Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN)

RAN C&N Communications after an attack and the role of media
(Lisbon, 1-2 October) 

This Expert Meeting examined the strategic communications environment following a terrorist attack, reviewing also how traditional and social media report on it. Experienced (first-line) communications experts presented many of the dos and don’ts as regards the formulation of a communication strategy.

For instance, in the aftermath of an attack, the media should start reporting and providing information as soon as possible. This includes information explaining, in a proactive manner, the standard procedures of first responders.

This is to show that authorities are dealing professionally with the attack even if details are not available. Another tip is to keep messages factual, reassuring and empathetic.

RAN EDU-H&SC ‒ Troubled Refugee children in the classroom
(Zagreb, 3-4 October)

The meeting attracted a wide range of professionals (teachers, child psychologists, social workers and professionals working at reception centres for newly-arrived refugees) who shared their experiences and discussed difficulties faced when helping to safeguard refugee children such as the cognitive effects of psychological trauma.

The discussion focussed on how to forge efficient multi-agency collaborations that will help safeguard vulnerable refugee children in schools across the EU.

There was a wide consensus that teachers should be able to recognise problematic behaviour, address its manifestations and prevent these from escalating into hatred, or even violence, towards the host society. Parts of an existing teacher training session were delivered.  

RAN YOUNG Academy session 4 ‒ How to professionalise your initiative? (Berlin, 21-22 October)

The topic of the meeting was professionalisation. The filmmaking workshop they received was in the light of professionalisation (professionalising the communication on your initiative). At each meeting we also include an inspiration part.

As such, RAN Young participants visited the Berlin Wall Memorial to see how a memorial can contribute to the general awareness and the consequences of segregation, polarisation and radicalisation.

They looked into the communication strategies within this memorial (how to do testimonies, storytelling, film and how to set up these different materials to help create awareness about the history of division and preventing future violence). They found inspiration in how to use this in their own PVE work.

About the film, participants discussed how the medium of film contributes to preventing radicalisation and creating awareness on these issues. At a time when recruitment is taking place both offline and online, one of the key questions is how to create alternative narratives and distribute these to vulnerable target audiences.

RAN EXIT ‒ Gender-specific approaches in Exit work
(Rome, 22-23 October)

Participants discussed whether there is a need for a gender-specific approach in Exit programmes, taking into consideration the growing number of women joining extremist groups.

First-line practitioners exchanged views about the gender roles and stereotypes that exist in a variety of extremist groups (far-left, far-right, Islamist, eco). There was an agreement that each case, no matter the extremist ideology, should benefit from an individual approach.

However, there are gender-specific questions that need to be answered concerning women’s role and experiences. General recommendations were provided to assist Exit workers to build trustful relationships with their clients by using the ABDEL model (Analyse-Bond-Decrease-Explore-Legitimise) to address the Needs (sense of belonging), Networks (family, city etc.) and Narratives (frame of references). Female-specific recommendations were also discussed.

RAN H&SC ‒ Alienation, Identity and Intercultural Working - Inclusive intercultural health and social care services (Helsinki, 23-24 October)

Social workers and health professionals working with migrants and refugees came together to discuss how to safeguard this vulnerable population from the push and pull factors leading to radicalisation or violent extremism. They focussed on acculturation and the role of the host, as well as identity needs, prejudice and discrimination and access to basic (mental) healthcare. The cultural competences of professionals were also discussed.

The 3N model (Needs, Network, Narrative) was introduced as a frame of reference to understand the process of (social) alienation which may lead to violent extremism. It explains how the loss of or search for personal significance is a motivator for radicalisation. Therefore, it is of vital importance for health and social care professionals to work on someone’s identity needs. In an inter- or multicultural context this requires training, curiosity, sensitivity and intervision for and from health and social care professionals.

Member States’ Workshop on Islamist Extremism (Rome, 24-25 October)

Representatives of participating member States (officials from the ministries of interior and education, police, prison and probation officers) discussed how governments should deal with and respond to local, regional and national manifestations of Islamist extremism. The local context, strategy and challenges faced by each MS were presented and discussed.

Guest and expert speakers guided participants through three specific topics: online propaganda and latest trends, Islamist extremism post-Daesh and rehabilitation of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) with a specific focus on women and children. It is worth noting that several MS reiterated the importance of a nuanced and long-term approach when dealing with child returnees.

The realisation that one is the child of a terrorist fighter could cause new trauma and must be considered when formulating a reintegration and rehabilitation programmes aimed at child returnees.

