Why are some young people aggressive towards the police and the uniform?

Johan Leman, 16 October 2026

“Everyone hates the police!” a young woman shouted recently during a demonstration. Some police inspectors, for their part, wonder why certain young people even react aggressively towards firefighters or ambulance crews when they come to provide assistance in a neighbourhood. It seems utterly absurd.

I see three reasons coming together.

For some, negative experiences involving police interventions play a role. These negative perceptions are then passed on to their peers, who identify with them, even if they have never had such experiences themselves. This is the internal solidarity of peer groups.

Sometimes, this is also part of a broader experience of hostility towards society as a whole, which is perceived as stigmatising. That hostility is then transferred to those who symbolically represent society. Someone who feels hostile towards society out of frustration or trauma is unlikely to rush to the defence of people who act “in the name of” — in other words, wear the uniform of — that society. I am not saying that this attitude is justified.

Add to this the fact that, in some circles, particularly at a young age, it is seen as a sign of toughness not to be intimidated by authority and to make a conspicuous show of it.

In short: concrete negative experiences — including those passed on by others — within a broader context of perceived hostile stigmatisation, compounded by an age-related tendency to show off and act tough.

How can trust be built “between the two camps” in such a context?

By ensuring, as early and as consistently as possible, that young people come to realise that the people wearing these uniforms are, in fact, people just like them. And that these people have chosen, as their profession, to serve the people in their own neighbourhood — the very neighbourhood where these young people live. Mistakes may sometimes happen, of course, but that is part and parcel of every profession.

The best way to achieve this is through getting to know one another, exchanging views openly and honestly, and regularly undertaking positive joint initiatives.

This is precisely what we at Foyer and the Migration Museum have been working towards for some time, together with the local police.

We must have the courage to challenge dominant perceptions openly, in full public view.

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