‘Words matter’: Australian security organization to stop referring to ‘right-wing’ and ‘Islamic’ extremism

The head of the nation’s domestic spy agency has announced he will stop referring to “Islamic extremism” and “right-wing extremism”, saying his organisation needs to be conscious that the names and labels it uses are important.

Australian Security and Intelligence Organisation boss Mike Burgess also revealed ASIO had uncovered a “nest of spies” from a foreign intelligence service that had cultivated and recruited an Australian government security clearance holder who had access to sensitive details of defence technology.

He said a “significant number” of foreign spies and their proxies have either been kicked out of Australia or rendered inoperative over the past 12 months, adding he couldn’t provide an exact number “but I’m talking about a number in double figures”.

Delivering his annual assessment of the threats facing the nation on Wednesday night, Mr Burgess confirmed “so-called right-wing extremism” had grown from about one-third of ASIO’s priority counter-terrorism caseload to about 40 per cent over the past year.

He said his agency would now use the broad terms of “religiously motivated violent extremism” and “ideologically motivated extremism” in a significant change to the language it used to talk about the violent threats facing the nation.

ASIO has previously faced criticism from conservative politicians and the Islamic community for referring to right-wing extremism and Islamic extremism. Liberal senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells last year said many people of a conservative background in Australia took exception to the term.

Mr Burgess said the labels were “no longer fit for purpose” and did not “adequately describe the phenomena we’re seeing”.

“At ASIO, we’re conscious that the names and labels we use are important,” Mr Burgess said. “Words matter. They can be very powerful in how they frame an issue and how they make people think about issues.”

Mr Burgess said ASIO did not investigate people solely based on their political views, so categorising groups as “extreme left-wing” or “extreme right-wing” distracted from the real threat of violence.

“In the same way, we don’t investigate people because of their religious views — again, it’s violence that is relevant to our powers — but that’s not always clear when we use the term ‘Islamic extremism’,” Mr Burgess said.

”Understandably, some Muslim groups — and others — see this term as damaging and misrepresentative of Islam, and consider that it stigmatises them by encouraging stereotyping and stoking division.

“I should note that these are umbrella terms – and there may be circumstances where we need to call out a specific threat that sits underneath them – but we believe this approach will more accurately and flexibly describe security-relevant activities.”

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/words-matter-asio-to-stop-referring-to-right-wing-and-islamic-extremism-20210317-p57bme.html

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A university student has been banned from Aberdeen University's union for two weeks after saying 'Rule Britannia' during a debate on the British Army

Elizabeth Heverin, 19, received the ban after quoting the historic anthem prompted another student to complain.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Miss Heverin said: 'It feels like I’ve been prosecuted for the crime of being patriotic, it’s scary to think where freedom of speech at the university will go from here.'

The Aberdeen University debate saw students discuss renewing a union policy on a demilitarised campus - which would actively bar military personnel from recruiting students.

When international students raised concerns about the presence of the British Army on campus, the history and politics student wrote in a webchat: 'If the British military makes them feel uncomfortable, why did they come to a British uni?'

Shortly afterwards she wrote the words 'Rule Britannia,' she told The Telegraph.

Her comments were screen-shotted, reported and investigated by the Aberdeen University Students' Association, which told her quoting the 18th century piece could be viewed as potentially discriminatory.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9374577/Student-19-banned-Aberdeen-Universitys-union-saying-Rule-Britannia.html

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http://awesternheart.blogspot.com.au/ (THE PSYCHOLOGIST)

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