Extremism: Now easier than ever to join!

Extremism exists in today’s society in many culture and countries around the world. FromIslamic extremists in Middle Eastern countries to white supremacist extremist groups having large congregations in both the United States of America and South Africa, there are few places you could go to escape hearing of such groups. With a presence felt the world over, would it be so hard to believe that there too, are extremist groups in Australia?

It is also known that a significant number of these extremist groups have websites dedicated to their organizations. With the recent explosion in the number of people and countries having easy access to the internet, would it also be hard to believe that these groups can now recruit and plan extremist activities on a global scale? I hope not, because it’s already happening.

Extremism can be said to be the idea of taking an extreme view on a particular issue, and then undertaking extreme actions to reinforce that view. The main factors that drive extremism are often: radical ideologies, radical religious beliefs and cumulated anger or frustration. The actions resulting from these radical ideologies can sometimes be violent and severe. Most extremist groups are borne of ideologies concerning separatism on grounds of race, political or religious beliefs. There are many examples of extremist groups that exist in the world today, some of these include: Neo-Nazi groups such as Aryan Nations and Blood and Honor. Also many and Neo Confederate and Klu Klux Klan groups exist including League of the South andChurch of the National Knights of the Ku Klux Klan

The degree of viciousness or intensity of these extremist groups and their ideologies can vary greatly. From very well known groups that have existed for decades; think Klu Klux Klan, to relatively small and unheard of congregations, perhaps think Australia First Party.

The Australia First Party is an Australian nationalist activist group that has a presence Australia wide. When looking at their website on face value, the group appears innocent enough, talking about helping Australian industry and working families by protecting Australian jobs. But this patriotic resistance appears to have a much more extreme agenda. Looking into their main beliefs and values outlined in their constitution, it is very apparent that this group could be classed as an extremist group. With main policies including ‘Reduce and limit immigration’ and ‘Abolish Multiculturalism’, it becomes clear what additional agendas they may have.

Whether it is a small extremist group such as the Australia First Party to larger more controversial groups such as the Klu Klux Klan, it is widely known that groups such as this have dedicated websites. After looking at some of these websites it is quite obvious that a great number of these extremist groups; including the Australia First Party, are using their websites as a way to spread their ideologies and beliefs. Their websites are also being used as a powerful recruitment tool. Take the Aryan Nations for example. Visitors to their site are able to read an abundance of suggestive information dedicated to their cause and then are able to join very easily with a link to an automated email titled ‘interested in joining’.

This ability people now have; to join extremist groups anywhere in the world, is concerning. The ease people now have to recruit members and spread information could lead to a significant increase in the number of extremist group members. This is something of which no good could possibly come