32nd Annual Holocaust and Genocide Symposium Looks at Extremism

Far Right Extremism, online hate, fascism websites masquerading as healthy living tips, increasing antisemitism and rising anti-Muslim hate – all were explored during the recent 32^nd Symposium on the Holocaust and Genocide hosted by Vanier College, April 8-12, 2024. At a time when disinformation easily finds its way into social media and many innocuous websites, the theme this year of Extremism laid bare what many young people must learn to deal with in today’s real and virtual world.

“In light of rising hatred, discrimination and antisemitism, institutions like Vanier have a greater responsibility than ever to educate about the causes and consequences of such acts in order to strengthen the resilience of our youth against ideologies of hatred. That is why the theme of this year’s Symposium was Extremism,” says Toby Moneit, Vanier teacher and organizer of this year’s symposium.

Vanier student Elsa Dahan was deeply appreciative for the week-long event. “The personal stories and historical insights presented not only deepen our understanding but also remind us of the importance of tolerance and vigilance in today’s world. What struck me most was the number of people present, actively asking questions and showing a genuine interest in learning more…”

A variety of speakers exposed the false information and hidden ways extremist groups use to draw young people into their movements. Honorary Chair, Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, Executive Director of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at New York University, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Administration at the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and University Chaplain at NYU, tackled the subject head-on in his talk “Battling our inner extremist: How to approach extremism as a human phenomenon” which explored how humans think, feel and react to aspects of the world around them.  Aiming at young people in particular, his talk laid bare dangers of online extremism and how to recognize and resist them.

Speaker Susan Benesch who founded and directs the Dangerous Speech Project, gave a talk on Dangerous Speech and What to Do About It, where she discussed ways to prevent rhetoric that inspires violence without infringing on freedom of expression.

Barbara Perry, Director of the Centre on Hate, Bias and Extremism, presented The Continuum of Hate, and discussed how white supremacist xenophobia, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny and other related forms of hate against targeted communities and groups, needs to be understood and countered on a national scale

In Buildings, Bodies, Babies: Spectres of Fascism on Social Media, Dan Panneton, former Director of Allyship and Community Engagement at the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, demonstrated how far right individuals and movements use of posters and images to subtly exploit our fears, how we order our society, the aesthetics that we use, gender roles, physical form, and child rearing, to normalize their violent worldview.

Mattias Becker, who leads the international research project Decoding Antisemitism at Technische Universität Berlin, presented Analyzing online antisemitism after 7 October, where he showed how the initial social media response to 7 October represented a turning point in online discourse about Israel, and the subsequent debate that developed.

Other speakers included Vanier psychology teacher, Karen White who explored the Psychological Processes that Can Contribute to Extremism; Johanna Masse, Université de Laval who described women’s involvement in violent organizations; Lorenzo Vidino, from George Washington University and an expert on Islamism who gave a talk entitled Antisemitism as the common denominator across extremist ideologies;  Elizabeth Moore, who told her personal story describing how she defected from extremist group The Heritage Front; and Sarah Grenier from the Center for the Prevention of Radicalization Leading to Violence, who hosted an interactive session to help participants learn how to engage in dialogue with a person who might be involved in the process of violent radicalization.

The week-long event was not only attended in person but also streamed live to classrooms and individuals on campus.

This year’s annual Symposium on the Holocaust and Genocide was organized with the support of Vanier’s partners, the Holocaust Education and Genocide Prevention Foundation, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Raoul Wallenberg Center for Human Rights. The College and Symposium organizers deeply appreciated their support.