Protesting is a fundamental right of citizens in European democratic constitutional states. In recent times, growing distrust of European governments seems to have provided a basis for anti-government sentiments, anti-democratic ideas, and a believe in the effectiveness and necessity of violence against the government and against persons and organizations representing it. Moreover, European police forces are now increasingly policing forms of spontaneous protest, non-direct action, and even (violent) disturbances.
Policing disturbances
Sociologists Laura Keesman (VU) and Don Weenink (Leiden) currently examine how police forces in various European countries (Belgium, Germany, France, The Netherlands, The UK and Sweden) are dealing with contemporary forms of protests, demonstrations and (non)violent disturbances.
They analyze How European police forces try to anticipate and navigate (violent) disturbances and how they consider the effects of their actions responding to disturbances. In short, what current challenges are in this protest landscape and how they are dealing with this.
Distrust in governments
This research is pressing, given an - what appears to be - increasing distrust of citizens in governments which can express itself in hostility towards the police, as representatives of governments. It is also timely because the right to protest is currently at the forefront of discussions on democracy and political participation.
First a document study was conducted, supplemented with fieldwork in Belgium, Germany, France, Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK. The ethnographic fieldwork conducted by Keesman also consists of semi-structured interviews with (police) experts and scientists, supplemented by video elicitations and visits to locations where (violent) disturbances took place.
Prevention & de-escalation
The scientific innovation also manifests itself in examining an issue that to date has received little scientific attention, namely: the cooperation between citizens and police for the prevention and de-escalation of order disturbances, and supplementing the still limited knowledge on:
1) contemporary forms of protests,
2) contemporary challenges in public order policing models, and
3) the possible influence of new technology on protest actions.