Plenary (Brussels, 30 October)

Some 100 RAN participants from all Working Groups came together to reflect on past achievements and to discuss a course for 2020 and beyond. In an interactive session, attendees discussed the issues deemed important (based on break-out sessions before the Plenary discussions and the findings of a recent survey). The list includes far-right extremism, Islamist extremism, gender and building resilience.

The break-out sessions, which were organised by working group, delved into the future cooperation possibilities between different constituencies. The rehabilitation of violent extremist offenders (P&P), the blending of online and offline communications when addressing youngsters (C&N), restorative justice (RVT) and extracurricular activities being infiltrated by extremist ‘influencers’ (EDU) are several topics highlighted during these break-out sessions. During the Plenary session which followed, the dissemination of RAN deliverables was discussed.

Participants identified this as an area needing critical reassessment (as regards the most suitable format of communication). Participants also discussed alternative forms of knowledge exchange, such as job shadowing and increased cooperation with Member States. The outcomes of the Plenary will feed into the advice on the Annual Activity Plan for 2020 as well as the ex post paper, which will be published shortly.

High-Level Conference (Brussels, 4 November)

The RAN High-Level Conference centred around the screening of the 2019 Belgian drama Le Jeune Ahmed (English: Young Ahmed). The movie, which premiered in Cannes in May of this year, is about a teenager who becomes radicalised. Following the screening, the film’s directors, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, spoke about the film. Together with journalist Eddie Caekelberghs, they answered audience questions about their depiction of Ahmed’s (de)radicalisation process.

Some 115 people attended the High-Level Conference. They included RAN participants, Member States representatives, members of the Steering Board on Radicalisation and representatives of international organisations. Groups made up of both policymakers and practitioners discussed the film and how they would approach similar cases of radicalisation. Some stated that the measures taken in the movie do not reflect how they would have reacted. Nevertheless, Le Jeune Ahmed served as a powerful conversation starter in schools and communities.

In small groups, they discussed the film’s four main themes: education, family and community, deradicalisation and disengagement, and ideology. The education group highlighted that discussion of sensitive subjects should be included in the school curricula, stressing, however, that teachers should not be discussing religion in such a context. For the family and community group, members stressed the importance of peers and a person’s immediate surroundings. The deradicalisation group discussed the benefits of multi-agency cooperation and sufficient training for practitioners. In turn, the ideology groups discussed how ideology can also be an important factor in a radicalisation process.

The lessons learned during RAN working group meetings are shared in ex post papers. Papers are published on the RAN website about a month after the meeting.

RAN C&N How to make an effective campaign that is reaching the target audience and selling the message (Brussels, 14-15 November)

What’s the best way to create, implement and evaluate effective P/CVE communications campaigns? Participants will tackle this question, focussing on how to make a counter- or alternative narrative campaign attractive for the target audience and how to enhance the effectiveness of this campaign.

They will review the GAMMMA+ model, which comprises the following key elements: Goal, Audience, Message, Messenger, Media, Action plus Monitoring and Evaluation.

RAN EDU Challenges in Islamist extremist ideology in schools
(Antwerp, 14-15 November)

The immediate goal of schools is to provide a safe and respectful learning environment for their students. However, teachers are increasingly confronted with challenges related to religious-inspired extremist ideologies which polarise European societies and are echoed in classrooms.

Addressing claims, grievances, real or perceived injustices, controversial questions, and sensitive issues related to children’s religious sphere is crucial for promoting a democratic space of reflexion and to protect students from extremist propaganda. Participants will discuss challenges, practices, and pedagogical perspectives in dealing with religious-inspired extremist ideologies in primary and secondary schools.

Steering Committee (Brussels, 19 November)

This will be the final gathering of RAN’s Working Group leaders with representatives of the European Commission and the Centre of Excellence under the current mandate, which started October 2015 and ends at the end of 2019. Starting 2020, a new mandate will govern the RAN and the support it receives.

As such, the Steering Committee will discuss a proposal for the 2020 activity plan. The recommendations included in the proposal will be mainly drawn from the RAN Plenary and High-Level Conference. It is also worth noting that the current composition of Working Groups and co-chairs will remain in place until a review has taken place early next year.

RAN RVT VIII International Congress for the Victims of Terrorism
(Nice, 21-23 November)

Organised in partnership with AfVT, the city of Nice and RAN RVT, and under the High Patronage of French President Emmanuel Macron, this congress evolves around victims' testimonies and many round tables with different aims.

