ARTICLES

ARTICLE BY DR JOANNE PAYTON
Responses to the Southport attacks often involve suppositions about Axel Rudakubana’s ideology, yet within a changing social context, self-radicalised individuals often adopt fragmented, unpredictable and inconsistent worldviews beyond traditional frameworks. … Read More >Unstable

A young man recounts his radicalisation into the far-right, his eventual disillusionment and the difficult journey out of extremism as well as his mission to help others leave hate behind. … Read More >Walking away from hate is the best thing you’ll ever do

A mother recounts her son’s radicalisation, its impact on their relationship and his eventual recovery, emphasising the importance of support, awareness and education in combating extremism and supporting family members. … Read More >A stranger who looks like your son

AI-driven misinformation is increasingly undermining pro-Palestinian activism through threatening the integrity of information available and increasing polarisation which jeopardises effective intervention to support Palestinians. … Read More >Advocates for Palestine must contend with AI misinformation

ARTICLE BY DR JOANNE PAYTON
Polarisation threatens democracy by fuelling violence against political figures. Democracies need to embrace pluralism, protect political actors and increase civic engagement to ensure diverse, peaceful political participation for all. … Read More >Radicalisation is threatening democracy. We need radical solutions.

ARTICLE BY GERDA KOVACS

In most conversations around extremism, politics and democracy, the word ‘polarisation’ will ultimately rear its head. … Read More >A splintering society: Polarisation on the internet

Film-maker Shaharbanoo Sadat describes her evacuation from Afghanistan after its recapture by the Taliban. She writes about the anguish of leaving her home, the terrifying and chaotic experience of securing places for herself and her family in the last planes out of the country – and her determination to return home some day. … Read More >The split in my heart

Artistic freedom and freedom of speech are under sustained attacks in Zimbabwe, despite these twin forms of freedom being a yardstick of good governance and political enlightenment. In this situation, artists’ voices become fundamentally valuable. … Read More >Zimbabwe needs art to challenge extremism

The Islamic State, like the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, do not tolerate musical instruments, but they certainly understand the power of chants. The biggest ‘musical difference’ between the two is that whereas ISIS make use of modern, sophisticated recording technology, the Taliban of the 1990s produced very simple chants based on original Pashto folk songs, recorded with a lot of echo, a technique which is commonly used for Quranic recitation in mosques. … Read More >Songs of terror, songs of hate

Despite claims of prosperity, peace and unity, polarisation is the true legacy of the Hong Kong protests … Read More >Hong Kong stands divided