Fighting Terror

How is antisemitism defined? What is the current state of antisemitism in Europe and the United States (U.S.)? How have recent global events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, contributed to the popularity of antisemitic conspiracy theories among extremists? The first podcast episode in our new series on antisemitism will provide our listeners with a deeper understanding of antisemitism and current trends on both sides of the Atlantic. With the threat landscape indicating that antisemitic incidents are on the rise in both Europe and the U.S., thereby influencing a variety of violent and non-violent extremists across the political spectrum, there is a need to combat this pervasive challenge. 

In today’s episode, Lucinda speaks with Mitch Silber, who is a former Director of Intelligence at NYPD, where he oversaw research, collection, and analysis for the department’s Intelligence Division. Now, he’s the Executive Director of the Community Security Initiative, a small team dedicated to securing the Jewish institutions of New York from antisemitic violence.

In today’s episode, Lucinda is joined by CEP Senior Advisor Alexander Ritzmann. He leads the work of CEP Berlin on violent far-right extremist or terrorist (transnational) networks, both offline and online. Together they take a closer look at a recently published CEP study, titled Transnational linkages between violent right-wing extremism, terrorism and organized crime, of which the main author is Alexander. 

About the study:
Existing studies on the extremism/terrorism-crime nexus in recent years have focused on Islamist extremism and terrorism, while the transnational nexus between right-wing extremism/terrorism and organized crime groups remains under-researched. This gap in knowledge can lead to a misunderstanding of the strategies of right-wing extremists as well as of the risks those actors pose to potential victims and society as a whole.

A new CEP study, commissioned by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, shows that several violence-oriented right-wing extremist individuals and groups in Europe and the U.S. engage in or maintain ties with organized crime. Many of the identified cases have a transnational dimension, be it through cross-border activities like the acquisition of illegal drugs for distribution or through supposedly legal activities such as co-organizing hate music concerts, including events with a transnational character. As the study demonstrates, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, VRWE-affiliated football hooligan groups, prison gangs, and a range of VRWE individuals and groups are part of transnational networks. Such connections are particularly visible in Austria, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the U.S.

The study aims at informing policymakers working on the prevention and countering of violent extremism or terrorism and organized crime with the goal of fostering a better understanding of the phenomena and to encourage further cooperation between relevant government agencies and civil society organizations.

CEP resources

• The new CEP study can be accessed here.
• Watch the CEP Webinar: The Transnational Nexus of Right-Wing Extremism and Organized Crime here.

In today’s episode, Lucinda speaks with Liam Duffy, CEP Strategic Advisor. They discuss the findings of the recent Manchester Arena Inquiry, which is the third - and final - report of the inquiry. Chaired by Sir John Saunders, this report focuses on radicalisation and preventability. Liam sheds some light on what the inquiry is all about, the tragedy that occurred back in 2017 in Manchester, the radicalisation process of the perpetrator Salman Abedi and - most importantly - whether the attack could have been prevented.

Last week, the third and final report of the Manchester Arena Inquiry was published. Chaired by Sir John Saunders, the inquiry focuses on radicalisation and preventability. In this breaking news episode, Lucinda speaks with Liam Duffy, Strategic Advisor for the Counter Extremism Project, to hear about his thoughts on the findings of the inquiry as well as the radicalisation process of the perpetrator, Salman Abedi.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in cases that raise questions about liability shields afforded to tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.  In this breaking news episode, Lucinda speaks with Dr. Hany Farid, Senior Advisor to CEP and professor at University of California, Berkley. Hany is CEP's in-house expert when it comes to digital forensics. Together, Lucinda and Hany take a closer look at one of the cases,  Gonzalez v. Google, and discuss the Section 230 Liability Shield.

Links

• To read the amicus curiae brief, please click here.
• To read CEP's latest press release, please click here.
• To read the March 2020 study A Longitudinal Analysis Of YouTube’s Promotion Of Conspiracy Videos, co-authored by Dr. Farid and other UC Berkeley researchers, please click here. 
• To watch a recording of a CEP web event, Algorithmic Amplification of Divisive Content on Tech Platforms, please click here.

Last Wednesday, the long-awaited Prevent review was published by the Home Office. Led by William Shawcross, who was appointed Independent Reviewer of Prevent in 2021, the review sets out to understand how effectively this strand of the government’s counterterrorism strategy works and how it can be improved. 

