Netherlands

Since 1 July 2025, Article 44bis of the Dutch Criminal Code (CC) has been in effect, creating grounds for increased sentencing for crimes with a discriminatory aspect. In addition to increasing the maximum penalty in cases of discrimination, the purpose of the adopted bill is a codification of the long-standing policy of the Public Prosecutor's Office to ask for higher penalties for discriminatory crimes. The new Article 44bis CC stipulates that the maximum sentence for the underlying offence (vandalism, threats, assault) can be increased by one-third if discrimination played a role in its commission.

In 2024, a new role of quality officer was introduced within the police. ECAD-P, developed and provided a training programme for these officers, focusing on crimes with discriminatory aspects, such as hate crimes.      

A notable hate crime case:

In November 2024, riots broke out in Amsterdam after a football match between Ajax (NL) and Maccabi-Tel Aviv (M-TA, Israel), partly due to tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas. Before the match, Maccabi supporters chanted slogans that were perceived as offensive. After the match, people with a (supposed) Jewish background in particular were chased and attacked by groups in the city. The slogans and riots made (inter)national news and led to expressions of disgust and questions from politicians at a national and international level. 
Initially focusing on the most serious violent crimes and based on their own investigation, the police have been able to identify several suspects of the riots. A number of them have since been brought to court and convicted (discrimination). About 50 incidents have been officially reported, both against Palestinian sympathizers and M-TA supporters. Eight reports concern discriminatory statements made by M-TA supporters. It is not yet clear whether hate crimes are involved here. Investigations are still ongoing, but have not yet led to the identification of individual suspects.