Today (January 4, 2021) on Sky News (where else?) Hillsong’s Alex Hawke denied that far right extremism is on the rise in Australia. This was in response to a Senate motion by the Labor Party to condemn far-right extremism, including claims about voter fraud in the US election and the cause of the Capitol insurrection promoted by Liberal MP Craig Kelly and National MP George Christensen. The motion passed on Thursday, but only after references to the conspiracy theorists Kelly and Christensen were removed, and condemnation of far-left extremism, communism, anarchism and violence generally were added.1
Hawke’s denial directly contradicted a recent Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) report into Australia’s security environment and outlook. In this, ASIO said:
“Extreme right-wing groups and individuals have been in ASIO’s sights for many decades—while we have maintained continuous and dedicated resources to this area, extremists such as neo-Nazis represent a serious, increasing and evolving threat to security. The 2019 Christchurch attack continues to be drawn on for inspiration by right-wing extremists worldwide.
These groups are also becoming ideological: more aware of and committed to specific dogmas, philosophies and views. They draw from a diversity of ideas and are attracting a younger membership who display few overt signs of their extremist ideology.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been used by right-wing and issue-motivated extremists to promote their views. They are seeking to exploit social and economic dislocation; and their extremist ideology has been spreading more quickly and widely as Australians spend more time online engaging with like-minded individuals. However, calls for violence and sabotage have not yet been acted on in Australia.”2
ASIO have been watching these fruitcakes for decades, so why would Hillsong Hawke spout such abject rubbish? It is because the far right forms a part of the group of voters who either vote for, or preference, Pauline Hanson’s One Notion Party and other far right groups. As Australia becomes less religious and more progressive, the Coalition need these people. Love of nazism is no obstacle.
Sources
The question is why would Hawke deny the facts? Does he see some link between religious conservatism and extreme right-wing views or is his head buried so deeply in his nether regions that he’s unaware of the reality. Did he miss the Christchurch massacre or does he think that was home-grown Kiwi terrorism, the same way rw USA conspiracy nutters think school massacres are inventions of “the left”?
Can’t say in my lifetime that I’ve ever read about a large group of neo-Nazis openly flaunting their racism and hatred in public in this country as occurred recently in the small Vic town of Halls Gap. The good news is that (according to sm comments) at least one (female) hiker apparently called them a pack of see-you-next-Tuesdays to their masked faces.
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/neo-nazis-go-bush-grampians-gathering-highlights-rise-of-australia-s-far-right-20210127-p56xbf.html
Jon,
The link between the far right and the religious nutters has been there for all to see in the US. It is here as well.
Excellent article from Noah Berlatsky (a Jewish atheist) about compromised Republican Jews. The last two pars were particularly on point.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/marjorie-taylor-greene-republicans-antisemitism-b1797652.html
“Jewish people were not Trump’s main targets for hatred. But a political movement built on marginalizing and harming those deemed to be outsiders will generally get around to Jewish people in the diaspora eventually.
Marjorie Taylor Greene, and the Republican Party’s supine response to her, suggests that Republicans may well get to Jewish people sooner rather than later. Conservative Jews who appear to have made the disgusting calculus that they and the Republican Party can happily hate some other marginalized groups together should reconsider on both ethical and pragmatic grounds. Right-wing nationalist bigotry has not been kind to Jewish people in the past. It is not likely to go well for us in the future Republicans envision either.”
Greene as we know promoted (among other things) the ludicrous conspiracy that Jewish lasers in space were used to start fires in USA forests:
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/marjorie-taylor-greene-qanon-wildfires-space-laser-rothschild-execute.html
Jon,
Yeah, it is something that still astonishes me, with Jews sidling up to Trump, when he sidled up to the neonazis in Charlottesville who were chanting ‘Jews will not replace us’. Even more astonishing is the space laser story. How could anyone in their right mind not burst out laughing on hearing this? I will never understand these QAnon nutters.
There would be more political capital for that unpleasant character Hawke- and his party if he over-exaggerated the strength and danger of neo-Nazi weirdos. With such ugly groups spruiking violent racist action, the far right wing of the National and Liberal Parties starts to look positively tame by comparison. It would be a handy case of “Look over there…that’s the real threat to our citizens’ security”. For my part, I will keep both eyes firmly on the madness which those under Scomo’s own umbrella are trying to achieve. But who better to promise they will stand up to extremists of Hitlerish persuasion than a “law-abiding”, “democratic” government run by Libs and Nuts…sorry, Nats. Odiously stupid but possibly quite dangerous neo-nazi groups may prove a strategy gift to the coalition. That has to worry intelligent people who realise how low and unethical the Lib-Nat parties truly are.
By the way, lovely to see the butt end of one one of the most scurrilous politicians ever to disgrace federal Parliament. That’s one less religious bigot and off-the-edge ultra-conservative Liberal to worry about. In retirement may I suggest Andrews simply play bowls, ride his triicycle, and keep his monumentally boring, sanctimonious lips glued together! Dreaming, I know.
Russell,
I too find it hard to understand how the Coalition doesn’t jump on the rational bandwagon and condemn neonazis when they are such a stupid target. I can only suspect that it is caught up in the culture wars where anything someone vaguely left wing says automatically becomes something to be opposed, without any consideration of whether it is real. This has clearly happened in the US: climate change caused California fires? No; it was Jewish space lasers. JHC!
Russell,
It is also a delight to see that verminous religious nutter Kevin Andrews booted out of parliament. However, the bloke who took his place is a former soldier who was supported by moderates, but has referred to himself as not being a moderate. This may be the moderates in the Liberal Party fighting back against the religious nutters who effectively took over the party a few years ago. One hopes that he is not religious like another former soldier, Hastie, who believes the planet is only 6,000 years old.