At noon Wednesday, July 2, START will welcome former extremist Robert Örell, now director of Exit Sweden (Fryshuset),
to discuss the experiences of disengagement from the Swedish white power environment. The event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served so an RSVP is requested.
This talk will also be webcast. To receive a link and log-on information, fill out the form here. Note that there is a limited capacity, so log-on information will be sent on a first come, first served basis.
In his talk, “The Swedish experience of disengagement from the white power movement: A practitioner’s perspective and personal experience,” Örell will talk about the work of Exit Sweden, an organization that supports those wanting to leave national extremist movements in Sweden. He will also discuss his personal experience of activism and engagement in a violent extremist group.
“With the understanding of why people engage in violent extremism groups, and how these environments influence the individual, lies the understanding of what support and interventions individuals need in the process of disengagement,” Örell said.
Örell has more than ten years of experience on work with disengagement from political extremism and criminal gangs. Örell is involved in national and international networks dealing with issues on knowledge sharing and best practice within the field of radicalization, disengagement, and intervention, and has arranged several international conferences and workshops. He is a member of the steering committee of the European Commission’s RAN (Radicalization Awareness Network) where he co-chairs the working group on deradicalization.
Örell worked with initiating a national recourse center for Swedish NGOs involved in disengagement and is working with spreading disengagement towards other target groups. Örell has studied social pedagogy and the basic psychotherapy training.