Violence and Security

OSCE Hosts Kazakhstan Seminar on Online Hate Speech

April 21, 2016

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ("OSCE") recently hosted a seminar for officials in Kazakhstan on how to promote free speech on the internet and how to counter online "hate speech" that might cause "hatred or intolerance of others."
OSCE Seeks Tolerance-based Approach to Security

April 20, 2016

At a recent Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ("OSCE") meeting in Vienna, OSCE officials called on governments to place "tolerance and non-discrimination" at the center of their security strategies and discussed state responses to internet hate speech and intolerance.
Resolution on Refugee Lawsuit Clears Tennessee Legislature

April 20, 2016

Citing security and cost concerns, the Tennessee State Legislature has passed a resolution directing state officials to sue the US federal government to overturn its refugee resettlement program on the ground that the program violates the US Constitution.
Germany Prosecutes Anti-Islamic Leader for Hate Speech

April 20, 2016

The head of German anti-Islamic group Pegida went on trial this week for violating the country's laws against hate speech by referring to refugees in Germany as "scum" and "cattle" on social media.
CoE Official Calls for Restrained Security Approach to Terror Threat

April 20, 2016

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe ("CoE"), Pedro Agramunt, has called for countries to refrain from adopting wide-ranging, "dangerous" security measures in response to recent terrorist attacks and to "subordinate" national interest in favor of the "collective need" in countering extremism.
CoE Official Criticizes German Party Positions on Islam

April 20, 2016

Amid rising tensions in Germany and other European countries over the impact of migrants from predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Secretary General of the Council of Europe ("CoE") Thorbjørn Jagland has warned that "anti-Islam" positions of the German political party Alternative for Germany contravene values on which the CoE is based.
Belgium Investigates Reports of New IS Fighter Deployment

April 20, 2016

AP reports that Belgian officials are maintaining a high security alert level as they investigate reports that the Islamic State ("IS") has deployed new fighters to the country.
Profile Details French Youths' Turn to Radical Islam

April 18, 2016

In a profile of the threat in the French suburb Sevran of young Muslims traveling to Syria to wage jihad with the Islamic State ("IS"), Claire Sergent and Katy Lee highlight the complex challenges faced by families of IS targets for radicalization and of local authorities who argue they do not receive sufficient government support to counter the threat.
McCarthy Describes Saudi Links to 9/11 Attacks

April 18, 2016

As Congress considers whether to demand that a portion of the 9/11 report chronicling the possible involvement of Saudi Arabian officials with terrorism in the US be released to the public, former US prosecutor Andrew McCarthy explains the connection.
US Struggles to Implement Visa Safeguards

April 13, 2016

Politico reports that the Obama Administration has not so far expressed clear criteria regarding how it plans to implement a recent US law requiring, for security purposes, dual nationals of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan to apply for visas to enter the US.