Samenvatting

Are conspiracy theories enablers of extremist violence? And should individuals who belief in conspiracy theories be considered dangerous? This article argues that conspiracy milieus are too diverse to be labelled by such pejorative terms. Therefore, it is better to analyse extremism and political violence as situational and relational phenomena located in the radicalization of conflict that involve the interactions of various actors. By looking at the escalating and de-escalating mechanisms known to be part of protest movements, we will get a better and more nuanced understanding of the function of conspiracy theories in current social and political conflicts.