Countering radicalisation in Europe and beyond. Does the law matter?

Radicalisation and violent extremism challenge the very essence of contemporary democracies: they leave no space for mediation and compromise, which are what democracies based on pluralism, the rule of law and the respect for fundamental rights should rely on. Democracies protect themselves and fight back, on the one hand by promoting and entrenching precisely pluralism, the rule of law and fundamental rights and, on the other, by criminalising violent extremism and radicalism. The strategies vary greatly, depending on a number of variables, but they all combine the two approaches in their own specific blend. The article discusses Germany, Poland, Turkey, Italy, Austria and Finland's approaches in a comparative perspective.