NORWAY Oslo University opens centre on right-wing extremism Tweet



The government decision to establish such a centre followed the terror attacks by Anders Behring Breivik in July 2011 – and the need for knowledge on right-wing extremism and the dissemination of such knowledge.



Breivik killed 77 people and injured hundreds of others in Oslo and on the nearby island of Utoya, first by setting off a car bomb outside the office of the prime minister which killed eight and injured hundreds, then after taking a ferry, embarking on a deadly shooting spree on the island, mostly killing young people attending a Labour Party summer camp.



"Knowledge and insight can contribute to the fight against extremism. Research and prevention are important to secure the basic values of democracy, human rights and safety. Therefore we are strengthening research in this field," Minister of Education and Research Torbjørn Røe Isaksen said upon the selection of the University of Oslo as the host for the centre.



The Center for Extremism Research: Right-Wing Extremism, Hate Crime and Political Violence, or C-Rex, will be opened on 20 April by the University of Oslo in cooperation with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; the Peace Research Institute Oslo; the Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities; the Norwegian Police University College and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, an agency subordinate to the Minister of Defence.



Rector of the University of Oslo, Professor Ole Petter Ottersen, on his blog-page last week, asks: "Terrorism and extremism: What can the university do?" He argues that research has to be grounded in genuinely cross-scientific research and in network collaboration with national and international experts.



"A centre for the study of democracy, radicalisation and extremism has to go beyond the disciplines, be intellectually open and international in its orientation,” he said.



“It should have as its main task to give advice to the government based on research and participate in the public debate on terror and how to combat extremism. The centre has to be independent and the funding must allow for the invitation of international experts to stay at the centre," he wrote in the major Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten.



The research director of the centre will be



Bjørgo, a professor at the University of Oslo, is widely recognised as a pioneer in the study of deradicalisation and disengagement from extremist groups.



He was the initiator of 'Project Exit' to promote disengagement from racist groups, a project that was later adopted in Sweden, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. He has also been a member of national and international expert groups, including the European expert group on violent radicalisation, reporting to the EU Commission (2005-08), and an international expert group to inform and review the United Nations’ evolving counter-terrorism strategy (2005).



Since 2002, he has also been coordinator of the Norwegian Consortium for Research on Terrorism and International Crime.



Debate on political extremism



The Norwegian debate on political extremism was further advanced on 31 March by the publication of the book Islamism: Ideology and threat edited by Øystein Sørensen, Bernt Hagtvet and Nik Brandal.



Professor Bernt Hagtvet, who has maintained a high profile in the national debate for decades, said in a TV debate and an article in the major newspaper Dagbladet: "It is obvious that the terror is an attack at democratic civilisation values, in particular on the idea of political and cultural pluralism. But the terror also has to be understood within the international realpolitical conditions it is an outgrowth from, and not only as a pure irrational activity.



"To bomb IS back to the stone age is only confirming the self-image of the organisation: the enemy is desperate, the end time is near. Therefore, military power must be used in parallel with a conscious strategy for creating more peace and better living conditions in the region.



“Why is there so little focus on a possible Marshall Plan for the Middle East: less military intervention and more development aid," Hagtvet asked.



The University of Oslo will be opening a Center for Extremism Research later this month after winning a national competition last autumn for a NOK50 million (US$6 million) government contract to establish a centre focusing on right-wing extremism.The government decision to establish such a centre followed the terror attacks by Anders Behring Breivik in July 2011 – and the need for knowledge on right-wing extremism and the dissemination of such knowledge.Breivik killed 77 people and injured hundreds of others in Oslo and on the nearby island of Utoya, first by setting off a car bomb outside the office of the prime minister which killed eight and injured hundreds, then after taking a ferry, embarking on a deadly shooting spree on the island, mostly killing young people attending a Labour Party summer camp."Knowledge and insight can contribute to the fight against extremism. Research and prevention are important to secure the basic values of democracy, human rights and safety. Therefore we are strengthening research in this field," Minister of Education and Research Torbjørn Røe Isaksen said upon the selection of the University of Oslo as the host for the centre.The Center for Extremism Research: Right-Wing Extremism, Hate Crime and Political Violence, or C-Rex, will be opened on 20 April by the University of Oslo in cooperation with the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs; the Peace Research Institute Oslo; the Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities; the Norwegian Police University College and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, an agency subordinate to the Minister of Defence.Rector of the University of Oslo, Professor Ole Petter Ottersen, on his blog-page last week, asks: "Terrorism and extremism: What can the university do?" He argues that research has to be grounded in genuinely cross-scientific research and in network collaboration with national and international experts."A centre for the study of democracy, radicalisation and extremism has to go beyond the disciplines, be intellectually open and international in its orientation,” he said.“It should have as its main task to give advice to the government based on research and participate in the public debate on terror and how to combat extremism. The centre has to be independent and the funding must allow for the invitation of international experts to stay at the centre," he wrote in the major Norwegian newspaperThe research director of the centre will be Professor Tore Bjørgo , an expert on terrorism, prevention strategies, youth crime and racially motivated violence.Bjørgo, a professor at the University of Oslo, is widely recognised as a pioneer in the study of deradicalisation and disengagement from extremist groups.He was the initiator of 'Project Exit' to promote disengagement from racist groups, a project that was later adopted in Sweden, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. He has also been a member of national and international expert groups, including the European expert group on violent radicalisation, reporting to the EU Commission (2005-08), and an international expert group to inform and review the United Nations’ evolving counter-terrorism strategy (2005).Since 2002, he has also been coordinator of the Norwegian Consortium for Research on Terrorism and International Crime.The Norwegian debate on political extremism was further advanced on 31 March by the publication of the bookedited by Øystein Sørensen, Bernt Hagtvet and Nik Brandal.Professor Bernt Hagtvet, who has maintained a high profile in the national debate for decades, said in a TV debate and an article in the major newspaper: "It is obvious that the terror is an attack at democratic civilisation values, in particular on the idea of political and cultural pluralism. But the terror also has to be understood within the international realpolitical conditions it is an outgrowth from, and not only as a pure irrational activity."To bomb IS back to the stone age is only confirming the self-image of the organisation: the enemy is desperate, the end time is near. Therefore, military power must be used in parallel with a conscious strategy for creating more peace and better living conditions in the region.“Why is there so little focus on a possible Marshall Plan for the Middle East: less military intervention and more development aid," Hagtvet asked. Follow University World News on Facebook



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