My assessment is that there are about 150 to 300 core right-wing activists in New Zealand. This might sound modest – but proportionate to population, it’s similar to extremist numbers in Germany.
Australia is under increasing threat from right-wing terrorism, and to properly combat it we need to understand it and offer better alternatives for those drawn to it.
The perception of an immigrant threat in Europe is often thought to be driven by rising numbers of asylum seekers, but research indicates that political and media discourses are often the driving factor.
In an address to the Lowy Institute, outgoing ASIO head Duncan Lewis warned that “the scale and scope of foreign intelligence activity against Australian interests is unprecedented”.
The growing number of self-taught, right-wing experts on the Constitution believe not only in the rights of white people, but have a comprehensive – if not comprehensible – view of the Constitution.
In a context of defiance against media, how can journalists recover the public’s trust and their image of “truth tellers”? Brazil provides a few examples.
Groups promoting right wing extremism, like the Antipodean Resistance and the Lads Society, have recently dominated headlines, but they are far from the sum of the extreme right in Australia.
The recent massacre at a New Zealand mosque is a traceable, direct outgrowth of an American white nationalist movement that insists immigrants and people of color are a threat to ‘white civilization.’
There is deep sadness in the Christchurch attacks, but little shock. We need to address the permissive political environment that allows such hateful extremism to be promulgated so openly.
Jair Bolsonaro, a right-wing congressman and former army captain, is Brazil’s next president, with 56 percent of votes. Critics see a threat to democracy in his scathing attacks on Brazilian society.