But what is Prevent? Why was it created and why was last week's review commissioned in the first place ? What are the key takeaways from Shawcross' review and will Prevent make Britain safer? In this breaking news episode, Lucinda speaks with CEP experts, Ian Acheson and Liam Duffy, and explores the heated debate around the recent Prevent review.

ICYMI:

• CEP Statement On the Independent Review Of The British Government’s Prevent Strategy
• CEP Experts React To U.K. Prevent Strategy Review

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks to two former extremists, Ryan Lo’Ree and Bryant Vinas. 

Ryan was once a right-wing extremist with one of the largest Nazi movements in the United States. After being confined, Ryan went through a process of transformation that focused on healing from trauma. As part of his healing and deradicalization, Ryan created the Team Revelation Mixed Martial Arts, a program utilized to prevent troubled youth from entering gang and extremist cultures. Today, he contributes his expertise to Parallel Networks as Programme Director and Interventionist. 

Bryant was the U.S. first foreign fighter after 9/11. In September 2008, he participated in al-Qaeda attacks against U.S. Army bases in Afghanistan. After he was arrested in Pakistan in November 2008, he pled guilty in a New York federal court. While incarcerated, Bryant cooperated with U.S. law enforcement and provided helpful intel. U.S. authorities have called him the “single most valuable cooperating witness” in disrupting al-Qaeda operations.

In this final episode of our series on the 4R Network, Bryant and Ryan will share what it is like to come home after being convicted for offences related to extremism. The episode will explore differences and similarities in their reintegration processes, and we will learn which factors were essential for a successful reintegration process.

And just like that, our eight-episode series on the 4R-Network comes to an end. In case you have not listened to any of the previous episodes, we strongly encourage you to do so to learn more about the new CEP initiative, the 4R Network.

For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:
https://4rnetwork.org/

You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:
https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda talks to Mitch Silber. He is the executive director of the Community Security Initiative, visiting lecturer at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and the author of the book The Al Qaeda Factor & Radicalization in the West.

Mr. Silber’s CV is extensive, ranging from more than 20 years of experience in providing high-end finished intelligence, bespoke consulting and advisory work for a wide range of corporate, financial and governmental clients to being a former Director of Intelligence Analysis at the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”). At NYPD, he supervised the research, collection and analysis for the Intelligence Division’s entire portfolio of ongoing terrorism related investigations and was responsible for strategic assessments of emerging and future threats to the City of New York.

In today’s episode of our series on the 4R Network, Mitch will discuss concerns faced by law enforcement regarding rehabilitation and reintegration of extremist offenders, and how partnerships with civil society could help mitigate associated risks.

For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:
https://4rnetwork.org/

You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:
https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda speaks with social neuroscientist Mike Niconchuk and Noah Tucker, consultant for CEP’s Rehabilitation & Reintegration project in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.  As an applied neuroscience researcher and practitioner, Mike Niconchuk focuses on trauma recovery in conflict-affected populations, and the relationship between trauma, extremism, intergroup violence. Noah Tucker is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a Research Associate at the GWU Central Asia Program. He works primarily on social conflict and conflict prevention, from violent extremism and (Islamist and far-right groups) to ethnic and regional conflict.

In this episode, Mike and Noah will pull from their experience in Central Asia. Central Asia has been among the first areas of the world to repatriate women and children from conflict zones and have spearheaded the first attempts at Rehabilitation and Reintegration (R&R). Mike and Noah will discuss successful in-community reintegration and rehabilitation practices for children and adult women and explore the importance of inculcating culturally-relevant and appropriate methods of care to ensure long-term well-being and thus effective reintegration and rehabilitation.

For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:
https://4rnetwork.org/

You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:
https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022

In today's episode of our series on the 4R Network, Lucinda talks to Dr. Vivian Khedari DePierro. She is the Chief Psychologist & Director of Research at Beyond Conflict, who also happen to be our partners in this 4R Network endeavour. As a Clinical Psychologist, Vivian focuses on the development and evaluation of accessible and culturally-tailored approaches to trauma recovery among communities affected by violence and conflict across the globe.

In today’s episode of our series on the 4R Network, Vivian will touch upon the connection between unresolved trauma and the perpetuation of violence, and how failure to address mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) needs of extremist offenders may hamper rehabilitation and reintegration efforts of extremist offenders.

For more information about the 4R Network, see below the website:
https://4rnetwork.org/

You can find the video recording of the 4R Network launch event here:
https://www.counterextremism.com/video/cep-webinar-launch-4r-network-november-16-2022