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Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN)

RAN Update 71 | May 2020

In this issue

Foreword

Latest publications

Violent right wing extremism

Upcoming events

Foreword

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.

Violent right wing extremism

Focus on VRWE

The RAN will be addressing the topic of violent right wing extremism in a number of its activities this year.

In May and June alone, we will be touching upon the VRWE topic in a Working Group meeting, two webinars and two publications.

Next month the RAN will publish an infographic ‘roadmap’ which will provide an overview of existing papers, videos, articles or other products relevant for RAN practitioners and outline RAN activities in the months to come.

RAN factbook

In December 2019, the RAN published a factbook on violent right wing extremism. The factbook provides a practical introduction to the fundamental elements of the VRWE scene in Europe, including a definition of what it encompasses...

Webinar

A RAN webinar on 15 May looked at the violent right wing extremism challenge.

Hosted by Nikki Sterkenburg, an expert on VRWE and award winning journalist, the webinar examined the insights from the RAN factbook on violent right wing extremism and discuss the implications for practitioners in their work.

Podcast

In December 2019, the RAN hosted a conversation online between four practitioners from across Europe to discuss the violent right wing extremism phenomenon. The podcast touches upon VRWE sub-cultures in football in Poland, VRWE attacks in Norway and VRWE efforts to recruit through online gaming. You can listen to the podcast in full here.

Case study

In October 2019, the RAN produced a case study film which explores the narratives and strategies deployed by violent right wing extremist groups.

The film follows the fictional story of a 19 year old lady called Hanna from a deprived suburb in Europe, who is being recruited by her cousin into a group whose aim to ‘protect the country against migrants’.

More to come…

Over the coming weeks in May the RAN will be highlighting and showcasing the work of its practitioners in addressing the VRWE challenge. Next week, the RAN will share the first of two films which capture the insights and views of practitioners on how the VRWE challenge continues to evolve, what this means for practitioners and what is currently being done to tackle it.

Upcoming events

Due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, all Working Group meetings scheduled to take place in May and June will be held online. We will make a further announcement in the next newsletter which will be published in June.

MAY 2020

How to motivate extremist individuals with no intrinsic exit motivation

RAN Rehabilitation
13-14 May
The meeting will explore strategies to motivate individuals to participate in a rehabilitation or disengagement process.

Extremist women in prison

RAN Prison
18 and 29 May
This meeting will explore the unique aspects of the treatment of women during imprisonment, how the approach for men applies to women and which assessment tools work.

Day-to-day challenges of Violent Right Wing Extremism

RAN Police and Law Enforcement
19-20 May
The meeting will explore the challenges emanating from organised VRWE groups and will identify the links between different VRWE movements across Europe.

Communication strategies on the return of FTFs

RAN Local Authorities
25-26 May (TBC)
This meeting will explore possible communications strategies to deal with the return of FTFs and their families to a municipality/city.

JUNE 2020

Trans-generational transmission of extremist ideology

RAN Youth & Education
4-5 June
This meeting will explore the process of trans-generational transmission of extremist ideology (in particular Islamist extremist and VRWE ideologies) and approaches to safeguard children from radicalisation.

How to support victims in sharing their counter and alternative narratives

RAN Victims of Terrorism and RAN Communications and Narratives
11 June
This meeting will explore how to ensure the voices of victims and narratives of victims of terrorism can help increase the effectiveness of P/CVE.

Ethics for mental health workers in the prevention of radicalisation

RAN Mental Health
16-17 June
This meeting will explore the different mental health settings across Europe and provide tangible ways to exchange relevant information and guidance on ethical guidelines.

Families ‘left behind’ by FTFs

RAN Families, Communities and Social Care
23-24 June
This meeting will explore how family, community and social care workers can better support the families ‘left behind’ by FTFs, dealing with loss, grief, trauma, and stigmatisation.

Latest publications

Call for Expert Practitioners

The RAN is looking for new expert practitioners for its ‘expert pool’ for 2020 and beyond. The expert pool consists of radicalisation experts who stand out among their fellow practitioners because of their in-depth know-how on a specific topic and their capacity to share this know-how with others. Practitioners in the expert pool will fulfil the role of a tutor by supporting other practitioners in their ongoing development. Expert practitioners might be asked to deliver lectures and training workshops, represent the RAN at external events, and draft specialised papers. For more information about the expert pool, the criteria for selection and how to apply

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The DNA of Digital Youth Work

A new paper provides insights for practitioners, particularly youth workers, who are looking to deliver digital interventions, on how to reach and engage with young people online. The paper explores four important elements of digital youth work, including: defining goals and understanding the audience; producing relevant platform-specific content; attaining the skills and resources needed; and organisational and ethical considerations. The paper draws on the insights gathered from participants at the RAN YF&C & RAN C&N online meeting on ‘How to do digital youth work in a P/CVE context: Revising the current elements’ on 19th March 2020.

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