The Flemish Government identifies a rise in misogyny and toxic masculinity, prompting plans for a new radicalisation action plan.
The plan will be put forward by September from regional Justice Minister Zuhal Demir (N-VA), Interior Minister Hilde Crevits (CD&V), and Welfare Minister Caroline Gennez (Vooruit).
Minister Demir expressed concerns about the rise in misogyny, noting that boys in schools are making more inappropriate comments aimed at girls, for example based on their clothing. There are fears it will get worse.
She highlighted figures like American influencer Andrew Tate as contributing to the blurring lines between Islamism (Tate converted in 2022), street culture, and right-wing extremism, making the situation more complex.
Since the last action plan in 2020, the ministers believe conditions have significantly changed. They presented a report indicating male lone actors, who are not part of terror networks, pose the greatest threat and cite "increasing toxic masculinity."
The Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (OCAD) did not explicitly include toxic masculinity as a threat in its report.
