A/HRC/44/57/Add.2 42. Political participation of Surinamese and Netherlands Antilles individuals is significantly lower than that of whites.21 This lower political participation rate seems interlinked with the comparatively negative view that non-whites have of the political and social climate in society. According to a study on the integration of migrants, migrant groups’ views of opportunities and quality of life in the Netherlands gradually declined from 2006 to 2015.22 They also expressed lower levels of trust in the Government, the legal system and other members of society. B. Hate crimes and hate speech 43. Racist and xenophobic political discourse seems connected to trends in hate speech and hate crimes targeting racial, ethnic and religious minority groups, as well as minority women and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons. Some of those who spoke with the Special Rapporteur stressed that the racist and xenophobic language used by some national and municipal politicians, along with the failure of government officials consistently to offer adequate responses to counter such discourse, had emboldened individuals to harass and attack members of racial, ethnic and religious minorities. 44. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur learned of some initiatives to combat and strengthen monitoring of discriminatory incidents, including by improving the collection and analysis of data on crimes involving discrimination. The Netherlands Police, local antidiscrimination agencies, the National Association against Discrimination, the National Hotline for Online Discrimination and the Institute for Human Rights jointly produce an annual report on discriminatory incidents recorded in the Netherlands. 23 45. In 2017, the Netherlands Police registered 3,449 discrimination incidents, 41 per cent of which involved racial discrimination. The anti-discrimination bureau registered 4,691 discrimination incidents, 38 per cent of which involved racial discrimination. 24 In 2018, the number of registered cases decreased slightly, to 3,299 and 4,320 respectively. 25 46. Muslim women consulted during the visit expressed grave concern about violence and harassment in public against women displaying symbols of their Muslim religion, especially since the introduction of the Partial Prohibition of Face-covering Clothing Act, which prohibits individuals in public settings such as schools, hospitals and public transport from wearing face-covering clothing. Under the Act, “face-covering clothing” includes burkas and niqabs, as well as ski masks and full-face helmets. A person who refuses to abide by a police officer’s instruction to remove a face-covering item of clothing may be subject to a fine of €150 or even arrest. The Special Rapporteur learned from the Government of its efforts to establish a network of Muslim women to ensure dialogue on matters affecting them, including the Act. However, it is of concern that private acts of discriminatory harassment towards individuals wearing burkas and niqabs have continued, abetted in part by media sources promoting citizen arrests. 47. The Government must be commended for its positive engagement with Jewish communities to develop appropriate measures for combating antisemitism. One civil society organization registered 135 antisemitic incidents in 2018, the highest number since 2014 and representing an increase of 19 per cent from 2017. 26 The number of antisemitic hate crimes recorded by the Government is even higher. In 2018, the police registered 275 21 22 23 24 25 26 Ibid. Iris Andriessen and Willem Hijnk, Integratie in Zicht? De Integratie van Migranten in Nederland op Acht Terreinen nader Bekeken (The Hague, Social and Cultural Planning Office, 2016), p. 14 (in Dutch). See https://fra.europa.eu/sites/default/files/fra_uploads/fra-2018-hate-crime-recording_en.pdf. See http://discriminatie.nl/files/2017-05/discriminatiecijfers-2016-landelijk-rapport.pdf (in Dutch). See www.discriminatie.nl/files/2019-04/landelijke-rapportage-discriminatiecijfers-2018-216.4.2019.pdf (in Dutch). Centrum informatie en documentatie Israel, “Netherlands: monitor anti-semitic incidents 2018, summary report” (March 2019), p. 1. 9