The many faces of the far right

Far-right extremism and the extreme narratives held by the far fight continue to pose a threat to community safety and national security. Its impact is felt on a daily basis by individuals and communities across the U.K. Though very often far right extremism is rooted in its local context, the far-right extreme narratives know no national and international borders. Online connectivity is of course making the extreme interchanges more common and easy.

The most visible cases are those that hit the headlines, such as Breivik’s attacks in Norway or the shocking and tragic murder of MP Jo Cox. Though attacks of this magnitude remain rare, they are not unheard of.  Incidents as such leave a devastating impact on families and communities as a whole; inducing an unbearable loss and magnitude of fear and uncertainty.  However, the bulk of the far right threat is felt through hate crime/speech and incitement; street demonstrations, harassment, and intimidation. Many of these incidences often go undetected and are hard to quantify but the devastation and destruction they leave in communities is immense.

 At the heart of any effort to tackle the far right or provide a counter narrative, an attempt needs to be made to understand the drivers that lead to this rhetoric and these harmful narratives.  In doing so one needs to consider the multiple “faces” and discourses of the far right, as well as their ways of operation and ability to influence specific ethnic groups. With far-right political parties finding their way into state parliaments and groups of white supremacists becoming more and more influential, fascist ideologies are expanding to a dangerous extent; requiring a specific but pressing response.

Birmingham University in partnership with Birmingham City Council would like to take this opportunity to invite you to an event that will be taking place at the University of Birmingham.  The event will seek to raise awareness of ‘the multiple faces of the far right’, as well as consider what an alternative voice to the far right may look like.

This event is built on the experiences of those individuals that are on the front line tackling far-right extremism and will incorporate the views key institutional, practitioner, community and academic stakeholders. The event will shed light on the various discourses of the far right; from Islamophobia to anti-Semitism; as well as looking at how the far right have engaged both the Polish and Sikh community, as well as how football is used as a means to foster support or credence for far right discourses.  The event will also offer you an opportunity to hear the story of a survivor of far right violence, revealing how courage and forgiveness can empower victims to challenge hate crime.  A wider conversation will also be facilitated via a question and answer session.

Confirmed speakers are:

Councillor Chatfiled, Cabinet Member for Community Safety & Equalities – Birmingham City Council

Dr. Chris Allen, Birmingham University 

Prof. Matthew Feldman, Director, CARR - Co-Director, Academic Consulting Services

Fiyaz Mughal, Faith Matters

Dr Alex Oaten, Teaching Fellow in Political Science at Birmingham University

Dr Kurdy - Survivor of a Far Right attack and community activist (I4GIVEHA8)

Dr. Gareth Harris, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University

Attend this FREE event if you wish to learn about the multiple faces of the far right and if you wish to explore ways of providing a counter far right narrative.

This event is aimed at professionals and grass root organisations specifically that wish to build resilient communities in the face of a rising far right challenge. Early booking is advised as tickets are limited.

                             Venue:          Birmingham University,

                                                      Edgbaston Campus,

                                                      Birmingham,

                                                      B15 2TT

                             Time:              1:30pm (Registration and Networking)

                                                      2:00pm prompt start

For further details, please contact Shaida Bibi, Community Co-ordinator, Birmingham City Council on:

 shaida.bibi@birmingham.gov.uk