About the Seminar

The Seminar Counter@ct: preventing and combatting online radicalization will be held on the 24th of September 2020 at the Auditorium of the Criminal Police (Polícia Judiciária), in Lisbon, where the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV) and its partners will present the results and products of Project Counter@ct.

Seminar Counter@ct: preventing and combatting online radicalization will bring together civil society organizations, national, European and international authorities to debate and share best practices and experience on preventing and combatting the phenomena of radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism.

The Programme is very diverse, not only in terms of the expertise of the outstanding panel of speakers but also in what concerns the format of the different sessions. The Seminar will count with a set of plenary sessions where renowned experts will share their knowledge in supporting victims of terrorism, the role of communication and narratives in preventing and fighting the phenomena of violent extremism and terrorism, as well as the role of civil society in supporting the development of such communication strategies. A round-table will also be held so that representatives from both civil society and all relevant national authorities may debate how to set up and manage synergies in preventing and fighting radicalization.

The organisation of the Seminar counts with APAV’s 30 years’ experience in endorsing public events to promote the debate on cornerstone issues related with victimology, emergent criminal trends and challenges posed at local, national, European and international level. It also counts with ideas and suggestions from our amazing partners from Project Counter@ct, without whom such an incredible project could achieve the successful increase of knowledge and expertise that was developed and gathered.

Don’t hesitate to take part in Seminar Counter@ct and give us the honour to count with your presence by registering here.

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The Venue

The Seminar Counter@ct: preventing and combatting online radicalization will take place at the Auditorium of the Criminal Police (Polícia Judiciária) Headquarters.

Polícia Judiciária

Auditorium of the Criminal Police (Polícia Judiciária) Headquarters.

Address
Rua Gomes Freire 174
1169-007 Lisboa

More information on how to get to the venue here.

About the Project

Background

The internet has become a critical tool in the functioning of modern societies. Nevertheless, despite all the advantages of a worldwide real-time connection, the online world has been stage for the widespread of terrorist messages and propaganda, recruitment and incitement to violent extremism. The exposure of vulnerable groups to these contents is considered critical in the process of radicalization. In fact, the internet allows not only for the dissemination of radical ideas but also for a greater interaction with these ideologies, be it political or religious based.

These context lays ground for recruiters to often interact with people who would otherwise be out of their reach, particularly youngsters to whom the internet has a prominent role. Taking advantage of the eminent social role that the internet has nowadays, the extremist propaganda is continuously adapted to strategically grasp resentments of certain groups and, in this fashion, be more effective than it ever was.

It is in this scenario that extremist and radical propaganda gain even more space and proliferation, reaching vulnerable groups more effectively, particularly those between the ages of 16 and 25 years old, which clearly poses a wide range of security threats across the European Union and the international community.

The project

Preventing and combatting online radicalisation is therefore an urgent priority to which project Counter@ct aims to address. With the financial support of the Internal Security Fund - Police of the European Union, project Counter@ct: preventing and combatting oline radicalization aims at to widely disseminate an alternative narrative campaign that may be prone to promote changes in the perceptions and behaviours of youngsters, by offering an alternative narrative grounded in positive stories of integration, particularly of migrants and refugees, that might dissuade them to adhere to contents, messages or propaganda inciting to violent extremism.

Counter@ct’s activities

The main activities of project Counter@ct: preventing and combatting oline radicalization include:

  1. Development of an alternative narrative to deconstruct radical messages and ideologies
  2. The development of impact assessment indicators to measure the impact of the alternative narrative on the target-group and that may serve has basis for future replication in other contexts

The Partnership