The thin line between neo-Nazi cosplay and real terrorism

August 15, 2021 â€" 8.35pm

Terrorism has fallen down the list of global threats during the COVID-19 outbreak but in an uncertain world, it cannot be forgotten entirely.

As the Herald reports today, extremist groups who identify as neo-Nazis are finding plenty of recruits here in Australia and counter-terrorism agencies are increasingly concerned.

The risk from these fringe white supremacist, racist groups has moved to the fore as the danger of Islamist terrorist groups â€" such as Islamic State â€" has receded, although the Taliban’s resurgence in Afghanistan suggests the need for continued vigilance.

It was only two years ago that Australian Brenton Tarrant murdered 51 people in a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch in New Zealand.

A group of young people in a range of rich Western countries seems increasingly drawn to a poisonous narrative that immigrants, and their progressive allies, are submerging traditional white society, and that they must be stopped with violence.

In 2011, Anders Breivik, a self-styled neo-Nazi, murdered 77 people in Norway. There were white supremacist overtones in the assault on the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 6.

While everyone agrees that these acts of terror are appalling, it is harder to know how to respond to the wider ecosystem of ultra-right websites and the social organisations that nurtures them.

Australia must respect the right to free political speech but at the same time, it must be vigilant against groups or individuals who move from nasty words to violent deeds.

It is the same dilemma faced during the wave of Islamist terror that swept the world in 2015. The challenge was to distinguish between non-violent if controversial views held by many Muslims about Middle East politics and the nihilist violence embraced by Islamic State.

As the investigation by Nick McKenzie today shows, when it comes to neo-Nazis here in Australia it can be just as difficult to draw a clear line between political views that are simply abhorrent and those that are a direct threat to society.

Videos and audio recordings show these groups dress up as paramilitary groups in Nazi insignia during their boot camps in the bush. In carefully encrypted online chat rooms, they make racial slurs â€" including against Jews â€" and boast about the inevitability of a “race war”.

Some might dismiss this behaviour as just “cosplay”. It is horrible and sick but not criminal so long as they do not put their loathsome ideas into practice.

On the other hand, these games can all too easily turn serious. The New Zealand inquiry into the Christchurch massacre found that Tarrant was influenced by ideas he acquired on the internet from white supremacist groups in Australia.

ASIO director-general Mike Burgess says the young men look “like ordinary Australians” but they are “concealing their true beliefs” and he says, “it is a big deal if you truly understand … (what) some of them are prepared to do”.

ASIO says these groups now make up half its workload, and that it is right to keep a close eye on them.

But security agencies must not abuse the special powers they have under the law. Surveillance of white supremacists, like any covert operation, should occur only under appropriate judicial supervision.

While white supremacism is a real threat, it is also important not to panic. Police have the manpower and funding to keep these organisations in check. Moreover, this is more than a security problem. The whole community, including the nation’s most senior political leaders, can help fight this scourge by speaking out against racism and promoting tolerance across society.

Note from the Editor

The Herald editor Lisa Davies writes a weekly newsletter exclusively for subscribers. To have it delivered to your inbox, please sign up here.

Since the Herald was first published in 1831, the editorial team has believed it important to express a considered view on the issues of the day for readers, always putting the public interest first.

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