There are a number of emerging and evolving violent extremism challenges to be addressed in 2020. To support practitioners to better understand and tackle these challenges, the RAN, through its various activities, will explore a set of ‘priority themes’. The first of these priority themes is ‘violent right wing extremism’ (VRWE). In recent years, the VRWE scene has undergone a paradigm shift in the pace and scale of its efforts to radicalise and recruit.

Its online activity has grown and become increasingly sophisticated, it has embraced and exploited the gaming culture, and there has been an increase in cross border activity and transnational networks. However, the VRWE challenge continues to evolve. This month, the RAN will be taking a look at how the challenge has evolved, including how VRWE groups have exploited crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, and will highlight the work of RAN practitioners in addressing it.