Men in balaclavas stopped and arrested on Australia Day: but for what?, page-108

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    ASIO's take on it:

    The threat from religiously motivated violent extremists has moderated. In particular, the offshore networks, capabilities and allure of Sunni violent extremist groups—such as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and al-Qa‘ida—have been substantially degraded. Accordingly, the support for these groups in Australia has declined further. But the violent extremist beliefs which motivated these groups persist, and will continue to appeal to a small number of Australians.

    Ideologically motivated violent extremism—and particularly nationalist and racist violent extremism—remains a threat to Australian security and its adherents will continue to engage in offensive behaviours. But nationalist and racist violent extremist groups are more likely to focus on recruitment and radicalisation, rather than attack planning. ASIO remains concerned about the potential for these groups to radicalise individuals who then go on to undertake attacks, potentially without any warning.

    Over the last two years, ASIO has seen an increase in issue-motivated extremism fuelled by grievances associated with COVID-19 restrictions, conspiracy theories and anti-authority ideologies. While some individuals used violent rhetoric and some protests involved violence, we did not identify acts of terrorism. The Australian community remained largely resilient, and many of the grievance narratives lost momentum as restrictions were eased.

    In the online environment, violent extremists—both in Australia and offshore—will continue to produce and share propaganda intended to sow division and encourage acts of violence. While a single piece of propaganda is unlikely to be the sole catalyst for an attack, it can be amplified in online echo chambers where violent extremist ideologies can proliferate without being challenged.

    https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/national-threat-level/current-national-terrorism-threat-level

 
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