Equivocating over the existence of rightwing extremism will cost Australia dearly | Elliott Brennan

Asio’s language change comes after decades of leaders taking every opportunity to declare they weren’t afraid to take on Islamic extremism

Last week Australia’s spy boss sent ripples through the national security community with the announcement that Asio will shift from using “rightwing extremism” and “Islamic extremism” to using “ideological extremism” and “religious extremism”. In his second annual threat assessment, director general Mike Burgess told a Canberra audience that “words matter”, and the old words were no longer fit for purpose.

Words do matter. Burgess’ words in his first public address in 2020 which took aim at the extreme right wing, were lightning bolts in Australia’s post-Christchurch discourse. The organisation’s disclosure that 30-40% of its caseload was associated with these issues gave invaluable context to a public debate that was severely lacking.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/3vJF4Bo
via IFTTT