Papers by Annemarie Van de Weert
Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, Volume 15, Issue 2, June 2021, Pages 1144–1157, 2021
Early detection of radicalization processes that may lead to violent extremism takes place in a g... more Early detection of radicalization processes that may lead to violent extremism takes place in a grey area. Primarily because no one can truly predict when someone poses a risk before there are any indications of criminal acts. The local police have been given an important role in countering violent extremism (CVE) policy; namely proactive information gathering at a stage in which people are still law-abiding citizens. However, little is known about how they perceive their role in CVE. Therefore, this article examines how community police officers deal with their mandate to engage in early detection, and discusses the side effects that accompany this practice. Based on open interviews with 22 constables in the Netherlands, we focus on the risk assessments made by these local professionals. In this article, we aim to contribute to a more thorough, inclusive, and well-informed debate about community policing with regard to suspicions of extremist behaviour among youth.
Terrorism and Political Violence , 2021
In recent years, the fight against terrorism and political violence has focused more on anticipat... more In recent years, the fight against terrorism and political violence has focused more on anticipating the threats that they pose. Therefore, early detection of ideas by local professionals has become an important part of the preventive approach in countering radicalization. Frontline workers who operate in the arteries of society are encouraged to identify processes toward violent behavior at an early stage. To date, however, little is known about how these professionals take on this screening task at their own discretion. Research from the Netherlands suggests that subjective assessment appears to exist. In this article, we argue that the absence of a clear norm for preliminary judgments affects prejudice or administrative arbitrariness, which may cause side effects due to unjustified profiling.
Crime Law Soc Change, 2020
Frontline professionals such as social workers and civil servants play a crucial role in counteri... more Frontline professionals such as social workers and civil servants play a crucial role in countering violent extremism. Because of their direct contact with society, firstliners are tasked with detecting individuals that may threaten national security and the democratic rule of law. Preliminary screening takes place during the pre-crime phase. However, without clear evidence or concrete indicators of unlawful action or physical violence, it is challenging to determine when someone poses a threat. There are no set patterns that can be used to identify cognitive radicalization processes that will result in violent extremism. Furthermore, prevention targets ideas and ideologies with no clear framework for assessing terrorism-risk. This article examines how civil servants responsible for public order, security and safety deal with their mandate to engage in early detection, and discusses the side effects that accompany this practice. Based on openinterviews with fifteen local security professionals in the Netherlands, we focus here on the risk assessments made by these professionals. To understand their performance, we used the following two research questions: First, what criteria do local security professionals use to determine whether or not someone forms a potential risk? Second, how do local security professionals substantiate their assessments of the radicalization processes that will develop into violent extremism? We conclude that such initial risk weightings rely strongly on 'gut feelings' or intuition. We conclude that this subjectivity may lead to prejudice and/or administrative arbitrariness in relation to preliminary risk assessment of particular youth.
Dit artikel analyseert of de lokale jongerenwerker kan opereren op het snijvlak van maatschappeli... more Dit artikel analyseert of de lokale jongerenwerker kan opereren op het snijvlak van maatschappelijk welzijn en signalering van extremisme. Hoewel het fenomeen zeldzaam is, ligt er een nadrukkelijke boodschap vanuit de overheid om alert te zijn op de eerste tekenen van afwijkend gedrag en grensoverschrijdend gedachtegoed. Echter, moeten we ons niet afvragen of jongerenwerkers in de huidige situatie wel voldoende geëquipeerd zijn om op lokaal niveau dreigingen te signaleren? De kwalitatieve resultaten laten zien dat in de dagelijkse praktijk heldere maatstaven ontbreken waardoor terminologie voor sociale professionals lastig van elkaar te onderscheiden is. Daarnaast leunt hun oordeelsvorming grotendeels op de eigen intuïtie aangaande de problematiek. Dit kan neveneffecten met zich meebrengen waarmee er een risico is dat het lokale terrorismebeleid niet het effect sorteert dat het beoogt.
