Going All the Way: Politicization and Radicalization of the Hofstad Network in the Netherlands

Abstract

In this chapter we analyze the shift from a politicized identity to a radicalized identity of (members of) the Hofstad network. Our findings are based on an analysis of texts written by the Hofstad network by Meijer who acted as an expert witness at one of the trials involving the network. We also include my observations and transcripts of chats and online debates that I gathered when I followed the activities of the Hofstad network on the Internet between 2002 and 2005 and conducted interviews with three informants within the network. After introducing the Hofstad network, we provide an analysis of the “assimilationist” discourse and the rise of the Salafi movement as a background for the politicization and radicalization of the members of the Hofstad network. This process is analyzed from a social movement perspective, following Gamson (1992), by focusing on their perception of injustice, the agency of the people, and their identity.