Rise in extremists who want to trigger 'race war' in Australia, ASIO warns

There has been a rise in activity from racist and nationalist extremists who want to spark a race war in Australia over the last year-and-a-half, the nation's top security agency has warned.

In a submission to a parliamentary inquiry into far-right extremism, ASIO said ideologically motivated violent extremists (IMVE) accounted for about a quarter of its priority counter-terrorism work.

"IMVE – particularly nationalist and racist violent extremism – remains a threat and its adherents will continue to engage in offensive behaviours," the security agency said in its submission.

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"IMVE views persist, and adherents are weaving new issues into their conspiracy theories and anti-establishment views...

"Over the last 18 months, we have seen an uptick in the number of nationalist and racist violent extremists (NRVEs) advocating sabotage in private conversations both here and overseas.

"It is particularly pronounced among NRVE 'accelerationists' - meaning extremists who want to trigger a so-called 'race war'."

ASIO said many of those have been inspired by the Christchurch shooting of 2019, which was carried out by an Australian with racist, far-right views.

It also said the main threat from ideological extremists was from so-called lone wolf actors – like the Australian behind the Christchurch attack – and that racist and nationalist groups were more focused on recruitment rather than planning attacks at the moment.

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"ASIO's biggest IMVE-related concern is the threat from lone actors who could move to violence without warning," it wrote.

"While we remain concerned about IMVE, we assess the vast majority of established nationalist and racist groups are more likely to focus on recruitment and radicalisation rather than attack planning in the foreseeable future."

ASIO also pointed to the risk posed by online forums in allowing for the radicalisation of extremists across the globe, particularly in the wake of increasing internet activity during the pandemic.

Unlike the inquiry it provided the submission to, the security agency steered clear of referring specifically to right-wing extremism.

"Threats are increasingly intersecting, emerging from new places and blurring traditional distinctions," it told the inquiry.

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"To more accurately reflect the nature of the threat, ASIO moved away from using the terms right-wing extremism and left-wing extremism in 2021, and instead refers to two categories of politically motivated violence: religiously… and ideologically motivated violent extremism. 

"Not every ideologically motivated extremist is automatically a left-wing or right-wing extremist. 

"There is a cohort of individuals motivated by a hybrid of conspiracies, grievances and anti-authority beliefs. It is neither helpful nor accurate to assign these individuals a place on the political spectrum."

The inquiry is due to deliver its report by December 6.