Dr. Scrivens Speaks At Eradicate Hate Global Summit

October 15, 2023 - JJ Thomas

Dr. Ryan Scrivens, Assistant Professor in the School of Criminal Justice, spoke at the 2023 Eradicate Hate Global Summit in Pittsburgh, PA.

Founded in 2018, the Eradicate Hate Global Summit was created to bring together experts and leaders in the fields of extremism and crime to provide solutions to policy makers and industry leaders on how to combat hate and extremism.

Dr. Scrivens was asked to join and speak at the event due to his extensive research on violent extremism and extremist hate groups. It was a former extremist who is now involved in the Summit that brought Dr. Scrivens to the Summit’s attention.

The panel Dr. Scrivens was part of discussed “the most active groups perpetrating hate-fueled violence and the effectiveness of their strategies and techniques for recruitment and incitement to violence." Dr. Scrivens specifically discussed how violent right-wing extremist groups recruit online, particularly how they attempt to recruit young members.

“Many groups are using humorous and sarcastic memes to spread hate propaganda online to a more mainstream audience, and for the larger purpose of recruiting new adherents” says Dr. Scrivens regarding extremist group recruitment online.

As events like the Eradicate Hate Global Summit continue to grow, Dr. Scrivens hopes that these events continue to raise awareness about how violent extremist groups recruit online and the dangers they pose.

“In order to combat the ongoing threat of violent extremism and hate online, we need to have a better understanding of how they radicalize and recruit young people into extremist movements.”