Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond (January 2024)

Publication Date:

31/01/2024

Content Type:

Event Reports

Tags:

— 3 minutes reading time

Event Details

Description: Given the range of threats facing cities in North America as a result of global crises – from COVID-19 and migration to the war in Ukraine, climate change and, most immediately, Israel-Gaza – Strong Cities launched a webinar series inviting mayors and other city officials, as well as experts from counter-hate research organisations, to discuss what cities are facing and how local leaders can most effectively manage inter-communal tensions resulting from these crises. This is the second in the monthly webinar series.

Where & When: 23 January 2024, virtual

North American Cities Represented:

Akron, (Ohio)
Hoboken (New Jersey)
New York City (New York)
Seattle (Washington)

Key Takeaways

For Mayors & Cities:

The impact of the Israel-Gaza crisis is manifesting locally across the United States in several ways, including on college campuses and in inciting lone actors: In the months since the 7 October attack, antisemitism on US college campuses has reached an all-time high and the increased polarisation and rise in antisemitic, Islamophobic and other hate speech resulting from the Israel-Gaza crisis has left people feeling at risk or that they have a duty to act violently. The largely unchecked misinformation surrounding the conflict makes the threat landscape even more volatile.
Mayors and cities can take legal and other measures, as well as devise programmes, to prevent and mitigate threats: Mayors should speak out when a hateful incident occurs, ‘name the hate’ and reaffirm their city’s values of tolerance, inclusivity and civility. Cities should focus more attention on community-based programming that addresses the enabling environment and the ‘us vs. them’ mentality that can exacerbate the threats. City councils should put in place lawful ordinances that help protect local leaders and public buildings from hate-filled harassment or attacks.
Attempts to address the concerns of one community can have unintended outcomes for another: Mayors need to be empathetic to the different affected communities in their city, irrespective of the mayor’s personal view. Rather than taking sides on a global conflict, the role of city leaders is to listen, educate themselves about how the crisis is impacting local communities and mitigate its impact on the city’s social cohesion.
City leaders must allow for peaceful, free expression, while messaging the importance of dialogue and social cohesion: People in cities across the United States are hurting as a result of the Israel-Gaza crisis and they should be allowed to express themselves as long as they do so peacefully. Mayors and other city leaders should restore civility and dignity in conversations about emotional topics, creating safe spaces for different perspectives to be shared.

Additional Resources

Not on My Campus: No Tolerance for Antisemitism, Anti-Defamation League, January 2024, https://adl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/2024-01/ADL_Onesheet_v2.pdf.
Global Crisis, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion & How Cities Can Respond, Webinar Event Report, Strong Cities Network, December 2023: https://strongcitiesnetwork.org/news/global-crises-local-impacts-threats-to-social-cohesion-and-how-cities-can-respond.
Navigating Local Impacts of Global Crises: Ten Considerations for Mayors and Cities – Lessons from the Israel-Gaza Crisis, Strong Cities Network, December 2023: https://strongcitiesnetwork.org/news/navigating-local-impacts-of-global-crises-ten-considerations-for-mayors-and-cities-lessons-from-the-israel-gaza-crisis.
43-fold increase in anti-Muslim YouTube comments following Hamas’ October 7 attack, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, December 2023: https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/43-fold-increase-in-anti-muslim-youtube-comments-following-hamas-october-7-attack.
Cross-ideological antisemitism and the October 7^th attacks, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, December 2023: https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/cross-ideological-antisemitism-and-the-october-7-th-attacks.
Toolkit for Responding to Extremist Disruptions at Public Meetings, August 2023, https://www.adl.org/sites/default/files/pdfs/2023-08/ADL-COE-City-Council-Recommendations.pdf.

Next Steps

This webinar was the second in a series of monthly gatherings of mayors, city representatives and research organisations for timely discussion and exchanges of approaches around Global Crises, Local Impacts. Hosted by the Strong Cities North America team, the next session is scheduled for 28 February 2024.

Global Crises, Local Impacts: Threats to Social Cohesion and How Cities Can Respond (January 2024)

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