{"id":70422,"date":"2022-02-11T14:30:24","date_gmt":"2022-02-11T03:30:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=70422"},"modified":"2022-02-11T14:08:17","modified_gmt":"2022-02-11T03:08:17","slug":"asio-chief-flags-alarming-increase-in-children-lured-to-extremism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/asio-chief-flags-alarming-increase-in-children-lured-to-extremism\/","title":{"rendered":"ASIO chief flags alarming increase in children lured to extremism"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The number of children attracted to extremist groups has increased dramatically and minors are now the focus of more than half of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation\u2019s highest priority investigations each week.<\/p>\n

The alarming increase, involving children as young as 13, was revealed by the head of Australia\u2019s domestic intelligence agency, Mike Burgess, in his annual threat assessment<\/a>, delivered this week.<\/p>\n

\u2018As the director-general of security, this trend is deeply concerning,\u2019 Burgess says.<\/p>\n

\u2018As a parent, it is deeply distressing. As a nation, we need to reflect on why some teenagers are hanging Nazi flags and portraits of the Christchurch killer on their bedroom walls, and why others are sharing beheading videos. And just as importantly, we must reflect on what we can do about it.\u2019<\/p>\n

Two years ago, Burgess said ASIO was seeing an increase in the radicalisation of young Australians.<\/p>\n

\u2018Unfortunately and alarmingly, this trend is continuing,\u2019 he says. \u2018The number of minors being radicalised is getting\u00a0higher<\/em>\u00a0and the age of the minors being radicalised is getting\u00a0lower<\/em>.\u2019<\/p>\n

Burgess says most radicalisation occurs online but some happens face to face. \u2018Children as young as 13 are now embracing extremism, and this is happening with religiously motivated violent extremism and ideologically motivated violent extremism.\u2019<\/p>\n

Many of these young people do not come from families where a parent or sibling already holds extreme views, as happened in the past.<\/p>\n

\u2018A few years ago, minors represented around 2% to 3% of our new counterterrorism investigations,\u2019 says Burgess. In the past year, the figure\u2019s been closer to 15%. And perhaps more disturbingly, these young people are more intense in their extremism.<\/p>\n

\u2018Where once minors tended to be on the fringe of extremist groups, we are now seeing teenagers in leadership positions, directing adults, and willing to take violent action themselves,\u2019 says Burgess.<\/p>\n

\u2018At the end of last year, on average, minors represented more than half of our priority counterterrorism investigations each week. This should concern us all.\u2019<\/p>\n

Burgess says ASIO is aware of minors preying on other minors, seeking to turn them to their violent ideology and using grooming techniques similar to those used by paedophiles. \u2018We have seen cases involving young, radicalised violent extremists systematically targeting vulnerable associates who were lonely or going through tough times.\u2019<\/p>\n

The targeting takes place in a variety of settings, even schools. The tactics used by the extremists in these cases involve a combination of attention, flattery and friendship, which shifts to bullying and manipulation.<\/p>\n

\u2018We\u2019ve seen young ringleaders deliberately desensitise their targets, gradually exposing them to more extreme and more violent propaganda, until the most graphic material imaginable was normalised,\u2019 says Burgess.<\/p>\n

\u2018Believe me when I tell you that\u202fASIO finds these kinds of cases challenging\u2014we do not belong in the schoolyard\u2014and while we act when there is a threat of violence, the broader trend of teenage radicalisation demands a different response, one where ASIO and law enforcement are not the answer.\u2019<\/p>\n

Burgess says it is very hard to\u202fderadicalise\u202fan adult extremist, but there are many more options to redirect young people who\u202fare\u202fexperimenting with\u202fextremism\u202fin\u202fresponse to unhappiness\u202for insecurity.<\/p>\n

\u2018As a society, we have to recognise the signs and step in early. Radicalisation in young people can happen quickly\u2014in days and weeks, not months and years\u2014and kids are most vulnerable when they are under stress.\u2019<\/p>\n

In these situations, ASIO\u2019s role is at the end\u2014at the point when there\u2019s an active threat to security, says Burgess.\u202fBut before\u202fthat point there are\u202fnearly always\u202foff-ramps and opportunities\u202fto redirect behaviour.<\/p>\n

Government plays a key role in helping to counter violent extremism, he says, and policy agencies, law enforcement and community organisations are doing important work.<\/p>\n

\u2018But the community can play a pivotal part identifying signs a teenager isn\u2019t just going through adolescence but is heading towards radicalisation. Without knowing about these indicators, it\u2019s much harder for us to divert them from a dangerous path.\u2019<\/p>\n

Security is a shared responsibility, says Burgess. He urges schools and\u202fsports clubs to notice and ask questions if young people are acting antisocially and out of character. \u2018Parents and carers\u2014notice and ask questions if your\u202fchildren are receiving or circulating inappropriate material online. Children often start with moderately objectionable material, which then becomes worse and worse. Identifying it early can be critical.<\/p>\n

