The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism was co-founded by Heidi Beirich, Ph.D. and Wendy Via.

Beirich is an international expert on American and European extremist movements, including the white supremacist, anti-immigrant, antisemitic and antigovernment movements, and is the author of numerous academic publications on hate and extremism movements. Prior to co-founding GPAHE, Beirich led the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, the foremost organization tracking hate and extremism movements in the United States.

Wendy Via has an extensive background in influencing national narratives and actions around civil and human rights issues, including the exposition of racism and extremism in institutional systems, advocacy campaigns, storytelling, research, and impact philanthropy. Prior to co-founding GPAHE, Via held an executive leadership role at the Southern Poverty Law Center and worked with organizations committed to women’s rights.

We sat down with Wendy to discuss the GPAHE’s report “Democracies Under Threat” which addresses the failures of self-regulatory model of digital intermediaries and helps the spread of hate speech online.

Music by Cousin Silas

• Recognize your consumer and citizen role in fighting against hate
• Demand political responsibility for the digital sphere
• Call out political alt-right normalisation

• Global Project Against Hate and Extremism: Democracies Under Threat – report
• International White Nationalist Movement Spreading on Twitter and YouTube – report
• Why Is YouTube Still Hosting and Monetizing Content Connected to White Supremacist Terrorism? – article
• The Transatlantic Connections Between American and Southeastern Europe’s White Supremacists – report
• Digital media ethics and intermediary liability: How other countries have approached it – comparison
• Donald Trump’s accounts on Facebook and Instagram remain suspended – news

Podcast Citizen D gives you a reason for being a productive citizen. Citizen D features talks by experts in different fields focusing on the pressing topics in the field of information society and media. We can do it. Full steam ahead!