TITLE: Far-right Extremism in the Balkans - Groups, Trends and Political Support

CONTENT: “Far-right extremism in the Balkans - groups, trends and political support” regional conference took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16-17 November 2022, organised by the BIRN Hub and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIRN BiH). Far-right and extremist movements are on the rise in the Balkans and represent a major threat to this politically divided region. Research done by the BIRN BiH and BIRN Hub journalists show far-right and extremist groups are well connected and active online. For e.g. during Russia’s attack on Ukraine, content from pro-Russian groups on Telegram messenger spreading misinformation and photos which incite violence were copied into Telegram groups in Serbia. An interactive map containing more than 70 far-right and extremist groups and organisations in six countries in the Western Balkans will be launched in the first part of 2023.

EXCERPT: “Far-right extremism in the Balkans - groups, trends and political support” regional conference took place in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in November 2022. Far-right and extremist movements are on the rise in the Balkans and represent a major threat to this politically divided region. Research done by the BIRN BiH and BIRN Hub journalists show far-right and extremist groups are well connected and active online.

Link: [https://detektor.ba/2022/11/16/otvorena-birn-ova-konferencija-o-desnicarskom-ekstremizmu-na-balkanu/]

TOPIC: Violent extremism

TREND: Ukraine war

DATE: November 16-17, 2022

COUNTRY: Western Balkans

TITLE: Promoting masculinity (online) leads to harmful content and violent extremism(update on DW)

CONTENT: The “Masculinities and Violent Extremism” paper produced by the International Peace Institute and the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) looks across the ideological spectrum of violent extremists and terrorist groups and the ways they utilise their masculinities to recruit new and retain existing members. The so-called “Islamist” violent extremist use the narratives around feminism, gender roles and women’s rights and justice movements to repel such social changes through idealising warrior masculinity and male role in decision-making, more often than not based on violence and subjugation of women. Experts identified racially and ethnically motivated terrorism as a unique form of political violence which entails fluid boundaries between organised terrorism and hate crime which is reflected both online and offline. Such notions of masculinity are shared across social media platforms, in forms of catchy videos, memes, websites dedicated to male insecurities, thus creating an enabling environment for the growth of violent extremism. The paper notes that members of such platforms were “responsible for several gender-based, antiMuslim, and anti-Semitic mass killings''. Moreover, the paper suggests that technology companies and governments could focus more on categorising misogynistic and harmful content online, and hate speech rhetoric. Document offers recommendations for all relevant actors. It noted that counterterrorism and CVE policies and programs should be monitored and evaluated using a robust human rights framework, especially in policy areas which relate to regulating misogynistic hate speech online.

EXCERPT: The “Masculinities and Violent Extremism” paper looks into the ways masculine narratives online lead to hateful narratives targeted at women, minorities, religious groups, ultimately resulting in violent extremism both online and offline. It calls for technology companies and governments to look into misogynist content being shared on social media.

LINK: [https://www.ipinst.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Masculinities-and-VE-Web.pdf]

TOPIC: Violent extremism, Gender rights online

TREND: n/a

DATE: June 2022

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: Extremists use social media to lure to women and girls into (online) extremism

CONTENT: The European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network Practitioners (RAN Practitioners) network published a paper which explores narratives and strategies used by right-wing and Islamist extremist actors to persuade and recruit young women and girls into violent extremism. Especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) programs struggled to maintain access to their target groups, especially in offline spaces. The document notes that digital platforms have not been used enough to reach out to girls and women in a strategic manner. On the contrary, the perpetrators took better advantage of social media in approaching and recruiting young women and girls. The paper looks into their tactics and young women and girls’s vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities the perpetrators take advantage of include, but are not limited to, discrimination young women and girls experience online and offline, desire to belong to a sisterhood-like group, and other issues related to understanding sexuality and other insecurities. While misogynist narratives are on the rise over the past several years and women are being targeted with defamatory hate speech and anti-feminist discussion online, in parallel right-wing extremism (RWE) groups, such as neo-Nazi organisations and identitarian organizations, strategically engage in producing content and using specific hashtags with the aim of persuading girls and women into online extremism. It particularly looks into online platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Telegram. The paper offers recommendations for preventing and countering extremists’ online targeting of girls and women.

EXCERPT: The European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network Practitioners (RAN Practitioners) network paper explores narratives and strategies used by extremist actors to persuade and recruit young women and girls into violent extremism. Perpetrators take advantage of their insecurities and vulnerabilities to lure them into online extremism.

LINK: [https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-03/ad_hoc_young_women_social_media_Lessons-p-cve_022022_en.pdf]

TOPIC: Violent extremism, Gender rights online

TREND: n/a

DATE: February 25, 2022

COUNTRY: Global

TITLE: Extremists use social media to lure to women and girls into (online) extremism

CONTENT: The European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network Practitioners (RAN Practitioners) network published a paper which explores narratives and strategies used by right-wing and Islamist extremist actors to persuade and recruit young women and girls into violent extremism. Especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) programs struggled to maintain access to their target groups, especially in offline spaces. The document notes that digital platforms have not been used enough to reach out to girls and women in a strategic manner. On the contrary, the perpetrators took better advantage of social media in approaching and recruiting young women and girls. The paper looks into their tactics and young women and girls’s vulnerabilities. Vulnerabilities the perpetrators take advantage of include, but are not limited to, discrimination young women and girls experience online and offline, desire to belong to a sisterhood-like group, and other issues related to understanding sexuality and other insecurities. While misogynist narratives are on the rise over the past several years and women are being targeted with defamatory hate speech and anti-feminist discussion online, in parallel right-wing extremism (RWE) groups, such as neo-Nazi organisations and identitarian organizations, strategically engage in producing content and using specific hashtags with the aim of persuading girls and women into online extremism. It particularly looks into online platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Telegram. The paper offers recommendations for preventing and countering extremists’ online targeting of girls and women.

EXCERPT: The European Commission’s Radicalisation Awareness Network Practitioners (RAN Practitioners) network paper explores narratives and strategies used by extremist actors to persuade and recruit young women and girls into violent extremism. Perpetrators take advantage of their insecurities and vulnerabilities to lure them into online extremism.

LINK:

TOPIC: Violent extremism, Gender rights online

TREND: n/a

DATE: February 25, 2022

COUNTRY: Global