Netherlands — Combating antisemitism is subsumed under the fight against discrimination (2022)
Minister of Justice and Security Dilan Yesilgoz-Zegerius sent the work plan of the National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism (Nationaal Coördinator Antisemitismebestrijding, NCAB) to the Dutch House of Representatives on the 6th of October 2022. In this plan, the NCAB sets out its mission statement and provides a starting point for concrete actions in the continuing fight against antisemitism.
The work plan is grouped around three pillars:
1) Monitoring and follow-up
2) Education and prevention
3) Remembrance and celebration
Among other things, the NCAB wants to make it easier to punish online antisemitism. The government must catch up to tackle antisemitism on new media platforms. Antisemitic statements too often remain on these platforms without consequences, as our system is still too focused on violations in the physical space.
The NCAB would also like to see a stricter approach to antisemitic chants in football stadiums. This includes broader use of new technologies like facial recognition, better documentation of incidents, immediately stopping matches and helping clubs to maintain crowd control in stadiums. The effect of these chants penetrates deep into the daily lives of children and adults at school and in the workplace.
A third priority is education about Judaism. Around 102,000 Dutch Jews lost their lives in the Holocaust. As a result, there are now fewer Jews who can propagate their culture. Unfamiliarity breeds suspicion, unfortunately. Cherishing and promoting Jewish life therefore play an important role in the NCAB’s work plan.
About the NCAB
The NCAB was launched on 1 April 2021. It brings together expertise in the area of antisemitism (and efforts to combat it) within the government, connects the government and society in this fight, and supports initiatives related to this issue in the Netherlands and Europe.
This is the NCAB’s first work plan. The plan will be updated annually to reflect current developments.