Amsterdam city council wants to tackle misogyny as ideological extremism

A majority in the Amsterdam city council will support a D66 proposal to tackle misogyny in the city as ideological extremism. The faction wants to use the radicalization approach to reduce violence and harassment, sexual and otherwise, against women, Parool reports.

“A growing group, often young men, see women as subordinate. Online, they are encouraged to have extremist ideas about women. It is crucial to take this radicalization seriously because more and more women are becoming victims of hatred and violence,” said D66 faction leader Rob Hofland.

Misophobia is a structural problem in the Netherlands, various studies have shown. According to Atria, the knowledge institute for women’s and emancipation history, a partner or family member murders a woman every eight days. The violence is often caused by deep-rooted ideas about gender. One in ten Dutch young people think it is normal for men to beat their girlfriends to gain respect, Atria said.

National figures show that two-thirds of young women have experienced sexually transgressive behavior, either physically or verbally. One in ten female students have been raped. And three-quarters of young women in Amsterdam have been sexually harassed on the street.

In his proposal, Hofland asks the Amsterdam government to research the causes of misogynistic radicalization, especially among young people. Part of that needs to be monitoring online radicalization by influencers like Andrew Tate. He also wants the municipality to use the person-oriented approach to radicalization and act against men who display this extremist behavior.

“It is time to call this what it is: ideological extremism. Women’s emancipation is already under pressure in Amsterdam, and the situation is even worse in many places around the world. Let’s tackle this extremism,” Hofland said.

The city council will debate the D66 proposal on Wednesday, but a broad majority already indicated their support.