Authors: Michael King, Michele St-Amant, Sara Doering Publication Date: February 2025 The notion that psychosocial interventions can help individuals disengage from violent extremism is intuitively compelling; however, there is little evidence to substantiate their effectiveness. This lack of evidence sustains skepticism towards these programs, which in turn jeopardizes their continued funding as well as their…
Authors: Amarnath Amarasingam, Michele St-Amant & David Jones Publication Date: June 1, 2024 In this article published in Perspectives on Terrorism, OPV researchers collaborated with Amarnath Amarasingam to examine the intersection of right-wing extremism and military service. Through interviews with former extremists who have military backgrounds, the article explores how military experience interacts with far-right extremism.…
Our Executive Director, John McCoy, co-authored this opinion piece on tackling polarization and xenophobia in Canada. Original Article Published by the Hill Times on February 26, 2024. Three overlapping issues have coalesced and formed a growing threat to democratic countries. Social polarization, xenophobia, and a growing openness to the use of violence as a means…
Our Executive Director, John McCoy, co-authored this opinion piece on the proactive approaches needed to face an increasingly polarized era in the aftermath of the Edmonton City Hall shooting. Original Article Published by the Edmonton Journal on January 31, 2024. On Jan. 23, Edmontonians, Albertans and Canadians were confronted with the consequences of what an increasingly polarized…
Our executive director, John McCoy, talks about the alarming rate at which hate is growing in our province.
This discussion paper published by the United States Institutes for Peace presents a person-centered approach to outcomes for rehabilitation and reintegration (R&R) programs targeting returning women and children. Identifying and assessing outcomes are the intended accomplishments of these programs, and are key for understanding change processes and developing strong programs. Little guidance currently exists regarding…
In a new article published in the Journal for Deradicalization, researchers explored the impact of QAnon on loved ones. The findings indicate that younger, immediate family members experience the greatest negative mental health impacts.
Our Hate, Extremism, & Terrorism in Alberta, Canada, & Beyond report is referenced in this Global News article. Original Article Published by Stewart Bell in Global News on July 7, 2023 Two Edmonton women were arrested after returning to Canada from a prison camp for ISIS families in Syria, the RCMP confirmed on Friday. Helena Carson and Dina Kalouti were…
Our Director of Research, Michael King, explains to Global News how the Organization for the Prevention of Violence can help Canadian women captured during the defeat of ISIS disengage from extremism.
Our Director of Research, Michael King, explains the challenges awaiting the children who are repatriated from Syria, and the families who will be hosting them in this article from the Toronto Star.
Our Director of Research, Michael King, chats with the Toronto Star about Canada’s preparations to handle returnees from the Islamic State.
In 2020, 16-year-old Henry Kerr wanted to learn more about online hate and extremism. He crafted a survey and shared it with youth across Alberta. The results showed that online hate is a severe problem for many young people, who often suffer in silence. Wanting to do something about it, Henry and some of the…
