Conference on organized violent threats

Date: 16 June 2022
Time: 09.00–16.00

This conference is a collaboration between Sweden and Canada

Organized crime and violent extremism are violent threats to the democratic society. Sweden is a country where the number of shootings and explosions, recruitment to terrorist-organizations and right-wing extremism are high both in terms of size and activities. However, a multitude of actions are taken to curb these developments and deep plowing research in many areas of importance to the challenges connected to the violent threats.   

In a unique collaboration between the Institute for Future Studies in Sweden and the Canadian network for research on terrorism, security and society (TSAS) these issues are in focus. On June 16, The Institute for Futures Studies, would like to invite you to a conference where state of the art research will be presented and discussed with researchers, practitioners and policymakers. 

The conference will take place at Clarion Sign, Norra Bantorget in Stockholm  

Register your participation here >

Program

08.30-09.00 Coffee and registration

09.00–09.15 Welcome with Amir Rostami (Institute for Futures Studies) and Robert Buswell (Canadian Embassy)

09.15–10.30 Challenges

Amir Rostami, Associate professor and senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Gävle. Rostami is also a research fellow at the Institute for Futures Studies in Stockholm.

Right-Wing Extremism in Canada
David C. Hofmann, Associate Professor of Sociology; Director, Criminology and Criminal Justice Program University of New Brunswick. Research Fellow, The Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society; Muriel McQueen Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research; The Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity

Presentations will be discussed with:
Josefin Bergström, Center for the prevention of violent extremism, CVE
Camila Salazar, Fryshuset
Stephan Kiernan, The Swedish Police
Anna Ekström, the Institute for Futures Studies

10.30-11.00 Coffee

11.00–12.30 Foreign Fighters & returnees: what do we know from past experiences in Canada and Sweden that may have an impact on the future?

Introduction: Amir Rostami

Hernan Mondani, Associate professor in sociology. Researcher, Institute for Futures Studies. Researcher, Stockholm University, Department of sociology. Guest lecturer, University of Gävle, Department of criminology and social work

Dr. Lorne L. Dawson, Professor, Religious Studies and Sociology, Co-director, Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society 

Presentations will be discussed with:
Lisa Pedersen, City of Gothenburg
Magnus Ranstorp, The Swedish Defence University
Jonas Trolle, The Center for Prevention of Violent Extremism, CVE

Lunch 12.30–13.30

13.30–15.00 Future research on organized violent threats 

Introduction: Jerzy Sarnecki 
Dr. Garth Davies, Associate Professor in the School of Criminology at Simon Fraser University.  

Extremist narratives in COVID-19 protests: A comparative case study of the Freedom Movement in Sweden and Freedom Convoy in Canada 

Dr. Bàrbara Molas, Postdoctoral Researcher in Sociology at the University of Newbrunswick and TSAS Junior Affiliate
Tina Askanius, Associate professor in media and communication studies at the School of Arts and Communication, Malmö university and affiliated researcher at the Institute for Futures studies

15.00–15.30 Where do we go from here?

Discussion with:
April Wollbaum, Defence Research and Development Canada, DRDC
Linda H Staaf, the Swedish Police
Åsa Ljusberg, City of Stockholm
Lenita Törning, The Center for Prevention Against Violent Extremism, CVE

If you have questions about the conference, get in touch with Anna Hedin Ekström.

This conference is arranged as part of the research project Violent threats and internal security.