Violent extremism

In Australia, everyone has the right to express their beliefs, as long as it's not against the law or promoting violence.

Violent extremism is when someone uses or supports violence:

1. to reach social, political, or legal goals, or
2. as a reaction to social or political grievance.

This includes threats or acting violently towards people and property.

It does not include:

• peaceful protests
• strikes by workers
• political or religious views that are not violent.

Radicalisation

Radicalisation is a process where a person's thoughts and actions become very different from how most people in the community think and act on social, political and religious issues.

As someone radicalises, they might start wanting to change society and the government. This doesn't mean they will become violent. Most of the time they won't cause serious harm. But it becomes much more worrying if someone believes that using fear, terror, or violence is justified to bring about changes in government or society – this is violent extremism.

Why people become engaged with violent extremism

People may get involved in violent extremism because of personal reasons, like feeling alone, misunderstood, or left out. These feelings can make a person more likely to be drawn to violent extremist groups or ideas. This is because these extremist groups exploit these feelings and provide vulnerable people with purpose, identity, friendship, or justice.

Whether online or in-person, individuals, groups, and content that supports or promotes violent extremist beliefs, attitudes and behaviours can be very powerful. Charismatic leaders and engaging content can pull someone towards violent extremist ideas or groups. These individuals and groups are very clever at being appealing to some people because they offer them something that they want or need. For example, groups may offer friendship and acceptance to people who struggle with their identity, with making friends or their need for a sense of belonging. At the same time, these individuals and groups often encourage vulnerable people to stop spending time with people who have different views to them.

Violent extremist groups also appeal to some people because they share and express a collective outrage or grievance in response to social and political issues in Australia and the world. These groups do not see non-violent options such as peaceful protest or voting in democratic elections as a solution to these issues. Instead, they can make people feel that violence is the only effective solution, that to not support or act with violence is their acceptance of this this grievance, and that there is a sense of urgency for individuals and groups to act with violence.

You may have noticed that someone close to you is thinking and acting differently. Their opinions are becoming very different from what most people think about social issues and politics. For more information on identifying these changes, see how to identify the signs of violent extremism.