Round tables included in the programme include, among others, the following topics: the role of victims in the prevention of radicalisation, the evolution of the terrorist threat, the role of states and local authorities in supporting victims of terrorism, specific accompaniment of child victims of terrorism, support for caregivers and first responders and victim recognition and remembrance.

The participants of the RAN RVT Working Group will be present throughout the programme and moreover, actively take part in the round table related to the role of victims in P/CVE. The event will gather many victims of terrorism, civil society organisations and politicians, representatives of different institutions, international experts and journalists in Nice.

RAN P&P What challenges do the currently sentenced extremists pose to prison regimes, and how to encounter those? (Lisbon, 21-22 November)

Maintaining a safe prison environment can be challenging. With regard to the presence of extremist offenders in prison, police and probation officers will discuss what is needed to keep all prisoners and staff safe. As regards the engagement between prisoners and staff, they will discuss instances in which extremists do not accept the prison system and cases in which they have attacked the staff.

Another relevant matter is to what extent staff manage to build some trust to build a working relationship. In turn, participants will discuss how the presence of extremists in the prison system influence the daily routine (e.g. stricter rules or increased tension among prisoners). They will also examine whether convicted extremists should be subject to special arrangements in terms of ensuring safety in prison and working on rehabilitation and meeting the needs of the prisoner.

Such exchanges about how to deal with these types of situations is key to addressing how the prison regime can prevent and tackle the related challenges.

RAN YF&C Expert Meeting - ‘Digital youth work’
(Copenhagen, 28-29 November)

Young people spend a significant amount of time online. Extremists know where to find them and how to provide them with large amounts of high-production-value propaganda material and recruit them online. Youth workers are best placed to reach out to these young people and to do effective online youth work and one-to-one interventions.

However, most European countries are still at the beginning of doing effective online youth work in P/CVE and practitioners often need more tools to be able to engage with them online.

This is why participants at this meeting will delve into the local aspects of digital youth work and discuss ways to ensure the interaction online goes both ways. They will outline the step-by-step approach to how to conduct digital youth work and one-to-one interventions.

RAN POL Information sharing (Athens, 28-29 November)

Highly sensitive information may need to be shared among different organisations, and processes need to be in place to support such exchanges. Stepping up the exchange of information is complex and rather tricky. Participants at this meeting will discuss recent developments, barriers and solutions in some of the well-known multi-agency arrangements in Europe. They will discuss how new EU rules on data protection impact local contexts.

Participants will draw up a list of recommendations that could help police and law enforcement challenge some of the cultural, legislative and institutional barriers to information sharing. What is more, by raising awareness of the complexities created by the EU law on data protection, this meeting aims to help improve police preparedness in responding to and preventing violent extremism.

Multi-agency meeting RAN EXIT-RVT (Dublin, 3-4 December)

Restorative justice is common practice in dealing with ‘regular’ crimes. It has also been used in post-conflict situations like in Northern Ireland, Spain or Italy. The idea of bringing together perpetrator and victim (the person who was inflicted or society which was harmed) may include a restitution to be given from the offender to the victim, or steps to prevent the offender from causing future harm.

What can we learn from restorative justice for exit processes for (violent) extremists? And how does it benefit victims of terrorism? Victims of terrorism (RAN RVT) and exit workers (RAN EXIT), as well as professionals in the field of restorative justice will come together in Dublin to discuss this topic. The meeting will be co-organised by the European Forum for Restorative Justice.

The aim of this meeting is to learn what elements (insights, methodological approaches and tools) of restorative justice can be implemented in exit work and provide guidelines (including the methodological approach) enabling to put in place this restorative justice for both victims and offenders.

Editorial Board (Amsterdam, 6 December)

This will be the RAN Editorial Board’s second and last bi-annual meeting of the year. Participants will gather to discuss lessons learned from recent research, as well as future research trends and gaps that need to be filled.

They will focus on the priority issues highlighted at the High-Level Conference, as well as the Steering Board for Union actions on preventing and countering radicalisation and from earlier outcomes of the RAN Research Seminar 2018 and 2019.

The Civil Society Empowerment Programme (CSEP) supports civil society, grass roots organisations and credible voices.

Using the positive power and tremendous reach of the internet, it empowers these different groups to provide effective alternatives to the messages coming from violent extremists and terrorists, as well as ideas that counter extremist and terrorist propaganda.

In October 2017, the Commission published a call for proposals for the development of online campaigns to promote counter speech and moderate voices. The 11 projects selected organised a kick-off campaign event in Brussels on 30-31 January 2019. The kick-off provided the participants with new insights and tips and tricks on how to successfully start an online campaign. Read the results in the ex post paper and/or watch the video.

Now, a second call for proposals resulted in six new projects awarded joining the CSEP network. The event will take place in Dublin, 18-19 November. It will aim to cater to the needs of the beneficiaries of both the first and the second call for proposals.

The Radicalisation Awareness Network Centre of Excellence (RAN CoE) has been tasked by DG Migration and Home affairs to organise the event, in partnership with the European Strategic Communication Network (ESCN), Facebook, Google and Twitter. Building on the successful elements of the previous event, support will again be provided through various interactive workshops and incubator teams. The aim is to help CSEP projects deal with obstacles and provide new insights into online campaigning.

Originally from Turin (Italy), Noemi Bertinotti is a volunteer psychologist. We caught up with her on the side lines of the 'Taking mental health issues into account in CVE and PVE' meeting. She shared her expectations and explained the challenges she encounters in her work. “The most challenging thing for us is to intervene in cases of severe emergency where you really need to keep the blood cold.”

Listen to Noemi’s story.

An extremist narrative usually has three elements. First, it states what has or will go horribly wrong. Secondly, it advocates what should be done to stop the situation. Thirdly, it explains who should do this and why. Young people are most susceptible to extremist narratives and recruitment. They are curious and searching for answers and trying to find their place in society. This can make them vulnerable to being manipulated.

Meet Hanna, our case study.

Miroslav Mareš is a professor at Masaryk University (Brno, Czech Republic) at the Department of Political Science and Faculty of Social Studies. His research focuses on extremism, terrorism and security policy in Central and Eastern Europe.

Right-wing extremist violence and terrorism  

The contemporary wave of right-wing extremist violence and terrorism is a challenge to research from various perspectives. A comprehensive overview is included in the monothematic issue of the journal Perspectives on Terrorism, edited by Tore Bjørgo and Jacob Ravndal. Both authors also published the paper Extreme-Right Violence and Terrorism: Concepts, Patterns and Responses for the ICCT. They explain the relations between various categories (hate crime, terrorism, violence) and they present (through a set of figures) the development trends of the researched phenomenon.

They note that while skinhead violence has largely faded, the main violent challenge “from the extreme right in Western Europe today comes from lone actors and small autonomous cells.” Bjørgo and Ravndal analyse the case of Anders Breivik and his contemporary successors. Their final chapter is especially valuable concerning responses to extreme right violence and terrorism. The authors identify several possibilities to disrupt attacks at different stages of the process of lone wolf terrorism.

Even though it is not common to promote here one’s own publications, I will make an exception due to the topical importance of the book, which was edited by Tore Bjørgo and Miroslav Mareš. This edited volume, titled Vigilantism against Migrants and Minorities, traces the rise of far-right vigilante movements. It is written by a team of international contributors from across Western and Eastern Europe, as well as North America and Asia. They provide a variety of analyses about this specific phenomenon.

The strong performative role of many recent vigilante patrols with links to the extreme right is emphasised in the book (among others, in chapters dedicated to the Soldiers of Odin in several countries and regions). On the other hand, violent and even terrorist forms of vigilantism are still important in contemporary world. A rise of vigilante border patrols was observed as a symptom of the so called “migration crisis” in the middle of the second decade of the 21^st century. The main findings are summarised, and some attributes of vigilantism are re-conceptualised in the final comparative chapter.

The research on right-wing extremist violence can be focused on specific regional issues. A team of authors from the Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Research (Uwe Backes, Sebastian Gräfe, Anna-Maria Haase, Maximilian Kreter, Michal Logvinov and Sven Segelke) analysed violent extreme right events in the German federal state of Saxony.

Saxony is well-known due to electoral success of far-right parties as well as due to a high level of extreme right violence. The authors address, among other issues, the relations between extreme right music scene and violence. Profiles of important militant groups from the region are included in the book (Gruppe Freital, National Socialists Chemnitz, Freie Kameradchaft Dresden etc.). Impact of new social media on the right-wing extremist militancy is researched.

The full calendar for 2019 is available online.

If you are interested in attending a forthcoming RAN meeting, contact the appropriate RAN Centre of Excellence staff member. Check the RAN website for a full list of contacts by working group.

The RAN Centre of Excellence is implemented by RadarEurope, which is a subsidiary of the RadarGroup:

RAN Centre of Excellence