encounter. It is intended to "enable professionals to recognize symbols and to act on them" if needed.

The Digital Services Act (DSA) will now also come into full force. This means that internet users will have better ease of access when reporting illegal content. After receiving a report, platforms will be obliged to assess the statement and will be held liable if they do not take action. 

Online platforms must then send moderation decisions to the European Commission, which then includes them in the so-called 'DSA Transparency Database.' 

The European Commission monitors compliance with the obligations and can take enforcement action, for example, by imposing fines, which can amount to up to 6% of the global turnover of these parties. 

Antisemitism in football

The strategy notes that antisemitic slogans and chants in and around football stadiums are often repeated in schools. 

Research quoted by the report finds that students largely adopted antisemitism from football. 

Furthermore, "the vast majority of criminal discrimination offenses involving antisemitism are in the context of football."

As a result, the KNVB has drawn up the National Guideline for combating verbal violence and racist and antisemitic chants. 

This means that if a chant occurs, the guideline is followed, and the audience is addressed by the stadium's speaker. 

Football fans who are guilty of chanting antisemitic slogans may, at the request of the club, need to participate in the "Chanting Project," which is supported by the Anne Frank Foundation. The project focuses primarily on raising awareness among supporters of the harmful effects of antisemitic chants.

Pillar three: Commemoration and celebration

As a result of its role in WWII, the Dutch government bears a "special historical responsibility in the fight against antisemitism in Dutch society, as well as the responsibility to preserve what remains of pre-war Jewish life, such as buildings and other cultural objects."

As a result, the Cabinet stated that "the tangible and intangible history of the Second World War must be safeguarded and passed on to future generations."

As part of the national strategy, January will be made into Holocaust Education Month.

"This campaign is intended to draw more attention to the importance of Holocaust education and the available material and activities, especially in education."

The House of Representatives has also declared the 25 April the National Day Against Antisemitism.

In terms of celebrating and safeguarding Jewish life, the government has also called on institutions and the business community to take more account of Jewish and Islamic holidays, the Sabbath and dietary restrictions and to pay attention to, among other things, Jewish holidays, "in line with the initiatives that exist around other holidays."

Finally, the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science, which provides a structural subsidy under the Heritage Act to the Jewish Cultural Quarter for public activities and the management and preservation of the collection of the Jewish Museum, has designated an additional 80 (former) synagogues and 71 Jewish cemeteries as national monuments. 

This means that they are now protected, and the owners are eligible for financial support for their maintenance.

Statistics and background information

The cabinet noted that antisemitism within the Netherlands has risen significantly. The police received 880 reports of antisemitism in 2023, as to 549 in 2022. Forty-three of the cases in 2023 were considered violent antisemitism, up from 28 in 2022.

The Public Prosecution Service registered 181 antisemitic offenses in 2023, as to 94 in 2022.

While the Cabinet states that Dutch agencies do not publish perpetrator groups relating to antisemitic incidents, the most recent Terrorism Threat Assessment in the Netherlands found that antisemitism is present within "left-wing extremism, jihadism, and right-wing extremism."

The report also added that the "conflict in Gaza lowered the threshold for radical Islamic individuals who do not adhere to the jihadist ideology, but who do see the violence in Gaza as a justification for attacking Israeli or Jewish objects or people."

Interestingly, football was found to be the most common context in which students insult Jews, according to a Panteia study into antisemitism in secondary education commissioned by the Anne Frank Foundation.

While such insults typically come from Western students, insults relating to the Middle Eastern conflict were found to come mainly from Dutch-Moroccan or Dutch-Turkish students.

These groups more often have a negative attitude towards Jews than people with a Dutch background, Surinamese and Caribbean Dutch people, the report added.