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Transatlantic Dialogue Initiative: City-Led Strategies for Strengthening Community Resilience to Extremist Violence and Hate

Publication Date:

17/07/2024

Content Type:

Event Reports

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City-Led ActionHate SpeechStockholmTransatlantic Initiative

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Event Details

Description: The Strong Cities Network brought together nearly 60 mayors and other city officials, as well as national government and civil society representatives from Europe and North America under its Transatlantic Dialogue Initiative to share experiences and challenges and identify good practices for enhancing city-led efforts to maintain social cohesion in the face of global crises – from migration to international and regional conflicts to the erosion of democracy. The workshop provided a platform for participants to discuss several timely topics affecting cities on both sides of the Atlantic. These include how mayors and local governments can address the growing threat of online and offline hate and mitigate its detrimental impact on social cohesion, enhancing information sharing (including between police and non-law enforcement professionals) on prevention and boosting urban planning and resilience to build cohesive cities.

Where & When: 3 – 5 June 2024, Stockholm (Sweden)

Partners: the City of Stockholm and the Swedish Ministry of Justice

Local Governments Represented

• Denmark: Copenhagen
• Germany: Berlin
• Netherlands: The Hague
• Norway: Kristiansand
• Slovakia: Bratislava
• Sweden: Stockholm
• United Kingdom: Birmingham
• United States: Albuquerque (NM), Aurora (CO), Boise (ID), Columbus (OH), Denver (CO), Highland Park (IL), New York City (NY), Newark (NJ), Philadelphia (PA) and Spring Lake (NC)

City Associations Represented

• Eurocities
• European Coalition of Cities against Racism
• Nordic Safe Cities

Partners Represented

• Agera Värmland, Sweden
• Boston Children’s Hospital, United States
• Fryshuset – EXIT, Sweden
• Greater Columbus Sister Cities International, United States
• Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Finland
• Foundation For a Path Forward, Canada
• Nord Bridges Global, Sweden
• Organization for the Prevention of Violence, Canada
• Scandinavian Council for Relations, Sweden
• Stockholm University, Sweden
• Swedish Center for Preventing Violent Extremism, Sweden
• Swedish Police Authority, Sweden
• University of Oslo, Norway
• US Department of State, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Office of the Special Envoy To Monitor and Combat Antisemitism
• United States Embassy, Stockholm

Key Takeaways

For Mayors and Cities:

• Strengthen Community Partnerships: Foster partnerships with local organisations, faith groups and community leaders, including in hard-to-reach communities, to build trust and cooperation. This collaborative approach, which should emphasise the importance of reflecting the lived experiences of residents and communities in city policies and programmes, can enhance the effectiveness of prevention initiatives and ensure they are culturally sensitive and community-focused.
• Support Continuous Community Engagement: Regularly engage with residents through creative and interactive community activities. These initiatives can help build a sense of belonging and shared purpose, reducing the susceptibility to extremist influences.
• Enhance Digital Literacy Programmes: Implement comprehensive digital literacy courses to counter the spread of online hate speech, mis/disinformation and extremist narratives. These courses should target diverse community groups, equipping them with skills to identify and combat harmful content online.
• Integrate Mental Health Support: Incorporate mental health support into prevention strategies, recognising that a growing number of individuals vulnerable to radicalisation to violence may have underlying mental health issues. Provide training for educators, social workers and law enforcement to identify and address these needs appropriately.
• Develop Early Intervention Mechanisms: Establish robust referral systems and other multidisciplinary approaches to intervene with individuals at risk of radicalisation of violence early. Programmes should include safeguarding, mentorship (involving accredited individuals) and comprehensive support to address underlying vulnerabilities and prevent radicalisation to violence.
• Promote Inclusive Urban Planning: Engage community members in urban planning processes to create multi-use spaces that foster social cohesion and inclusivity. Public spaces that encourage community interaction can help build stronger social bonds and reduce the appeal of extremist ideologies.

For National Governments:

• Support City-Led Prevention Efforts: Provide funding and resources to municipalities to enhance their prevention and intervention programmes. National governments should facilitate training and capacity-building initiatives for local actors to address extremism and hate in a context-appropriate way.
• Promote Holistic Approaches to Public Safety: Encourage integrated approaches that address all forms of hate and extremism. This includes fostering cooperation among law enforcement, social services and community organisations to create comprehensive and cohesive prevention and public safety strategies.

For Strong Cities:

• Facilitate Knowledge Sharing and Good Practices: Continue to provide platforms for cities to share experiences, challenges, and successful practices in preventing hate and extremism. This can include expanding the Resource Hub with case studies and toolkits that cities can adapt and implement locally.
• Enhance Transatlantic City-to-City Cooperation: Strengthen networks and partnerships between cities globally to address the transnational nature of extremism and hate. Encourage collaborative projects and initiatives that leverage the collective expertise and resources of cities across different regions.

Next Steps

Key findings from this workshop will inform upcoming transatlantic dialogues such as Columbus (Ohio), United States, 17 – 19 September 2024, as well as Strong Cities’ Fifth Global Summit in Cape Town (South Africa) from 3 – 5 December 2024.

Practices that were shared at the workshop and captured in this event report will also be integrated into Strong Cities’ Resource Hub, a living library of guides and toolkits on mayoral leadership and city-led action to prevent and respond to hate, extremism and polarisation. In addition, to build on the Resource Hub’s growing City Spotlights Library, Strong Cities will partner with city officials from the workshop to create spotlights capturing their local governments’ inspiring and innovative prevention efforts.

Strong Cities will also explore opportunities to build synergies and complement efforts with other city networks across Europe and more broadly, such as Eurocities and the European Coalition of Cities against Racism, in an effort to build a network of networks where city practices will be further amplified and the city needs more consistently met.   

Finally, in line with Strong Cities’ commitment to respond to the needs of cities as shared directly by cities, findings from the workshop will be used to drive forward Strong Cities initiatives on a) enhancing city’s urban planning and development approaches to strengthen social cohesion, and b) building digital literacy and resilience to constantly evolving online threats.

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Additional Resources

• Impact: Catalysing City-Led Prevention, Strong Cities Network, June 2024
• Global Crises, Local Impacts, including latest findings and recommendations, April 2024
• A Guide for City-Led Response, Strong Cities Network, April 2024
• Preventing and Responding to Election Disruption and Violence: Ten Considerations for Cities, Strong Cities Network, March 2024
• Transatlantic Dialogue Initiative: Ten Key Findings in 2023, Strong Cities Network, March 2024
• Navigating Local Impacts of Global Crises: Ten Considerations for Mayors and Cities – Lessons Learned from the Israel – Gaza Crisis, Strong Cities Network, December 2023
• A Guide for Mayors: Preventing and Responding to Hate, Extremism and Polarisation, Strong Cities Network, September 2023
• A Guide for Cities: Preventing Hate, Extremism and Polarisation, Strong Cities Network, September 2023

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