Sugar-coating over a bitter pill? The effects of delegating counter-radicalisation policies at the municipal level in the Netherlands

This master thesis analyses the effects of delegating counter-radicalisation policies at the municipal level in the Netherlands by means of a Critical Security Studies (CSS) approach. This research is of political-societal relevance since it provides more insight in the effects of national policy on the performance of municipalities. Moreover, this research will be of academic relevance as well, since it will take a closer look at the way community policing effects the role enactment of community actors, being policy makers, mayors, neighbourhood police officers and social welfare organisations, when it comes to counter terrorism in the Netherlands. Counter-radicalisation policies consist of community-focused approaches, being intercultural dialogues and trainings, and community-targeted approaches, being monitoring and law enforcement. Several Dutch municipalities state that the enactment of these policies is incorporated but also challenged, referred to as the ‘sugar-coating over a bitter pill’. This research argues that the effects of the enactment of the policies at the local level are the labelling of citizens at risk, threatening the existence of an inclusive community and decreasing the level of trust between community actors, members and national and local partners. According to this research, the effects are noticeable and diverse. Community actors are able to ventilate the importance
of their role as father or mother of the community as community-focused approaches can thrive even though community-targeted approaches are added to their curriculum. Thus, community actors acknowledge that there is a bitter pill which needs to be consumed to counter radicalisation at a local level. A sugar-coating of community-focused approaches will make it easier for them to swallow.