REHABILITATION COUNTRY PROFILES
Nationalism and jihadism
Belgium’s experience of political violence dates back to the repression of the Dutch language and the rise of Flemish nationalism. During World War I, a radical faction within the movement sought armed uprising, and during World War II, some far-right Flemish nationalists collaborated with the Nazi occupation. Populist anti-immigration party Vlaams Belang originally emerged from far-right subcultures active during this period.
Home-grown Islamist with extreme beliefs have also emerged in Belgium particularly after 2012, including groups such as Sharia4Belgium. The country has also seen a high number of individuals, particularly young adults, joining the conflict in Syria and Iraq, making it one of the European countries most likely to produce foreign fighters for ISIS. The profile of Syrian foreign fighters differs from earlier generations, as they tend to be younger, have a shorter radicalization period, and often lack religious knowledge. A particularly notable Islamist terrorist incident involved coordinated suicide attacks in Brussels in 2016 which killed 32 people.
Facing the challenge
The challenges of prevention, repression and rehabilitation of violent extremism remain significant for the Belgian government. Belgium’s approach to counter-terrorism can be described as primarily driven by the criminal justice system. It involves a multi-agency approach led by judicial authorities, with the Federal prosecutor’s offices taking charge of investigations related to terrorism and individuals returning from conflict zones. A legal response was to broaden the definition of extremism in 2015, making it easier to secure convictions by lowering the threshold of evidence. This allowed more individuals to be referred to counter-extremism programmes; however, judges do not necessarily make as many referrals to counter-extremism programmes would be optimal. The legal change was complemented by the development of a system of preventative interventions, designed to delimit the spread of radicalisation in Belgium.
A three stage process
The local approach, developed in response to the problem of returnees from Iraq and Syria, works in three stages, reliant upon collaboration between local authorities, security partners, and social services. The responsibilities are shared between the mayor and the council of aldermen, with each stage having its specific goals and target groups.
The three stages are:
→ Prevention of radicalisation: This is done by reducing polarisation, removing the breeding grounds for radicalisation, increasing resistance to extremist messaging and early detection. These activities take place via the existing municipal, social, activation and integration policies as far as possible. Early detection and increasing resistance take place via existing networks and structures such as schools, families, social district teams and youth outreach. Particular prevention programmes have been designed to target young people;
→ Detection and response: Detecting and dealing with radicalised individuals takes place via the Lokale Integrale Veiligheidscel (Local Integrated Security Cell – LIVC) with its partners, managed by the municipality;
→ Reintegration and aftercare of returnees: The provision of aftercare and reintegration to returnees from Iraq and Syria takes place via a customised plan, monitored in the LIVC. For example, when a family member has been killed in Syria or Iraq, families will often feel shame, anger or frustration. Agencies should provide support to the family and also keep in touch with them as part of the aftercare outreach.
Local authorities are critical stakeholders
Local authorities play a critical role in coordinating activities. Their community focus makes them well-positioned to detect and intervene in cases of radicalisation. They are most closely impacted by the social and safety consequences of radicalisation in the community, as well as more likely to have the local infrastructure respond problems in communities and families, serving as a central point of contact and liaison for various local services and organisations working upon the problem of radicalisation.
In addition to targeted measures towards people who have become drawn into hate movements, it is also valuable to provide alternative ways for young people to flourish and socialise. Extremist groups offer a means of providing status, community and excitement. Activities such as combating racism and discrimination, improving educational outcomes, providing accessible support services, enhancing youth support and promoting neighbourhood sports facilities may provide another option for disaffected youth.
Front-line workers as key actors
Front-line workers, such as youth support and social workers, teachers, district inspectors, and community workers, play a crucial role in identifying and addressing radicalisation. Support organizations in various sectors, such as education, welfare work, integration and youth support have initiatives in place to inform and train staff most likely to encounter people at risk of radicalisation. Local contact persons are equipped to provide assistance in accessing suitable training and resources. The Public Centres for Social Welfare are also available to participate in training for front-line workers.
