(Berlin, Germany / New York, N.Y.) – The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) invites you to a webinar on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, focusing on the presentation of a new, in-depth CEP study concerning the financial strategies of right-wing extremist actors in the United Kingdom and Germany. This study was commissioned by the British Embassy in Berlin.
The United Kingdom and Germany see right-wing extremism and terrorism as a major threat to public safety and minority groups. A connecting and essential component in both countries are entrepreneurs or key actors of extremism, who have held key roles in leadership, propaganda, recruiting, and financing for a prolonged period. These extremist entrepreneurs often avoid direct calls for violence or publicly visible command positions in violence-oriented groups. Rather, they facilitate and steer events such as music events or political activities, where they promote narratives of “white victimhood” and “self-defense” and are therefore essential to the milieus that breed right-wing extremist violence.
Right-wing extremism often operates in the grey zone between legal and illegal, violent and non-violent activities. Political violence, and terrorism in particular, do not exist in a vacuum and require financial resources. Understanding causal and contributing factors as well as the roles of allegedly legally operating key extremist actors is essential for effectively preventing and combating political violence and terrorism.
The CEP study outlines and analyzes the financial strategies and activities of key right-wing extremist organizations and actors in the United Kingdom and Germany and gives practical recommendations for policymakers on how to mitigate the threat.
The webinar will be conducted in English via Zoom.
Date: Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Time: 8:00 a.m. ET / 14:00 CET to 9:30 am ET / 15:30 CET
EVENT PROGRAM:
Introductory Remarks:
Philippa Chancellor-Weale
First Secretary Counterterrorism, Foreign, Security and Development Section, British Embassy Berlin
Presentations:
Alexander Ritzmann
Senior Advisor, Counter Extremism Project (CEP) and Radicalization Awareness Network (RAN) of the European Commission
Dr. William Allchorn
Adjunct Associate Professor in Politics and International Relations at Richmond, the American University in London, Interim Director of the Centre for the Analysis of the Radical Right (CARR)
Dr. Bethan Johnson
Ernest May Fellow in History and Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Moderator:
Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler
Senior Director, Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
The presentations will be followed by a Q&A-session open to all participants.
REGISTRATION:
To participate in this webinar please register via this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pi6eGa_hSJG9rj2QUKv6YA
Please register up to one hour before the webinar start so that your registration can be approved in time.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to colleagues with an interest in the subject.