Published 18:54 IST, March 2nd 2021
UK’s Sonnenkrieg Division to be 1st right-wing terrorist group listed in Australia: Report
For the first time, the Australian government is planning to add a UK-based far rightwing group to the list of proscribed terrorist organisations.
For the first time, the Australian government is planning to add a far rightwing group to the list of proscribed terrorist organisations. According to The Guardian, Sonnenkrieg Division, which is a UK-based neo-Nazi group, will be effectively banned in Australia once it’s listing as a terror group is confirmed. The home affairs minister, Peter Dutton said that the group has a presence that the government is “particularly worried” about in the UK, but he added that their reach also goes into the minds of young people and Australians.
Dutton said that if there are other organisations that need to be listed, Asio will consider those matters. It is worth noting the group has already been outlawed in the UK since early last year, and members have been convicted of encouraging terrorism, disseminating terror material and preparations for a terrorist act. Back in 2019, two Sonnenkrieg Division members were convicted for plotting to attack the British royal family.
Sonnenkrieg Division adheres to white supremacists ideology
The opposition’s home affairs spokesperson, Kristina Keneally, welcomed the move and said that Australia was the “last of the Five Eyes countries” to designate a rightwing extremists group as a terrorist organisation. Keneally said that for a year, Labor has also been calling for the Morrison government to take seriously the growing terrorist threat from violent rightwing extremism. Further, she added that the Sonnenkrieg Division is a UK-based rightwing extremist group, which adheres to a violent white supremacists ideology.
She even went on to note that there were several other rightwing extremist groups, some with direct links to Australian groups, that had already been proscribed by partners in the other Five Eyes countries, which include Canada, the US, UK and New Zealand. The domestic intelligence agency Asio said that the threat in Australia from extreme rightwing groups and individuals had increased. The security agency added that to see more people drawn to and adopting extreme right-wing ideologies and that the 2019 Christchurch attack continues to be drawn on for inspiration by rightwing extremists, both in Australia and internationally.
Now, if Australia adds the group to the terrorist list, it will become an offence to be a member of the group, fund the group, or in some circumstances associate with members of the group. It is worth mentioning that there are currently 27 listed terror groups in Australia, including Islamic terror groups like Al Qaeda, Islamic State, Boko Haram and Jemaah Islamiyah.
Updated 18:51 IST, March 2nd 2021