Politically-Motivated Violent Activists in the Netherlands in the 1980s (From The Threat of Terrorism, P 119-144, 1988, Juliet Lodge, ed. -- See NCJ-120913)

• NCJ Number: 120919
• Author(s): A P Schmid
• Date Published: 1988
• Length: 26 pages
• Sale Source: Westview Press, Inc
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis; Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter examines reasons for the low incidence of domestic and international terrorism in the Netherlands.

Abstract

Currently there is no domestic terrorism in the Netherlands, and international terrorism has also largely bypassed Holland. In the Netherlands, a terrorist movement is defined as one which rejects the authority of the government, accepts intimidating exemplary violent actions as a method, maintains a clandestine cell structure, and largely ignores the disapproval of public opinion. There are a number of groups in the Netherlands that fulfill at least one of these criteria. The Dutch authorities use the term "politically-motivated violent activist" to describe the more extreme political activists. In the last two decades a number of single-issue social movements have emerged around the themes of environment and energy, "squatting," racism and antifacism, third world solidarity, and antimilitarism. Any violence stemming from these causes has been directed toward property rather than people. The Netherlands aims to co-opt potential dissent within the political process to prevent violence that stems from the repression of all action that can produce change. International terrorism in the Netherlands has been prevented largely through excellent intelligence performance. 85 notes.