CEP Webinar: Financing Of Transnational Violent Right-Wing Extremist And Terrorist Structures – Misuse Of Online Services

 

(New York, N.Y./Berlin, Germany) – The financing of violent right-wing extremist and terrorist networks and milieus—highlighted in the 2020 study by the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)—has become the focus of national and multilateral expert discussions, with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) publishing its first ever report on this issue in June 2021. Clearly, the financial structures underpinning the violent right-wing extremist and terrorist scenes have professionalized and are generating significant profits through a range of financial strategies.

 

In addition to self-financing and donation drives, including crowdfunding drives using cryptocurrencies, the milieus finance themselves via commercially organized music events, festivals, and mixed martial art tournaments. Additional income is generated via the sale of merchandize offline and online, including via global social media platforms as well as real estate. Real estate is purchased to generate “fortresses” for right-wing extremist events, but it is also used as an investment and money laundering tool. Finally, some networks within the violent right-wing extremist and terrorist scenes are involved in criminal activities, such as the illegal drugs and arms sale as well as prostitution.

 

Within these financing strategies, Internet services—such as online stores on social media platforms, crowdfunding websites, as well as cryptocurrencies—are increasingly used to solicit donations, to transfer funds internationally, or be deployed as alternative payment mechanisms. Unfortunately, there is little incentive for the tech industry to act, and its defensive mechanisms against the misuse of their services for terrorist financing remain weak. Similarly, regulatory challenges and gaps concerning the misuse of cryptocurrencies also continue to exist. 

 

This webinar will explore the current situation and discuss the various challenges encountered by governments and industry in countering this threat. This webinar is the third event in a virtual event series during which CEP, supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, examines the various challenges emanating from the transnational right-wing extremist and terrorist movement. CEP has also published a related briefing paper entitled, Financing of Transnational Violent Right-Wing Extremist and Terrorist Structures – Misuses of Online Services.

 

Financing of Transnational Violent Right-Wing Extremist and Terrorist Structures – Misuse of Online Services

Date: Monday, November 29, 2021

Time: 9:30 a.m. ET / 15:30 CET

 

EVENT PROGRAM:

 

Moderator

Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler

Senior Director, Counter Extremism Project

 

Introductory remarks

Gabriele Scheel

Head of Division “International Cooperation against Terrorism, Drug Trafficking, Organized Crime and Corruption,” Federal Foreign Office of Germany

 

Part 1: Methods of misuse

 

Dr. Thorsten Hindrichs

Research Associate, Department of Musicology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

 

Maximilian Kreter

PhD candidate at the Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Studies e. V. (HAIT) and doctoral fellow at the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right (CARR)

 

Alexander Ritzmann

Senior Advisor, Counter Extremism Project

 

Part 2: Government countermeasures, challenges, and role of industry

 

Michael Hertzberg

United States Department of the Treasury

 

Millie Radovic and Neil Everitt

Financial Action Task Force (FATF)

 

Roundtable discussion

 

Following Part 1 and during the Roundtable discussion participants will have the opportunity to address questions to the presenters.

 

REGISTRATION:

 

To participate in this webinar, please register via the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6VsNpx3ZQs2aV-esbI5gKQ

 

To read CEP’s briefing paper Financing of Transnational Violent Right-Wing Extremist and Terrorist Structures – Misuses of Online Services, please click here.

 

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