12/17/2023 0 Comments Australia lockdown riots![]() These protests are deeply connected to what is happening in the US, the roots of which stretch back to far-right groups gaining momentum in the aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) of 2007-08. They are often supported by so-called “ citizen journalists” who are themselves closely aligned with far-right ideologies. However for others, including the numerous members of far-right groups pictured at the protests, steering the protests toward more extreme language, actions and recruiting from among those attending are key aims. For some, the protest is the point, offering them a sense of solidarity and belonging. These are, of course, legitimate democratic aims whether others agree with them or not. Some want simple actions: the end of vaccine mandates or the destruction of the pandemic bill. There is also an embedded spiritual framing, patriotism and most alarmingly, anti-semitism that intersects with these far-right narratives.Īgain, this is hard to know, exactly, and there will be diverse views within the protest groups. QAnon is probably the best-known group associated with that thinking. An analysis of their online activity and forums, as well as the imagery and language of the protests themselves, offers plenty of evidence of this.Ĭentral to it is a deep distrust of science, a strong belief in conspiracies, including the notion of “big pharma” driving public policy, and a new world order of evil “liberal elites” who abuse children and rule over global affairs. To them, these protests might be empowering at a time when they feel completely disempowered and forgotten.īut there is no doubt that, at the heart of the protests – their ideological roots, so to speak – are extremism and conspiracy theories. ![]() These are people who feel a deep sense of powerlessness and frustration: they may have lost their jobs, been cut off from family and friends, and they may be deeply suspicious of, if not outright hostile to, the vaccines. However, as we’ve seen with the anti-lockdown protests during the course of the pandemic, this is a movement grounded in anger and resentment. ![]()
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