Government Conference: Fight against online radicalization started!

Government Conference: Fight against online radicalization started!

On June 6, 2025, the Gaza -Hauptleitenkonferenz took place in Leogang, Salzburg. Under the direction of Chancellor Christian Stocker, Vice Chancellor Andreas Babler and Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, a wide range of topics was discussed. A central concern was the application of Carinthia's Governor Peter Kaiser to combat online radicalization. Emperor warns of the threat of social cohesion, especially among young people, and referred to a recent assassination in Villach, which was triggered by a radicalized user on social media.

Kaiser made it clear that the radicalization of individuals is a serious challenge through digital communication channels. Studies show that the Internet, as a catalyst for such radicalization processes, acts by enables extremist actors to spread their messages in far -reaching form and to glorify violence. Often there is no clear separation between digital and real behavior. This complexity of the radicalization dynamics makes it necessary that political action is adapted to it while the role of digital platforms is critically questioned.

measures to combat radicalization

The discussion about hate speech and radicalization online is of great importance. According to an analysis, 78% of the Germans over 14 years are affected by hate speech, whereby this problem in particular is heavily burdened by young people. Digital hostility is attributed to a significant role in the destabilization of social cohesion, since they can often lead to a withdrawal from public discourse. This trivialization not only endangers the democratic process, but can also further fuel the radicalization dynamics.

The importance of the European Convention on Human Rights

Kaiser also called for a discussion about adaptations by the European Convention on Human Rights to protect digital human rights. This view is in accordance with the realization that digital communication can support extremist actors with different techniques and formats to maximize their reach.

Media change and technological developments, such as the willingness to violence during the COVID-19 demonstrations, underline the need to take a closer look at the Internet. A systematic literature analysis dealt with the mechanisms of action of radicalization at different levels and identified that unmodernized platforms can favor the spread of extremist content.

An integrative approach that brings together science, prevention, politics and security authorities are considered necessary to effectively counter the challenges of radicalization and extremism. This multi -perspective view is crucial in order to understand the multi -layered processes of radicalization in digital space and to combat them in a targeted manner.

The Government Conference has thus initiated an important step in order to discuss the digital risks as well as to discuss structured reforms in the areas of education, energy, health and administration. However, the discussion must be continued beyond the conference in order to develop sustainable measures.

Further information on these developments can be found in the reports of OTS , bpb and Ssoar .