Out now: Nineteenth Newsletter I Summer edition 2026

Welcome to the 19th edition of the EU Knowledge Hub on Prevention of Radicalisation newsletter! As we enter our summer pause following an exceptionally active first half of the year, this issue provides a broad overview of our key operational highlights and expert insights from across the European prevention landscape.

This edition opens with an overview of the Hub’s autumn activities. We detail our upcoming paths, including newly published Conclusion Papers form recent Thematic Panel meeting, preparation of September strategic communication meeting on crisis communication in hybrid threat environments, the full autumn resumption of our training programme and the launch of the new dedicated Wester Balkan website section designed to foster regional cooperation.

Our expert contribution features a wide range of perspectives. In the Portrait interview, Dr. Alexander Weissenburger explores non-violent legalistic form of religious extremism and the role of cross-border collaboration in safeguarding democratic resilience. Dr Katarzyna Maniszewska offers a historical analysis of cross-ideological radicalisation patterns inspired by the Red Army Faction to better understand modern mixed-ideology extremism.

We also examine emerging digital subcultures and online pathways to violence, with Professor Séraphin Alava analysing masculinism and online antifeminism, Katrine K. Pedersen dissecting how the Looksmaxxing trend embeds incel ideology into everyday youth self-improvement rituals and the Documentation Centre Political Islam investigating Hezbollah's digital media and mobilization strategies across Europe.

Further enriching this issue, Dr Virginie Andre introduces the Selling Democracy Toolbox, a practical strategic communication framework connecting democratic values to citizens' everyday lives.

From our Young Mentees' perspective, Nance Elleithy highlights the role of youth-led digital counter-narratives in building online resilience. In field practice, we showcase evidence-based results from the EU co-funded SPEY project on using sports to prevent youth extremism.

Finally, our resources section highlights our new brochures, the first on the strategic overview brochure for 2025–2026 and the second on Nihilistic Violent Extremism, plus the latest Conclusion Paper examining the gendered dimensions of radicalisation.

The EU Knowledge Hub team wishes all our community members, practitioners and experts across Europe a restful summer break. We look forward to reconnecting in September for another season of exchange and collaboration.