Authorities watching far-right groups amid terror fears

Authorities alarmed by the rise of the far-right and hate speech believe extremist groups should be labelled terror organisations.

A number of extreme far-right groups are being closely monitored by Victoria Police and the ­Australian Security Intelligence ­Organisation.

The Sunday Herald Sun can ­reveal senior police believe some of the groups should be designated as terrorist organisations amid an alarming rise in hate speech across Australia.

Far right groups the Sunday ­Herald Sun understands have come to the attention of police and ASIO include Antipodean Resistance, ­National Socialist Network, Proud Boys, The Base and United Patriots Front.

ASIO told the Sunday Herald Sun youngsters who “are barely in their teens” are being radicalised by right-wing extremists.

Residents of the Grampians were left shocked and disturbed after a group of white supremacists rallied in the popular national park over the Australia Day long weekend.

neo-Nazi group Antipodean Resistance is on the radar of police.

Police investigated the incident, which involved about 20 to 30 men who were heard chanting white power slogans and “Heil Hitler”.

Professor Greg Barton, a counter-terrorism expert at Deakin University and co-director of the Australian Intervention and Support Hub, said legislation change was needed and extreme far-right groups designated as terrorist organisations to tackle the issue.

Senior figures in Victoria Police have also told the Sunday Herald Sun such moves would be welcomed, as it would help officers tackle the rise of far-right extremism.

ASIO said extreme right-wing individuals now made up around a third of all its counter-terrorism investigations.

Prof Barton said the incident in the Grampians highlighted the need to take action. “What happened in the Grampians was a deliberate exercise to provoke outrage,” he said.

“When we have officers from Stawell police station turn up to speak to them and they are not able to shut it down, that suggests there is a gap.

A National Socialist Network gathering in the Grampians.

A post on the National Socialist Network’s social media page.

“If it is not illegal to intimidate people in a national park and scream ‘Heil Hitler’ at people, there is a gap in the legislation.”

Designating far-right groups as terrorist organisations would help police deal with them, Prof Barton said.

“Our allies have proscribed far-right groups (as terror organisations) and I think that is something we will do. It is pretty clear we should do it.”

Earlier this month Canada moved to designate far-right group Proud Boys a terrorist organisation after its role in the January 6 riots at the Capitol in Washington, DC.

Several men wearing Proud Boys hats and shirts marched in Melbourne on Australia Day, protesting the cancellation of the official Australia Day parade.

An ASIO spokesperson said the threat of violence from extreme right-wing groups was “serious, increasing and evolving”.

Far right extremist and United Patriots Front former leader Blair Cottrell at a march. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

The tragedy in Christchurch in 2019 was a stark example of this,” an ASIO spokesperson said.

“While the extreme and violent right wing has been in ASIO’s sights for many decades, we are dedicating additional resources to the evolving threat and it represents a growing proportion of our priority counter-terrorism caseload. Unfortunately, extreme right-wing groups are more organised, sophisticated and ­security-conscious than before.

“These groups are becoming increasingly ideological; more aware of and committed to specific dogmas, philosophies and views, many of which support or glorify violence. They draw from a diverse variety of ideas and they are attracting a younger membership who display few overt signs of their extremist ideology.”

ASIO said right-wing hate space had been allowed to spread in online forums.

“Some of these spaces have created extremely toxic peer environments in which acts of violence based on extreme right-wing ideologies are encouraged, glorified and promoted,” the spokesperson said.

“Unfortunately, increasing numbers of young Australians – some barely in their teens – are being radicalised.”

Police and ASIO are concerned that an individual not officially tied to a right-wing group could be inspired by material the groups post online and go on to commit an atrocity.

Christchurch terrorist Brenton Tarrant was not on the radar when he killed 51 people and wounded dozens more at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019.

An Australian Federal Police spokesperson said: “The AFP is aware of individuals with concerning ideologies that may mobilise towards violence in the future and continue to examine whether individuals breach commonwealth laws. The Joint Counter-Terrorism Teams conduct investigations to prevent, respond to and investigate terrorist threats in Australia.”

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