Recording: Policing the Far Right

High profile attacks, including the killing of MP Jo Cox in 2016 and the 2017 murder of Makram Ali outside a London mosque, brought the threat posed by far-right extremism into the public eye. Since then, the arrest and prosecution of several young men, including teenagers as young as 13, for terrorism offences, have raised concerns that the Covid-19 pandemic and our increasingly digital lives have provided a new avenue for radicalisation, with socially isolated boys thought to be particularly vulnerable. 

Against this backdrop, police forces and other organisations are working to understand, prevent and address far-right extremism. Earlier this year, the right-wing terrorism lead at Counter Terrorism Policing said that the police could not ‘arrest our way out of’ the issue – highlighting the need for a holistic approach that encompasses both law enforcement and others best placed to support identification and deradicalisation efforts. 

This webinar is the latest in an event series linked to RUSI's Far-Right Extremism and Terrorism (FRET) research programme. In this context, the 'far right' is understood as an umbrella term encompassing both the 'radical right' and the 'extreme right' on the right-wing spectrum; for more details on these definitions, please refer to our programme page. The primary focus is on movements where there is violent action or professed intent, or actions or narratives that might lead to or encourage others to resort to violence.

Speakers

Our webinar brings together representatives from RUSI, law enforcement and academia to discuss approaches to policing and preventing far-right extremism:

• Dr Lella Nouri, Associate Professor of Criminology, Swansea University.
   
• Dr Jessica White, Senior Research Fellow, Terrorism and Conflict, RUSI.
   
• A representative from UK Counter Terrorism Policing (TBC).

The event is chaired by Dr Keith Ditcham, Senior Research Fellow in RUSI's Organised Crime and Policing Research Group.