03 Jul ARU researchers to explore new areas of extremism
Anglia Ruskin University’s International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute (IPPPRI – formerly PIER) is set to further develop its research in the field of extremism and counter-terrorism through new research themes and an addition to its team.
Dr William Allchorn has just joined IPPPRI and will be part of its Global Public Protection Data Programme, funded by the Dawes Trust. Dr Allchorn will work alongside IPPPRI’s lead for extremism and counter-terrorism, Dr Elisa Orofino, and Professor Tim McSweeney, IPPPRI’s Dawes Chair of Public Protection, to focus on new critical areas of insight.
New themes being developed include how extremism is manifested and policed on gaming platforms, the role of youth and gender in the radicalisation of terrorism offenders, and the role of news sharing and misinformation among extremist actors in the online space.
Dr Allchorn, who is also an adjunct associate professor in politics and international relations at Richmond, the American University in London, is an expert on far-right extremist social movements worldwide.
He has most recently advised the UK, US and Australian governments on strategic communications and counter-narrative approaches to far-right extremism and his latest book, Moving beyond Islamist Extremism – Assessing Counter Narrative Responses to the Global Far Right, was published in 2022.
On joining the institute, Dr Allchorn said: “IPPPRI at Anglia Ruskin University is one of the most respected and foremost academic research centres anywhere in the country tackling online harms and real-world security threats. It is therefore an enormous privilege to join its outstanding roster of academics and thought leaders.
“I am looking forward to working closely with Dr Elisa Orofino and Professor Tim McSweeney, to grow and develop our research looking at manifestations and policing interventions related to terrorism and extremism in the UK in the years ahead.”
