Call for Participants: RAN in the Western Balkans cross-cutting event on Violent Right-Wing Extremism (VRWE)

We are looking for suitable participants for the RAN in the WB cross-cutting event on Violent Right-Wing Extremism (VRWE).

Background and aim of this event

VRWE is gradually figuring on the agenda of Western Balkans P/CVE efforts, particularly with regard to the relaunch of national P/CVE strategies. Thus far however, the availability of P/CVE activities and policy on VRWE in the Western Balkans is still limited.

There is no established network of practitioners, and the topic is perceived as sensitive and not easily recognisable in its different forms and manifestations throughout the region. In bringing together a variety of different stakeholders from across the region, this cross-cutting event aims to put VRWE further on the agenda by:

• building awareness of the presence of the phenomenon in general and in the WBs;
• not only taking into account problematic forms of nationalism, but making it holistic by looking towards adjacent phenomena, such as polarisation, discrimination, hate crimes and overall public safety, as well as by addressing aspects like toxic masculinity and hooliganism;
• highlighting the role of the internet and social media in the spread of propaganda and radicalisation;
• looking at how ‘othering’, one of the fertile grounds, can be avoided;
• exploring how data-collection and monitoring mechanisms and capacities to identify and assess the scale of the problem can be put forward;
• collecting inspiring practices and promoting feasible ideas;
• facilitating exchange and cooperation between the different stakeholders (policy, practice and research);
• facilitating exchange with stakeholders from EU MSs.

Practitioners we are looking for

This meeting’s target audience consists of practitioners, policymakers and researchers from the Western Balkans who are involved in the prevention and countering of violent Right-Wing Extremism as well those who work on P/CVE in general (so more than IE alone).

Registration

In order to find the best suited participants, we would like to ask you to briefly respond to the following survey.

Please note that due to the limited number of available spots, participation cannot be guaranteed. You will be contacted individually by RAN Staff after the survey response deadline.

Deadline

If you are interested in participating, kindly respond to the survey by 15 June.
We will invite participants based on this information. As we only have a limited number of places available for this meeting, we unfortunately cannot guarantee participation.

Please note, the meeting languages are Albanian, BCMS, Macedonian and English (interpretation available). 

RAN provides flights (or compensation of own transport), hotel nights and all dinners during the event.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact Maarten van de Donk.

This call is also available in:

Albanian | Macedonian | Serbian.