\u2018Community leaders\u2014notice and ask questions if young people you know are showing marked changes in\u202ftheir\u202fdemeanour\u202for views.\u2019<\/p>\n

Burgess says Australia\u2019s security outlook remains\u202fcomplex, challenging and changing. Covid-19 and its associated lockdowns added considerable volatility to the mix and continue to influence the security environment.<\/p>\n

During lockdowns, the internet brought many benefits, but more online shopping meant more cybercrime. More online engagement provided greater opportunities for radicalisation. More working from home increased the risk of cyber-enabled espionage.<\/p>\n

In the past two years, thousands of Australians with access to sensitive information have been targeted by foreign spies adept at using the internet and social media profiles for their recruitment efforts. On any of the popular internet or social media, they make seemingly innocuous approaches\u2014such as job offers, says Burgess. This then progresses\u202fto\u202fdirect messaging on\u202fdifferent, encrypted platforms, or in-person meetings, before a recruitment pitch is made.<\/p>\n

That threat spread during the pandemic with a jump in suspicious approaches on messaging platforms like WhatsApp that provide an easy way for foreign intelligence services to target employees of interest.<\/p>\n

ASIO is also tracking suspicious approaches on dating platforms such as Tinder, Bumble and Hinge. \u2018My message for any potential victims on these sites is a familiar one\u2014if it seems too good to be true, it probably is!\u2019<\/p>\n

As long ago as 2007, ASIO warned that a pandemic would see an increase in anti-government behaviours. \u2018We have certainly seen that with Covid,\u2019 Burgess says.<\/p>\n

Covid sent online radicalisation into overdrive, he says. Isolated individuals spent more time online, exposed to extremist messaging, misinformation and conspiracy theories.<\/p>\n

\u2018Social media platforms, chat rooms and algorithms are designed to join up\u202fpeople who share the same views and push them material they will \u201clike\u201d. It\u2019s like being in an echo chamber where the echo gets louder and louder, generating cycles of exposure and reinforcement.<\/p>\n

\u2018More time in those online environments\u2014without some of\u202fthe circuit-breakers\u202fof everyday life, like family and community engagement, school and work\u2014created more extremists. And in some cases, it accelerated extremists\u2019 progression on the\u202fradicalisation pathway\u202ftowards violence.\u2019<\/p>\n

Some believe the government\u2019s approach to vaccinations and lockdowns infringed their freedoms.\u202fIn a small number of cases, violent incidents were fuelled by anti-vaccination, anti-lockdown and anti-government agendas. \u2018We have also seen threats against public office holders, an attack on a vaccination clinic, and several physical assaults on healthcare workers.\u2019<\/p>\n

ASIO believes these tensions and the possibility of violence will persist.<\/p>\n

The introduction of vaccination requirements for some forms of employment, social engagement and travel will continue to drive anger, uncertainty and fear within a small section of society.<\/p>\n

\u2018This cohort views the restrictions as an attack on their rights, the creation of a two-tier society and confirmation of their perceived persecution,\u2019 says Burgess.<\/p>\n

\u2018ASIO does not have any issue with people who have opinions they want to express. This is a critical part of a vibrant democracy. We do not\u2014and cannot\u2014investigate peaceful protest or dissent. Our concern is where opinions tip into\u202fthe promotion of violence, or actual acts of\u202fviolence.\u2019<\/p>\n

He says the vast majority of people who choose not to be vaccinated will not engage in violence in response to vaccine mandates. The vast majority of protestors are not violent extremists, and the vast majority of the protests are not violent. ASIO\u2019s focus is on a small number of angry and alienated Australians.<\/p>\n

Lockdown\u202fand\u202fvaccination protests are not specifically left or right wing, says Burgess, but a cocktail of views, fears, frustrations and conspiracies. Individuals who hold these views, and are willing to support violence to further them, are most accurately described as ideologically motivated violent extremists.<\/p>\n

For ASIO, many of those involved are newcomers, so it\u2019s harder to get a sense of what is simply big talk and what is genuine planning for\u202fviolence.<\/p>\n

\u2018Making\u202fthe call\u202fabout which statements indicate\u202fa genuine plan for violence and which are purely sounding off or wishful thinking is one of the greatest challenges our analysts have. Our information is often incomplete\u2014and the stakes are\u202fhigh.\u2019<\/p>\n

Burgess says the most likely terrorist\u202fattack scenario in Australia over the next 12 months continues to be\u202fa lone-actor attack.<\/p>\n

\u2018That fact\u202fweighs heavily on my mind and the minds of our\u202fstaff.\u2019<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The number of children attracted to extremist groups has increased dramatically and minors are now the focus of more than half of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation\u2019s highest priority investigations each week. 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