Dutch youth workers sound the alarm
Larping? Anti lockdown rally in November ‘21
Youth workers are the eyes and ears of society throughout the Netherlands. They blow the whistle on polarisation and radicalisation among young people.
This increasingly is directed at the government, which social workers understand. "We don't understand what the strategy is either."
It is broiling all over the country: just one in 12 participants say they know neighbourhoods where things have never been agitated, in recent years. The corona pandemic clearly worked as a catalyst. But after the measures were lifted, the disappointment in the government did not disappear.
That is stated in a study by the Social Stability Expertise Unit, a working group of the Ministry of Social Affairs with experts on radicalisation and polarisation. Nearly 100 youth workers from across the country participated. The biggest concerns are lived in medium-sized cities (up to 100,000 inhabitants).
Frustration is on the rise, deepened by poverty and long waiting times in relief efforts. Some quotes in the report:
"Some youth workers experience that with such major social challenges, it is at times difficult to paint a positive perspective for the future," the report says.
"Distrust of the government is prevalent among young people without migration background and with migration background as well.
The strict government measures during pandemic caused young people to increasingly distrust the government.
The appearances of polarisation and radicalisation among young people are evolving. Religion has become less important in recent years, radical right-wing views, distrust of the government and conspiracy theories have risen."
Several riots in recent years, such as the 2020 Schilderswijk in The Hague, as well as during the curfew riots, showed young people from literally all parts of society uniting against the police. The aversion to the government broke down tensions between ethnic groups in society.