By Ms Samantha Jones (pictured above, inset) Discipline Lead for the Bachelor of Policing and Bachelor of Policing (Investigations) and Lecturer in Policing Studies, Criminology, Intelligence and Terrorism in the Charles Sturt Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security in Canberra.

During the recent Christmas-summer holiday period and into 2025, Australia has witnessed attacks against Australian universities, the Jewish community, federal and state parliamentarians’ offices and childcare centres.

These attacks can achieve a bonding of extremist organisations by showing members that they are active and achieving a goal. In addition, this can assist in creating further desire and action coming into the new year, which can provide the momentum to continue activities.

Relevant to this is my current research on the pre-formation, formation, evolution, disengagement and disbandment phases of extremist organisations.

These organisations span right-wing, left-wing, Salafi jihadism and separatist organisations on an international, trans-historical and cross-cultural scale that has developed a lifecycle profile on organisational universalities.

The escalation in antisemitism activity in Australia can further be ‘hired out’ by national and international extremist organisations that are implementing strategic advances in their cause to incite and create instability within the social fabric.

This is how organisations leverage the actions of extremists or take advantage of political, economic and social issues to produce a deeper level of instability.

This can assist in achieving organisational goals but can also act as increased development from an economic perspective, whereby terror is directly related to increases in profit.

This, however, does not mean that the people executing the act are extremists themselves but are rather profiting from the business that is terrorism.

The outsourcing of a third party assists in the coordination of attacks by reducing the ‘who’ is responsible factor and reduces the ability for resources to be tracked.

Furthermore, the weaponry used shows the phase in which the organisation is currently active in and the length of time in which escalation and digression can occur.

A commonality that has occurred is the targeting of institutions that hold prominence and are pillars within the community; they are a representation of values, tradition and stability.

Targeting such places highlights that these are strategic attacks to reduce the power and influence of institutions which add to the fabric, moulding and resilience of communities.

These are also well-populated places that can spark not just fear but curiosity. These attacks can, therefore, aid in recruitment, media attention and the accomplishment of fulfilling a goal that assists in the continued unity of organisations.

What this achieves is a fracturing that, when fuelled, can bring communities to a point in which they begin to take action. This can occur through protests.

Taking action assists people in regaining power over a situation where there is a perceived lack of control and a form of vocal and physical prevention that such behaviour that they are fighting against won’t be tolerated.

However, caution should be incorporated when the idea of protests is circulating in response to societal issues, as there is the propensity for extremists to spark protests under the guise of an innocent who has been a victim of attacks, or that law enforcement is unable to protect the public.

My findings support the observation that when protests are hijacked by extremist organisations that they turn to riots as a strategic aim. Riots can fuel anger and create a mob mentality in which individuals participate in actions they normally may not do.

The wearing of masks during protests further assists in the persona changes in which a perceived powerful version of oneself emerges as there is a reduced sense of fear.

This is not just because one’s face is hidden as a form of detection avoidance but because the mask allows the individual to incorporate a sense of freedom and to act on desire.

The nature of riots and the use of masks produces a support network among strangers to form as one, and thus can inadvertently cement networks and solidarity.

For extremists, the riot is a strategy that creates traction and adds a sense of urgency that change is required to gain stability, while further dividing society. This is further compounded when extremists utilise the impacts of riots to create a narrative that they are being victimised by law enforcement to instil doubt in the legal system and influence the public to gain support.

This, then, not only builds on organisations that are in their evolution phase, but can also form new organisations, which is part of their pre-formation phase. However, this is just one of the significant events that occur during the pre-formation phase.

It is important to remember that extremist organisations are created from the ecosystem in which they emerge.