Cities have become the main target of Jihadist Salafist terrorism. Recent attacks in Paris (2015), Copenhagen (2015), Brussels (2016), Nice (2016), Stockholm (2017) and London (2017) have demonstrated the harm that terrorism can cause to the cohesion of European societies and have triggered a debate on how cities must respond to the increasing threat of violent extremism. CIDOB and the University of St Andrews organise the conference Resilient Cities: Countering Violent Extremism at Local Level in which international experts will answer the following question: “What does an effective programme of counter-radicalization at local level look like?”
The conference will begin with a first panel in which Diego Muro (University of St. Andrews, CIDOB), Rik Coolsaet (University of Ghent) and Bibi Van Ginkel (Clingendael) will analyse the terrorist threat in Europe, as well as the public policies designed to respond to the rise of violent extremism. A second panel will present city experiences in preventing and countering violent extremism. Presenters such as Toby Harris (House of Lords), Thorleif Link (Aarhus police), or Lorenzo Vidino (George Washington University) will discuss best practices and evidence-based policies and will analyse whether cities are best suited to “think globally and act locally”. Finally, the seminar will end with an analysis of how local initiatives should be implemented. Daniel Heinke (Bremen State Police) will analyse the cities’ tendency to develop coordinating institutions, while Daniel Koehler (Center for the Coordination of the Prevention Network against (Islamic) Extremism in Baden-Württemberg (KPEBW) will present tools to evaluate prevention programmes at the local level. Marije Meines (Radicalisation Awareness Network - RAN) will discuss the building blocks of a European plan to counter radicalization and violent extremism. Finally, Tim Wilson (Handa Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence at the University of St. Andrews) will provide the concluding remarks on the role of cities in preventing violent extremism in urban environments.
Dr. Jordi Bacaria, Director, CIDOB
Chair: Dr. Tim Wilson, Director of CSTPV, University of St Andrews
What is Violent Extremism (and what is not)
Dr. Diego Muro, Associate Senior Researcher, CIDOB; Lecturer in International Relations, CSTPV, University of St Andrews
What Accounts for the Rise of Violent Extremism in European Cities?
Prof. Rik Coolsaet, Chair, Department of Political Science, Ghent University; Senior Associate Fellow, Egmont Institute
Countering the Threat: From the European to the National and Local Level
Dr. Bibi Van Ginkel, Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute; International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT)
Chair: Ms. Marije Meines, Senior Advisor, RAN Centre of Excellence
European Cities’ Preparedness to Respond to a Major Terrorist Incident: A View from London
Lord Toby Harris, House of Lords
The Aarhus Example
Mr. Thorleif Link, Detective Inspector,East Jutland Police Force
CVE Examples in the USA
Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the Program on Extremism, George Washington University
Chair: Dr. Bibi Van Ginkel, Senior Research Fellow, Clingendael Institute; International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT)
Who Leads and who Does what? Multi-agency Coordination, Community Engagement and Public-private Partnerships
Dr. Daniel Heinke, Chief of Detectives and Director, State Bureau of Investigation, Bremen State Police; Adjunct professor for terrorism studies, University of Bremen
Preventing Violent Radicalization: Program Design and Evaluation
Mr. Daniel Koehler, Expert, Competence Center for the Coordination of the Prevention Network against (Islamic) Extremism in Baden-Württemberg (KPEBW)
Towards a European Local Action Plan?
Ms. Marije Meines, Senior Advisor, RAN Centre of Excellence
Dr. Tim Wilson, Director of CSTPV, University of St Andrews
