PC is a leading member of the EU Radicalisation Awareness Network
Political Capital has become a leading institution in the EU Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN), an organization that was set up by the European Commission as an EU-wide umbrella network of practitioners and local actors involved in countering and preventing violent radicalisation. In the Network, until 2015, different working groups will exchange experiences, knowledge and best practices. RAN supports the policy process at the EU and Member States' level.
Peter Kreko, Director of Political Capital Institute has became a co-chair of the working group RAN-PREVENT. The other co-chair is Clare White, the Chief Executive of The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace in Warrington, Great Britain. The purpose of this working group is to capture and disseminate approaches in practice, learning from those in Europe actually working ‘on the ground’ with young people vulnerable to violent radicalization, with the aim of improving future practice in the prevention of violent extremism.
The working groups will share their experiences and serve as an advisory board for the Commission on what measures might be needed. The leaders of the eight working groups have met with EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström recently in order to define the most important tools and methods of the Working Group. The idea behind the establishment of the network was that fight against terrorism too much focused on repressive measures and not enough on preventive work. Therefore, the working groups will set up new methods to combat the violent ideologies at the local level. The groups will present methods and recommendations that Member States may use on national and local levels to counter violent extremism.
The RAN Secretariat, responsible for the organisation of the Network, is executed by RadarConsultancy.
For more information:
Peter Kreko
Director
Political Capital Institute
00 36 20 771 87 16
Further information:
About Radicalisation Awareness Network (RAN)1
EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, Cecilia Malmström, has established an EU-wide Radicalisation Awareness Network in 2011 September, on the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. RAN connects key groups of people involved in countering violent radicalisation across the EU. Thus, researchers, social workers, religious leaders, youth leaders, policemen and others working on the ground in vulnerable communities are able to exchange ideas and best practices. As a 'network of networks' the RAN will include groups, associations and platforms with concrete and practical involvement in preventing radicalisation issues. Their work will be organised in clusters of, inter alia, policy makers, law enforcement and security officials, prosecutors, local authorities, academics, field experts and civil society organisations, including victims groups.
About the Tim Parry Jonathan Ball Foundation for Peace
The Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace was set up by Colin and Wendy Parry following the death of their 12-year-old son Tim and 3-year-old Johnathan Ball after the IRA bombed Warrington in 1993. The Foundation is the only U.K. organisation founded by victims of terrorism which supports others affected by political violence, conflict and acts of terror. It works with people of all ages, race, faiths and nation with the aim of turning painful experiences into positive action. The Foundation acts as advisor to Local, Central and European Government on the aftercare of victims of terrorism and the prevention of violent radicalisation of young people. www.foundation4peace.org
About Political Capital Institute
Political Capital (PC) is a leading Budapest-based research and consultancy institute founded in 2001. PC has been conducting extensive comparative research on right-wing extremism, prejudices and migration tendencies since 2006. In 2012, Political Capital has launched a project with partners from France, Norway, Slovakia and Poland of research and advocacy focused on the role conspiracy theorizing plays in radical and extremist politics, supported by the Open Society Foundations, Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research and the Visegrad Fund. Comparative evidence-based research help the project members to elaborate and pilot efficient advocacy, communication (awareness-raising) and education strategies and counter-narratives against conspiracy theories. Find more on this project, our partners and activities on the following website: http://deconspirator.com/
„Conspiracy Theories on the Rise in Europe” – read our blogpost on the danger of conspiracy theories on the Open Society Voices blog:
http://www.soros.org/voices/conspiracy-theories-rise-europe
1 Source: European Commission boosts efforts to counter violent extremism. Press release, 2011. 09.11.