Dit rapport verkent of de lokale jongerenwerker bij machte is om te opereren op het snijvlak van ... more Dit rapport verkent of de lokale jongerenwerker bij machte is om te opereren op het snijvlak van maatschappelijk welzijn en signalering van gewelddadig extremisme. Extremisme en radicaal gedachtegoed worden vaak verondersteld een voorbode van terrorisme te zijn. Hoewel extremisme onder jongeren een zeldzaam fenomeen blijkt, en uitreizen om zich aan te sluiten bij Jihadistische strijdgroepen in het buitenland nog maar sporadisch voorkomt, ligt er een nadrukkelijke boodschap vanuit de overheid om alert te zijn op de eerste tekenen van afwijkend gedrag. Jongerenwerkers zijn hierdoor deels gaan fungeren als ‘agenten van sociale controle’. Echter, ondanks training en kennisbevordering rondom de problematiek is het onduidelijk hoe zij tot een oordeel komen of iemands extremistische uitingen een gevaar vormen voor zichzelf of de samenleving. Aan de hand van documentanalyse en interviews met jongerenwerkers brengt deze exploratieve studie in kaart hoe deze groep sociaal werkers gestalte geeft aan hun monitorende rol in de wijk. Voor het laten slagen van deze preventieve aanpak dienen gemeentelijke professionals te beschikken over de nodige vaardigheden om risico's te identificeren. Zijn jongerenwerkers in de huidige situatie voldoende geëquipeerd om op lokaal niveau dreigingen die voortkomen uit geesteshoudingen te signaleren? De resultaten laten zien dat er in de dagelijkse praktijk een helder kader ontbreekt, en dat dit twee hoofdoorzaken heeft. De eerste is dat, in de praktijk, de termen radicalisering en (gewelddadig) extremisme lastig van elkaar te onderscheiden zijn. De tweede oorzaak is dat de oordeelsvorming grotendeels leunt op de eigen individuele perceptie op de problematiek. Dit rapport concludeert daarom dat oordeelsvorming in de context van signalering van gewelddadig extremisme ogenschijnlijk weinig gestructureerd verloopt en niet geheel objectief is. Daarmee is er een risico op bestuurlijke willekeur en neveneffecten als stigmatisering, waarmee het terrorismebeleid op lokaal niveau mogelijkerwijs niet het effect sorteert dat het beoogt. De vraag is of de focus van het beleid op lokaal niveau niet verlegd moet worden naar het voorkomen van extremistisch geweld door jongerenwerkers in plaats van het tegengaan van radicaal gedachtegoed of ideologieën.
Conference Presentations by Annemarie Van de Weert
The Confusion around Monitoring assumed Signs of Radicalisation and Violent Extremism; through the eyes of the Youth Worker. , 2017
Teaching Documents by Annemarie Van de Weert
This empirical study answers the questions on ‘how’ Social Media shape the perspective of Dutch y... more This empirical study answers the questions on ‘how’ Social Media shape the perspective of Dutch youth on Jihad in the context of the current transformation of Jihadism in the Netherlands as a movement with swarm dynamics. To what extent are teenagers affected by Jihad as a popular cult-phenomenon? And lastly, does this make these adolescent consumers receptive for expedited radicalization?
The findings summary gives insights into the cognitions, beliefs and attitudes of a selected group of friends from a risk-municipality, as such established by the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV). The conclusion is regarded a first step to show that the consumption of Social Media-content solely, is making the perceptions of contemporary Jihad move into the sphere of banality. Thus the respondents showed they have become more susceptible to Jihad messages. Furthermore in this study it is explained in detail how radical movements construct a Jihad-lifestyle on Social Media by providing homemade persuasive propaganda material like promoting symbols, religious one-liners and militant chants (Jihad nasheed), and the self-presentation of being part of a ‘brotherhood’. The scholarly background shows that we have to bear in mind a kind of competition between the historic faiths and their claims on the one hand and the realm of the media and popular culture and their claims on the other. My analysis demonstrates how we are to understand this convergence and its relationship to the individual quest for meaning by means of social identification.
