Stakeholders of (De)-Radicalisation in Italy

This report contributes to Work Package 3 “Mapping Stakeholders and Situations of Radicalisation” and aims at drawing a general overview of radicalisation agents and de-radicalisation stakeholders in the context of Italy since 2001. We focus on religious, political and ethnonationalist/separatist cases of radicalisation, looking at jihadist; right-wing; left-wing; and ethnonationalist/separatist movements in Italy.

The report clearly highlights the lack of a systemic approach to de-radicalisation, which becomes a highly problematic feature when future trends of radicalisation are evaluated. In fact, although it is very unlikely that separatist-driven violence would resurge in the medium term, and while left-wing violent actions have remained a constant feature of the Italian landscape, right-wing extremism may become increasingly prominent in the future. In this context, different extremisms may reinforce each other. For instance, a rise in xenophobic attitudes can end up jeopardising societal cohesion and creating a fertile ground for individuals who experience marginalization and discrimination on a daily basis to be open to radical ideologies and jihadist propaganda.