
Senseless violence ( nl, zinloos geweld) is a term frequently used by among others the media, politicians and
NGOs to define the nature of several shocking events in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
and the
Netherlands
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in recent years. The use of the term is politically charged and may not reflect any unique elements of any particular crime given that label.
The term expresses the perceived senselessness of the occurred acts of
violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or Power (social and p ...
; the perpetrator and the victim do not know each other, the violence seems not to be motivated by greed or other common factors. The violence occurs suddenly and often under the influence of alcohol.
Origin of the term
The term "senseless violence", in the meaning used in this article, was first used in 1997 by Cees Bangma, district chief of the Dutch police unit Midden-Friesland. Before 1997 the term did not carry the same moral connotation in Belgian and Dutch culture, and typically referred to overseas warzone violence. Bangma used it in a letter written to the
Leeuwarder Courant
The ''Leeuwarder Courant'' is the oldest daily newspaper in the Netherlands. Founded by Abraham Ferwerda, it first appeared in 1752. The ''Leeuwarder Courant'' was the first paper in the Dutch province Friesland and its capital Leeuwarden. It is ...
, a
Frisia
Frisia is a cross-border cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. The region is traditionally inhabited by the Frisians, a West Ger ...
n newspaper in which he made an appeal to the Dutch population to have a minute of silence for
Meindert Tjoelker, who was killed on 13 September 1997. This minute was necessary "to make it clear to everyone that the Frisian society does not accept senseless violence". A wave of reactions followed, which also included
media hype
Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to ...
. As a consequence, much more attention was spent to every similar case of violence, which led to the perception that violence was on the increase.
A political group ''Landelijke Stichting Tegen Zinloos Geweld'' (national foundation against senseless violence) was created and people created the ladybug tile as a memorial or reminder against senseless violence. The group sent guest teachers to schools and sport associations, but became rather inactive since ca. 2009.
Criticism
The term is often criticized. Some people think that violence is never legitimate and consider the term to be a tautology. Others say that the term has never been clearly defined and does not help to understand a particular phenomenon. Others point out that the term is or can be misused by politicians who strive for more repressive measures against crimes.
In 2016, the national newspaper NRC reported about a recent case of youngsters mistreating a homeless person. The newspaper quoted a spokesperson of the police who said that hardly any violence happens ''out of the blue''. Criminologists have started to use the term ''uitgaansgeweld'' instead, violence occurring ''going out'' in the evening to pubs and bars. Because of the local approach there are no recent national figures about the phenomenon, according to an expert.
Belgium
Documented deadly incidents include
Guido Demoor Guido Demoor (1952) was a Belgian NMBS/SNCB Thalys train driver and father of two children.
He died on 24 June 2006 after an incident of violence in an Antwerp public transport bus with a group of six youths.
The exact circumstances under whic ...
, a train-driver who died after being struck on the head on an
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, bus by six youths he had asked to calm down, on June 24, 2006, and the death of an
MIVB
The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company (french: Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles or ; nl, Maatschappij voor het Intercommunaal Vervoer te Brussel or ) is the local public transport operator in Brussels, Belgium. It is u ...
employee after being struck by a man in April 2012, leading to a multi-day strike by the Brussels transport services.
Netherlands
* August 21, 1983:
Kerwin Duinmeijer
Kerwin Duinmeijer (born Kerwin Lucas, though he later took on the surname of his foster parents; 5 June 1968 – 21 August 1983) was a Dutch teenager of Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands Antillean descent who was murdered in an act of senseless ...
(stabbed to death in a racism related case)
* October 22, 2002:
René Steegmans (beaten to death after asking respect for an elderly lady)
* December 2, 2012:
Richard Nieuwenhuizen (fatally injured after serving as a volunteer linesman at a youth football match in Almere)
See also
*
Crime in Belgium
Crime in Belgium is countered by the Belgian Police and other agencies.
Crime by type
Murder
In 2012, Belgium had a murder rate of 1.8 per 100,000 population. There were a total of 182 murders in Belgium in 2012.Belgian 'suicide bomber' is ...
*
Happy slapping
References
{{reflist
Violence in Belgium
Violence in the Netherlands
Violence