"During this side event, which is co-hosted by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, the Department of State of the United States of America and CEP, the major findings of this research will be presented and the incidents and patterns of cooperation of XRIRB networks with organized crime in Austria and the United States of America will be highlighted to illustrate these findings. Given the increasingly transnational nature of both XRIRB as well as organized crime, awareness of the challenges and opportunities for disruption emanating from such cooperation is crucial and requires increased multilateral cooperation

The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Week is a biennial gathering of Member States and international counter-terrorism partners. The Third Counter-Terrorism Week (CT Week) is scheduled to take place from 19 to 23 June 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York."

On April 24, 2023, CEP hosted a webinar presenting the report, "The Polish Independence March as a Contact Hub and Model for European Extremism"

Michael Duffin, Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism, made remarks about the U.S. Department of State's approach on countering Racially or Ethnically Motivated Violent Extremism (REMVE).

On March 29, 2023, Mr. Alexander Ritzmann (Lead author & Germany chapter author; CEP Senior Advisor), gave a presentation on, "The Transnational Nexus of Violence-Oriented Right-Wing Extremism, Terrorism, and Organized Crime"

The new CEP study can be accessed here:
https://bit.ly/3ZPt9k1

About the study:
Existing studies on the extremism/terrorism-crime nexus in recent years have focused on Islamist extremism and terrorism, while the transnational nexus between right-wing extremism/terrorism and organized crime groups remains under-researched. This gap in knowledge can lead to a misunderstanding of the strategies of right-wing extremists as well as of the risks those actors pose to potential victims and society as a whole. 

A new CEP study, commissioned by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, shows that several violence-oriented right-wing extremist individuals and groups in Europe and the U.S. engage in or maintain ties with organized crime. Many of the identified cases have a transnational dimension, be it through cross-border activities like the acquisition of illegal drugs for distribution or through supposedly legal activities such as co-organizing hate music concerts, including events with a transnational character. As the study demonstrates, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, VRWE-affiliated football hooligan groups, prison gangs, and a range of VRWE individuals and groups are part of transnational networks. Such connections are particularly visible in Austria, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the U.S. 

The study aims at informing policymakers working on the prevention and countering of violent extremism or terrorism and organized crime with the goal of fostering a better understanding of the phenomena and to encourage further cooperation between relevant government agencies and civil society organizations.