P/CVE national plans and education as strategy to prevent violent extremism: the case of France

ABSTRACT

The aim of this article is to provide an in-depth analysis of France’s P/CVE (preventing and countering violent extremism) policies. The analysis begins with an overview of how different types of extremism have evolved in the country over time and focuses on the current extremist panorama today. Subsequently, it investigates the national P/CVE plans, analysing them at all three levels of intervention (primary, secondary and tertiary) and considering the extent to which they mobilise different stakeholders. This section specifically takes into account educational policies in France. The author finds that France is equipped with very thorough, well-structured plans that mobilise an array of stakeholders, act at various levels and contain specific education policies. Nonetheless, the French strategy is still highly discussed from various perspectives, and some of the undertaken policies and measures have not achieved the expected goals.

KEYWORDS:

• France
• P/CVE
• PNPR
• prevention
• radicalisation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 According to the Global Terrorism Index, far-right violent extremism in the West (intended here as Europe, North America and Oceania) comprises the following ideological groupings: anti-feminist extremism, anti-immigrant extremism, anti-Islam extremism, anti-LGBT extremism, anti-liberal extremism, anti-Muslim extremism, anti-Semitic extremism, far-right extremism, incel extremism, neo-fascism, neo-Nazism, white nationalism and supremacism (GTI, 2020, p. 61).

2 For instance, in March 2021, a two-day training session investigating key concepts of Islam, the geopolitics of transnational jihadism and the drivers of Islamist violent radicalisation took place (cipdr.gouv.fr).

3 ‘Communitarian’ refers to a neologism that has emerged in French politics in recent years. Specifically, ‘communautarisme’ is described as the inclination to neatly break with French society and republican values in the name of religion (Faye, 2019, October 16).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Claudia Annovi

Claudia Annovi is a PhD Candidate in Sociology and Applied Social Research at Sapienza University in Rome. Her work and interest focus mainly on conspiracy theories, populism, and jihadist extremism. She has worked for three years as Head of Analysis (Terrorism & Radicalisation) at CeSI (Centro Studi Internazionali), a Rome-based think tank, where she was the main researcher in various European projects. She graduated from Languages, Cultures, and Societies of MENA countries from Ca' Foscari University (Venice) and obtained her MA in International Relations from the University of Turin.