Anti-radicalisation measures:

Europe

Pind

The Danish government on Tuesday presented a list of measures to combat radicalisation, including a “corps of digital voices of reason” to challenge extremist views on the internet.

Part of the new plan was for the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) to form a “national alliance against online radicalisation” including authorities and people from civil society, to which the new “voices of reason” project would be linked.

“A civil society-driven corps of digital voices of reason will be established,” the Ministry of Justice said in a presentation of the anti-radicalisation plans.

The group would “systematically be present in social media and engage critically in relevant forums, take part in dialogue and challenge extremist views,” it said.

A new unit would also be formed within PET to identify and remove extremist material from the internet.

The government would also seek to introduce a filter against “violent extremist online material”, modelled on the filter against child pornography used by the country’s major internet service providers.

But experts said such a filter could easily be circumvented by using a VPN connection.

“Those who are dedicated and really want to will always find a way around,” Justice Minister Soren Pind told public broadcaster DR, adding that the filter was aimed at young people who were easily influenced. (AFP)