Number of registered cases of racism in the Netherlands 2013-2017

* The source adds the following note: "Due to a change in the data collection of racist incidents in 2015, the trend must be interpreted with caution with regard to to previous years")

The figures provided in this report are based on complaints and reports made with the police, and on the observations of the police.

The source provides the following definitions of anti-Semitism, racism, discrimination against Muslims, and right-wing extremism:

Anti-Semitism:
Anti-Semitism in this report is defined in accordance with the definition of Anti-Semitism which was accepted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) on 26 May 2016 as "a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities."
Furthermore, the report distinguished between cases of intentional antisemitism; in which there is a reasonable suspicion that the perpetrator knew, or thought they knew about the Jewish background of the person, object or place targeted, and displays of antisemitism without direct involvement of people or objects with a Jewish background.

Racism:
Racism in this report is defined, in line with article 1 of the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination, as all forms of distinction, exclusion, restriction or preferential treatment which is based on race, skin color, origin and national or ethnic lineage, the purpose or effect of which is to nullify or infringe upon the recognition, enjoyment or exercise on an equal footing of human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Discrimination against Muslims:
The report defines Muslim discrimination as the insulting, sowing of hatred and discriminating against persons or groups on the basis of their religion, Islam. Muslim discrimination is placed under the heading of racism in this report as discrimination against Muslims often takes place in combination with racist motives and displays of racism. The report regards the (systematic) unequal treatment, exclusion and violence against Muslims as Muslim discrimination, noting that this form of discrimination relates to discrimination against people because of their religion, and not offence towards the religion itself.

Right-wing extremism: Right-wing extremist groups are understood by the source as organizations with a more or less pronounced ideology which is to an important extent marked by variations of orientation towards "us" and variations of aversion to "them", whereby the distinction between "us" and "them" is primarily based on ethnic difference. The source adds that this ideology is marked by a penchant for authoritarianism.

An incident is considered as anything which the police come across: theft and abuse, but also traffic violations, suspicious situations, detection of suspicious persons and the transfer of dossiers to other forces. Incidents are registered, among other ways, in response to reports, telephone alerts from citizens and the observations of police personnel.