An overview of the SAFIRE project: a scientific approach to finding indicators of and responses to radicalisation

Project SAFIRE (Scientific Approach to Finding Indicators and Responses tot Radicalisation) is a three-year research project that started in 2010. It consists out of a consortium of ten partners in six EU countries. Its objectives are to improve the understanding of the process of radicalisation from moderation to (violent) extremism and to use this knowledge to design and provide theoretical argumentation and empirical evidence for the implementation of practical interventions and related means to prevent, halt, or reverse the process of violent radicalisation in Europe. The SAFIRE project is broad in its scope, examining radicalisation from its theoretical and conceptual underpinnings, to identifying observable indicators of radicalisation and making recommendations for counter- and de-radicalisation programmes, to modelling the process of radicalisation and collecting new empirical data on radicalisation. One of the main conclusions is that the process of radicalisation should not be investigated only form a security perspective. Instead, the research suggests the importance of focusing prevention programmes on identity formation in young adults, as well as creating positive experiences regarding citizenship while reducing negative emotions. With regard to counter- and de-radicalisation programmes it is necessary to establish trust between practitioners and participants.