Building relationships with religious communities is particularly important. Religious groups often feel that the municipality only reaches out to them when problems arise. Yet they can can play a vital role in prevention, and are often highly motivated to address extremism within their community and to correct misunderstandings of their faith.
BOUNCE: Resilience-building tools
The BOUNCE Resilience Tools project, funded by the EU and coordinated by the Federal Public Service Home Affairs, aims to prevent violent radicalization among young people. It was developed in 2010 as part of the ‘Strengthening Resilience against Violent Radicalisation’ project, funded by the European Union’s Internal Security Fund and coordinated by Belgium’s Federal Public Service Home Affairs. It provides research-based training and activity formats to enhance resilience and raise awareness, focussing on early intervention and positive approaches to addressing radicalisation. The ‘Bounce’ resilience tools project was initiated in Belgium in early 2015, and was piloted in the Belgian cities of Leuven and Liège.
Structure and aims
BOUNCE comprises three interconnected tools:
→ BOUNCEYoung: A ten-session resilience training for young people;
→ BOUNCEAlong: An open awareness-raising tool for parents, teachers and front-line workers;
→ BOUNCEUp: A train-the-trainer course for youth workers and first-line practitioners, teaching them how to work with BOUNCEYoung and BOUNCEAlong.
The overall goal of the BOUNCE programme is to strengthen young people’s resilience against violent and extremist influences and to raise awareness of the risk of extremism within their communities. This holistic approach also comprised other issues which impact young people, such as bullying, addiction, depression, delinquency and truancy. This allows extremism to be addressed in a context that raises awareness of the risks it presents to young people, without increasing the stigma involved in treating it in exclusion from the rest of young people’s lives and the other psychosocial problems that may impact them.
BOUNCE focuses on providing research-based training to enhance resilience and raise awareness. The involvement of community-based organizations (such as youth clubs, sports clubs, and employment initiatives) and religious communities (including mosques and social cultural associations) is crucial.
Youth well-being
While the initial focus of BOUNCE was on preventing violent radicalisation in young people it has expanded its emphasis to promoting overall youth well-being. It has been recognised that many risk and protective factors for many other issues negatively impact young people, such as juvenile delinquency and gang membership overlap with those connected with extremist violence. Hence, promoting the well-being of young people serves as a general form of early prevention for a variety of potential issues which tend to arise during the difficult transition periods of adolescence.
Implementation and impact
The BOUNCE tools were developed in English for use throughout the EU region. They have also been translated into Albanian, German, Dutch, French and Serbian. The BOUNCE resilience tools have been implemented across Belgium and in several European cities.
The successful implementation of BOUNCE’s preventive tools, BOUNCEYoung and BOUNCEAlong requires a coherent implementation strategy embedded in the city’s prevention plan. Collaboration among multiple agencies and stakeholders is crucial for effective and sustainable prevention efforts. BOUNCE emphasizes the importance of an integrated approach, recognising that a single project alone cannot address youth delinquency and radicalisation. Prevention should involve various actors such as public agencies, police, civil society organisations, youth organisations and schools. A combination of interventions is necessary to promote social cohesion and strengthen protective factors among young people in order to reduce their likelihood of engaging in criminal activities.
Futures
The concentration of Muslim communities in specific areas of Belgium coupled with socio-economic factors such as high unemployment rates present a sustained source of concern. However, this is only one aspect of an increasingly complicated radicalisation landscape. While Islamism remains a salient threat, white supremacist and other hateful ideologies are becoming increasingly prevalent across Europe. Additionally, the threat of extremism is becoming more diffuse, as the internet has become increasingly implicated in spreading extremist content, and affords people anonymity in sharing hateful views. The decentralised and anonymous nature of online communities are complicated to monitor, and require the development of proactive strategies to detect those at risk of radicalisation.
However, any prioritisation of risk control and securitisation over an ethic care for vulnerable individuals might have unintended consequences, such as compelling front-line practitioners to function as an extension of security services and creating suspicion around the project.