The Australian, 6 August 2026
‘We were the bad guys’: Former neo-Nazi tells royal commission how he was radicalised
From Bimini Plesser
Joshua Roose, an Associate Professor of Politics at Deakin University, told the royal commission antisemitism was often motivated by grievances or “a sense of having been marginalised in some way, shape or form”.
“Anger is the primary driver of antisemitism and conspiracy theories,” Dr Roose said.
Macquarie University professor Julian Droogan said the internet had become “the main locus” for extremist social movements, with encrypted platforms like Telegram offering far-right groups the perfect platform to recruit vulnerable individuals.
“Very, very few Australians are attracted to neo-Nazism and the far-right know this,” Professor Droogan said.
“That’s one of the reasons why they will work very hard to mainstream, and align their messaging with broader social concerns and anxieties.”