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The Faculty of Business, Law and Criminology hosted a thought-provoking and insightful panel event exploring radicalisation and counter-terrorism within the modern world.
The faculty is proud to partner with Resilience in Unity, who supported in delivering this unique event. The organisation focuses on counter-terrorism with a focus on mitigating the societal impact of terrorism.
The panel discussion, held in the University’s i3 Building was chaired and facilitated by Dr Gavin Hart, Academic Lead in Criminology. Offering a range of viewpoints and personal stories of the direct impact of terrorism, themes were emotive, compelling and at times difficult to comprehend.
The guest speakers at the event were Ellie Taylor (a survivor of the Manchester Arena Bombing), Bill Andrews (a former right-wing extremist), and Ian Acheson (Senior Advisor to the Counter Extremism Project). All of the guests discussed their differing personal and professional experiences of terrorism. The focus was on how radicalisation can affect young people and the role we can all play in preventing the spread of extremism.
The panel spoke openly to an audience of students and staff from across faculties, and the wider public. Following the discussion, the second segment involved a Q&A with audience members, with students invited to stay for networking with the guest speakers.'
Dr Gavin Hart said: “This event was intended to facilitate important conversations around counter-terrorism and the direct effect of radicalisation on people’s lives – it is a difficult topic to discuss so we commend our speakers for being so honest with their own accounts and we thank them for their participation. This was an opportunity for students to understand the complexities of criminology and societal influence in a real-world context.”
Lyndsey Jayne Burkert, Associate Dean of External Engagement for the Faculty of Business, Law & Criminology commented on the impact of this session saying: “This event was exceptional; this brought academic education to life and showcased to students’ multiple viewpoints around the extremism debate. The guest speaker panel were brave enough to discuss some exceptionally difficult topics and share poignant experiences with the audience. Thank you to Dr Gavin Hart and the Resilience in Unity team for bringing this event to Liverpool Hope University for our students."