Developing counter narratives to combat online violent extremism content, in focus of OSCE-supported course in Bosnia and Herzegovina

SARAJEVO, 5 February 2016 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) this week organized a series of short courses, which concluded today in Sarajevo, on the use of Internet and social media in developing counter narratives to online content promoting violent extremism.

The courses were designed to address the potential radicalization to violence of individuals through online channels and introduce the participants to innovative ways of developing appropriate counter narratives.

The events held in Tuzla, Banja Luka, Mostar and Sarajevo brought together more than 100 participants, including members of the Super Citizens Coalitions Against Hate initiative, educators, religious leaders and local media representatives.

“By organizing these courses, the OSCE Mission to BiH is supporting Internet users, young and old, to be able to distinguish between candid personal views and destructive content,” said Jonathan Moore, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Freedom of speech must be protected, but we have to be aware of the threat of violent extremism and the way that material on the Internet can be interpreted and manipulated."  

Dzenan Buzadic, social media expert and course trainer, said that society should respond to messages sent by violent groups by promoting counter narratives that deconstruct the idea of violence against innocent people. “Groups promoting violence are active users of social media and the rest of the society should be even more active in preventing violent extremism from spreading any further.”

Ljubica Bajo, Co-ordinator of Extracurricular Activities at the United World Colleges in Mostar, said that educators are falling behind children who are much more technologically advanced. “We have to change our approach towards them and work on developing their critical thinking, as well as teaching them that information is never gathered from just one source.”

The courses are organized as part of the OSCE Mission’s project on supporting the dialogue for preventing violent extremism in BiH. This project contributes to the OSCE’s wider campaign “United in Countering Violent Extremism” (#UnitedCVE), which highlights the Organization’s comprehensive approach to preventing violent extremism and radicalization that lead to terrorism.