On 20 September, a protest in The Hague escalated into extreme violence. The warning signs were there. In the run-up to the protest, JfP tracked violent rhetoric spreading across social media, from niche forums to mainstream platforms:
“Beat those lunatics down”… “I’ll smash those left-wing rats” and Nazi slogans like “Heil Hitler brother!!”
The right to protest is fundamental to any democracy. But when calls for violence circulate openly, mobilisations like these attract extremist groups and put public safety at risk. Worse still, they deepen an already toxic polarisation.
Did we see the violence coming? Yes.
In our research into manipulation ahead of the elections, we watched the risk of violence grow. Calls for extreme violence circulated widely across both niche and mainstream channels.
“Beat those lunatics” “I’ll smash those left-wing rats to pieces” and explicit Nazi symbolism like “Heil Hitler brother!!”
The right to demonstrate is a constitutional right and a cornerstone of any healthy democracy. Yet extreme polarisation confronts us with difficult choices: when calls for violence and hatred circulate openly, permitting a demonstration can seriously undermine public order and safety. And perhaps more dangerously still, it drives polarisation further.
The online reactions surrounding the demonstration in The Hague illustrate this. We are even hearing claims that Antifa was behind the violence — from the organisers themselves.
This is a troubling development that demands wisdom from governments, media, civil society organisations and all of us. Don’t let yourself be incited. Keep talking.
