Terrorism expert to lead new riot study

Dr George Kassimeris, Reader in Terrorism and Political Violence at the University, will lead a visit to Athens for professionals involved in training on different aspects of street violence and public disorder.

He plans to link with Greece to take advantage of the country’s long standing experience in dealing with riots and public disorder.

The visit will involve a series of workshops where participants will include contacts from police forces, emergency services, prisons, local authorities, colleges, universities, youth services  and media organisations, drawn from regions in the UK which have experienced which have recently experienced civil disorder and rioting.

They will attend a week-long series of seminars, workshops, panel sessions, presentations and exercises, under the theme of 'Why People Riot? Causes, Realities, Ways Forward'.

These will be held in early May 2014 at the ELIAMEP  Institute in Athens, one of Europe’s most recognized centres with a focus on security and public policy.

Dr Kassimeris said: “The choice of a Greek partner for this project is critical. Athens has dealt with numerous public disorder incidents and the city’s responses have demonstrated that effective work in preventing street violence and extremism needs to involve partnerships across different sectors.”

He said he was delighted to receive a grant worth € 45,200 Euro grant from the Leonardo da Vinci programme, an EU initiative to support education and training, to enable the project to go ahead.

He said: “The participants need opportunities to engage with European experts in the field and to better understand the approaches and policies in order to enhance their own effectiveness.

“In addition, learning in a comparative environment will broaden their knowledge base and widen their transferrable skills beyond their normal specialist focus”

ENDS

For more information please contact Chris Jones in the Media Relations Office on 01902 322736

Date Issued: Monday 14 October 2013