New funding for projects that tackle radicalisation with humour
The government will provide a total of €500,000 to support small-scale projects that challenge IS propaganda, in the hope of reversing the radicalisation of young people
Refuting IS discourse
According to the invitation for applications, the message countering IS propaganda can take several forms, “including emotion, humour, theology or the demonstration of hypocrisy and untruths,” the paper says.
The project is part of Homans’ mission to prevent and reverse the radicalisation of young people, spokesperson Toon De Bock explained. “The aim is for the messages to really touch young people,” he said.
The subsidies are aimed at civil organisations, local authorities and educational organisations. “We want to support small-scale initiatives,” De Bock said. “They are able to spread messages that undermine extremist discourse via their local networks or social media.”
However, the Flemish Peace Institute, a research body linked to the Flemish parliament, last month issued a report casting doubt on the effectiveness of counter-narratives or anti-propaganda in changing the attitudes of radicalised young people. “Many programmes have difficulty in demonstrating that they are able to reach the right audience,” the institute’s report said.
Photo: A still from the anti-terrorist satire Four Lions
© Drafthouse Films
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