Another activism email: on letting two violent extremists off lightly [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on bigotry/hate, violence. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

PS - I have subsequently found this in the media: 

• “Australian judges are failing to protect society from violent extremism”   https://johnmenadue.com/australian-judges-are-failing-to-protect-society-from-violent-extremism/    

This is from an email I have just sent to my state and national MPs. I have edited out some terms to comply with Blogger's policies. 

*** 

I was concerned to read (at https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-27/neo-____-hiker-attack-thomas-sewell-jacob-hersant/103031582) that two neo-____s who had been found guilty of a violent assault on hikers were wished luck by the County Court judge and not given a custodial sentence (one had served six months), after which they made antisemitic and homophobic remarks to the media. This raises doubts, in my opinion, about whether they do in fact constitute good prospects for rehabilitation. 

I wonder whether the judge has been adequately informed by our systems on right wing extremism and hate speech.

One of the radio programmes I listen to but often have reservations about is "Yeah Nah Pasaran" (URL https://www.3cr.org.au/yeahnahpasaran) on 3CR community radio (https://www.3cr.org.au/). However, their most recent programme, available at https://www.3cr.org.au/yeahnahpasaran/episode/dr-kaz-ross-bannon-gaza-fascists-freedom, has some excellent comments about the need for media to have journalists who specialise in right wing extremists so they have proper awareness of the subtleties, nuance and rapid changes of dog whistling, current appropriation & misuse of symbols (and, contrary to the views in that episode, I consider the Victorian government's ban on right wing extremist ideology to be both excellent and essential), and other related matters.

I would support that, and I also consider that our judiciary may also need to be given access to up-to-date information on forms of and trends in extremist and hate speech groups to ensure that decisions are fully informed.

I suspect that, had such been the case, the judge would, at the very least, not have wished these two violent offenders luck, and may have imposed compulsory counselling.

I suspect [our] Police are probably monitoring such trends in extremist groups. Perhaps a summary of key changes could be made available to the judiciary, if it will not compromise future possible court cases? And perhaps briefs from experts in the field of hate speech could be provided - with a similar proviso?

This issue is, in my opinion, of considerable importance to members of the LGBTQIASB+ and Jewish communities.

I also wish to comment on this being the first email I have actually used the term ____ / neo-____. My reason for normally not doing so is as follows (this is taken from one of my blogs, in a post on genocide):

Note: as with other mass murderers, violent extremists crave publicity, so I refuse to give that to them - I will avoid using their names (which is a policy adopted by good law enforcement and media for other mass murderers), and I will not give them the satisfaction of being described with the T word. 

Naming movements or describing them as terrorist is giving them what they want - publicity. This also applies to mass murderers, which is where I got the idea from - see https://theconversation.com/news-media-heeding-call-to-limit-naming-perpetrators-in-mass-shootings-175604 and https://theconversation.com/the-media-need-to-think-twice-about-how-they-portray-mass-shooters-91972.

It doesn't matter that others see this as shaming: the extremists in movements named see it as publicity - much as disliking something on social media often is simply bundled up with likes and counted as an engagement by those advising on search engine optimisation.

Thus I normally only refer to far right extremism etc. I have made an exception in this case as I consider it warranted. I also now consider it important that individuals who are extremist be publicly named so that their work colleagues/employers and others who may come into contact with them are able to take reasonable measures (e.g., avoidance in public situations, warnings about respectful behaviour in the workplace, etc) to protect themselves.

No reply to this email is necessary. I only wish that the views I have put forward be kept in mind, and possibly raised if appropriate circumstances arise.

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

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Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk.