[Workshop] Countering terrorism and violent extremism in the public interest

The pattern of behaviour by governments in the aftermath of a terrorist attack often leads them to expand their counter-terrorism and security toolkits with more far-reaching and, at times, controversial powers. Approaches also differ greatly per region, with the spread of terrorism across other continents such as Africa and Asia rarely garnering the same level of attention. The workshop will address questions that arise from these patterns such as: 

• What is in the public interest in the context of counter-terrorism and counter-extremism 
• Is ‘continuing’ with the present range of wide-reaching counter-terrorism measures in the public interest? 
• Should another wave of national security legislation – this time to disrupt and counter violent extremism online and offline – be expected soon? 
• Are events such as the Christchurch (2019) attacks acts of terrorism or acts of violent right-wing extremism? 
• Are current domestic and international legal and policy frameworks capable of addressing the growing threat posed by far-right terrorism and extremism?  
• What has the longer-term impact of (extra-)territorial and (extra-)legal counter-terrorism and extremism been?  
• How have recent trends in counter-terrorism policies obscured the borders between and the operation of the legal aspects of counter-terrorism and other fields of law, such as the law of armed conflict, immigration, or criminal law?  
• How can the protection the rule of law and human rights be fully extended to counter-terrorism and extremism efforts in the digital realm?  
• What have the last two decades taught us in terms of human rights resilience and accountability for states? 

Download the programme

For more information on the workshop or the possibility of attending, please contact Dr Rumyana van Ark  or Dr Tarik Gherbaoui.