Events

AVERT regularly hosts events and webinars featuring the latest research on topics related to violent extremism, terrorism, radicalisation and countering violent extremism

Upcoming events

Violence escalation and inhibition during far-right protest waves

Dr. Joel Busher, Professor of Political Sociology at the Centre for Peace & Security, Coventry University, UK

Online Event

Wednesday, 30 April 2025

17:00 - 18:00 AEDT

08:00 - 09:00 AM BST

Zoom

This presentation by Dr. Joel Busher will examine how interactions between far-right protesters, counter-protesters, and other actors can either trigger or prevent violence. Drawing on a CREST-funded study of four high-profile far-right protests in the UK, Germany, and the US, Dr. Busher will identify violence-enabling and violence-inhibiting mechanisms, highlighting the need to analyse both for a comprehensive understanding of protest dynamics. By integrating situational and broader conflict analysis, Dr. Busher’s study reveals blind spots in movement-centric models and underscores the role of protest ecologies—whether movements are marginalised or emboldened—in shaping violence. Recognising these pathways can enhance how we analyse and respond to far-right protests. This presentation is based on a co-authored paper with Julia Ebner (Oxford University), Zsófia Hacsek (Coventry University), Gareth Harris (independent researcher), and Graham Macklin (CREX, University of Oslo).

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The Disbanding of Jemah Islamiyah: Causes, Ideological Revisions, and Prospects for the Future

Dr. Julie Chernov-Hwang, Senior Research Fellow at the Soufan Center

Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Goucher College

Online Event

Thursday, 15 May 2025

09:00 - 10:00 AM AEDT

19:00 - 20:00 EDT

Zoom

How do terrorist organisations end? In June 2024, Jemaah Islamiyah formally disbanded, choosing to dissolve in order to safeguard the community that sustained it. During this presentation, Dr. Chernov-Hwang will examine the strategic decision-making and ideological shifts that informed this choice. The process of tactical and ideological reassessment of the use of violence that facilitated the decision to demobilize will be discussed. Dr. Chernov-Hwang will also consider the legitimacy of the disbandment and explore potential future directions for the community.

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Recent events

How (Not) to Argue with a Sovereign Citizen

Dr. Keiran Hardy, Associate Professor, Griffith University

Sovereign citizens are individuals who believe, based on false legal ideas, that they are not subject to government laws. Although their arguments often make little legal sense, they are increasingly disrupting police work and court systems in Australia and beyond. This webinar included a presentation from Dr. Keiran Hardy regarding a recent study based on body-worn camera footage from the Queensland Police Service (QPS), showing real interactions between officers and self-identified sovereign citizens. Dr. Hardy explained the core beliefs behind the movement, explored the social and personal challenges—such as unemployment, disability, mental health issues, and substance use—that may draw people into this worldview, and discussed how police can safely and effectively manage these encounters. While media and academic focus often highlights the strange aspects of this movement, the footage reveals a deeper story: a vulnerable and often misunderstood group. This research is part of a broader ARC-funded project on conspiracy extremism in Australia, based at the Griffith Criminology Institute and the University of Queensland.

Online Event

Thursday, 10 April 2025

12:30 - 13:30 AEST

Zoom

Emerging Global Perspectives on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism

Online event

Thursday, 20 March 2025, 08:30 - 09:30 am AEDT

Wednesday, 19 March 2025, 10:30 - 11:30 pm CET

The AVERT Research Network held a webinar on Thursday, 20 March 2025. This webinar brought together contributors from Crime & Delinquency's latest issue on terrorism and violent extremism to discuss global P/CVE approaches. The panel, chaired by Dr. Jared Dmello, explored studies from different regions and methods, highlighting the need for continual collaboration in the field.

Dr. Marketa Kocmanová's presentation discussed how the violent extremism can be countered through community ties, ideological approaches, and family attachment. Using ethnographic and netnographic methods, the research highlighted intra-community protective factors and challenges perceptions of marginalized groups as passive in security efforts.

Dr. Jordan McSwiney examined how violent extremism threatens the public sphere, and proposed a democratic resilience framework to strengthen responses, outlining strategies to counter extremism while upholding democratic principles.

Dr. Josep Garcia-Coll's presentation evaluated whether violent extremism prevention programs should be tailored to context or to individual users. His findings suggested that user-tailored approaches that enhance individual experiences are more effective than broad contextual adaptations.

Event recordings

2025

AVERT Webinar with Dr. Rik Peels - Cognitive and Behavioral Radicalization: An Explanatory Split

AVERT Hybrid Event - 2025 Global Terrorism Index Launch

AVERT Webinar - Emerging Global Perspectives on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism

2024

AVERT Webinar with Dr. Mario Peucker - Understanding and Countering the Rise of the Far-Right

AVERT Webinar with Dr Suraj Lakhani - The nexus between videogaming and violent extremism

AVERT Webinar with Dr Aaron Y Zelin - The Evolution of the Islamic State

AVERT Webinar with Dr Julia Ebner - Is There a Language of Terrorists?

AVERT Webinar with Dr Imogen Richards - The Far Right and the Environment in Australia.

AVERT Webinar with Professor John Horgan - Terrorist Minds

AVERT Webinar - Research on Radicalisation Countering Radicalisation: Where have we got to and ways forward.

AVERT Webinar with Jade Hutchinson - “The Far-Right Online Ecosystem”: How a Network of Platforms and Devices Shape Far-Right Violent Extremism

AVERT Webinar with Dr Lauren Moulds and John Young - Rethinking CVE Interventions: a needs based approach to supporting extremists and terrorist offenders

AVERT Webinar with Professor Stuart Macdonald - “Outlinks”: Violent Jihadist Online Propaganda Dissemination Strategies

2023

AVERT Webinar with Professor Daniel Byman - The October 7th Attacks: Hamas Goals, Israeli Response and Global Impacts

December 2023

AVERT Webinar with Professor Sébastien Brouillette-Alarie - Systematic review of the reliability and validity of risk tools for violent radicalization: Is the evidence base solid?

9 November 2023

AVERT Webinar with Associate Professor David Malet - Ukraine Foreign Fighters: Volunteers on the Right Side or the Far-Right’s ISIS?

1 August 2023

AVERT Webinar with Emma Belton - Understanding the progression to violence: Background characteristics and risk factors for radicalisation to violent extremism

July 6, 2023

AVERT Webinar with Dr Marc-André Argentino - QAnon as a New Religious Movement and its Implications for Violent Extremism

MAY 19, 2023

AVERT Webinar with Dr Vivian Gerrand - Understanding conspiritual radicalisation and militant wellness movements: harnessing alternative health capital?

18 October 2023