Radicalisation Awareness Network, 2021
Over the course of the previous years, counterterrorism has focused more on anticipating the thre... more Over the course of the previous years, counterterrorism has focused more on anticipating the threat of terrorism. In this context, institutions such as the United Nations Security Council and the European Commission have increasingly emphasized that acts of terrorism cannot be prevented through repressive measures alone. Through countering violent extremism (CVE) and preventing violent extremism (PVE), the aim is to detect deviant attitudes in an early stage and promote social inclusion and cohesion at the same time. In particular, CVE consists of the early detection of radicalisation towards violent extremism and includes various approaches to increase the resilience of communities and individuals to the use of extremist violence and other related unlawful acts. In turn, the concept of PVE consists of systematic preventive measures which directly address the drivers of extremist environments. Both approaches emphasise tackling the context conducive to terrorism such as situational, social, cultural and individual factors. Because of their direct contact with society, frontline professionals are tasked with dealing with individuals who may threaten the rule of law, national security, and democratic values. This ought to be done by building normative barriers against violent extremism at an early stage, the so-called uncharted terrains between non-violent extremist ideology and terrorism. The question remains: How can youth, family and community workers intervene in radicalisation processes without infringing on personal freedoms? This overview paper focuses on right-wing extremism (RWE) and freedom of expression. It provides advices from first-line practitioners on how to deal with and respond to extremists publicly expressing their ideologies in a nonviolent, but still potentially harmful, way. It also delves into the matter of how practitioners can protect themselves against potential backlash and threats of violence from extremist organisations or movements.
Uploads
Papers by Annemarie Van de Weert
Conference Presentations by Annemarie Van de Weert
Presented at the 11th Annual International Conference organised by the Society for Terrorism Research. This year's theme was: Emerging Threats and Trends in Terrorism and Counterterrorism
http://www.societyforterrorismresearch.org/international-conference-2017
Teaching Documents by Annemarie Van de Weert
The findings summary gives insights into the cognitions, beliefs and attitudes of a selected group of friends from a risk-municipality, as such established by the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV). The conclusion is regarded a first step to show that the consumption of Social Media-content solely, is making the perceptions of contemporary Jihad move into the sphere of banality. Thus the respondents showed they have become more susceptible to Jihad messages. Furthermore in this study it is explained in detail how radical movements construct a Jihad-lifestyle on Social Media by providing homemade persuasive propaganda material like promoting symbols, religious one-liners and militant chants (Jihad nasheed), and the self-presentation of being part of a ‘brotherhood’. The scholarly background shows that we have to bear in mind a kind of competition between the historic faiths and their claims on the one hand and the realm of the media and popular culture and their claims on the other. My analysis demonstrates how we are to understand this convergence and its relationship to the individual quest for meaning by means of social identification.
Presented at the 11th Annual International Conference organised by the Society for Terrorism Research. This year's theme was: Emerging Threats and Trends in Terrorism and Counterterrorism
http://www.societyforterrorismresearch.org/international-conference-2017
The findings summary gives insights into the cognitions, beliefs and attitudes of a selected group of friends from a risk-municipality, as such established by the National Coordinator for Counterterrorism and Security (NCTV). The conclusion is regarded a first step to show that the consumption of Social Media-content solely, is making the perceptions of contemporary Jihad move into the sphere of banality. Thus the respondents showed they have become more susceptible to Jihad messages. Furthermore in this study it is explained in detail how radical movements construct a Jihad-lifestyle on Social Media by providing homemade persuasive propaganda material like promoting symbols, religious one-liners and militant chants (Jihad nasheed), and the self-presentation of being part of a ‘brotherhood’. The scholarly background shows that we have to bear in mind a kind of competition between the historic faiths and their claims on the one hand and the realm of the media and popular culture and their claims on the other. My analysis demonstrates how we are to understand this convergence and its relationship to the individual quest for meaning by means of social identification.