Radicalisation Awareness Kit: Government's new booklet for schools links green activism, 'alternative music' to terrorism

 

By Carl Holm

Environmentalists and teachers are up in arms over a new Federal Government anti-radicalisation kit that links green activism and "alternative music" to terrorism.

The Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Terrorism Michael Keenan launched the Radicalisation Awareness Kit in the form of a 32-page booklet on Monday.

Through a series of examples and fictitious case studies, the booklet aims to illustrate the circumstances which can lead young people to become radicalised.

But one surprising example cites the power of the alternative music scene and environmental activism in the radicalisation process.

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The case study in the 'Violent Extremism' section tells the story of a girl called 'Karen' who becomes involved in the "alternative music scene, student politics and left-wing activism" when she leaves home.

'Karen' ends up sabotaging logging machinery and being arrested "on numerous occasions" while becoming "totally cut off from her family".

Jonathan La Nauze from the Australian Conservation Foundation said the booklet was misleading and potentially dangerous.

"This is very disappointing," he said.

"It sounds like something that's been dreamt up in the cigar room of the Institute of Public Affairs. There's no resemblance to the way that people in Australia feel about their environment and the need to stand up to protect it.

"To link standing up for the places that we love, standing up for the future of our children, to violence and extremism and terrorism, does nothing to combat a real threat to the safety of people or to respect the very peaceful and very meaningful protests that people engage in from all walks of life to ensure that we have a safe future in this country."

Despite the environmental case study, Mr Keenan said the main targets of the booklet were young people at risk of being radicalised by Islamist groups such as Islamic State.

"Of course radicalisation can take different forms but certainly their radicalisation that comes from contact with ISIL (Islamic State) - who make an enormous effort to groom people, particularly young people to commit violent acts here in Australia - is of primary concern to the government at the moment."

He said the kit was designed to help teachers understand how the radicalisation process worked, and how to respond if they felt there was somebody in their community who is susceptible to it.

"We wanted to explain to teachers who are really on the frontline of this - because we know that school children are being radicalised - to look out for certain signs that would lead them to be concerned about somebody, and if they are concerned about somebody moving down the dark path of radicalisation, moving down the path of violence, then they'll know what they can do about it," Mr Keenan said

Radicalisation Awareness Kit 'designed to engender fear and intolerance'

Maurie Mulheron, the president of the New South Wales Teachers' Federation, has also slammed the launch of the kit, describing it as a cynical exercise designed to generate fear in the community.

"I think it's a fairly cynical move by the Federal Government not to make anyone feel safer but to engender fear and intolerance," he said.

"I'm very doubtful that the Federal Government has pure motives in this area.

"They've got a track record now of trying to engender division within the community on these issues and I don't think that what they're proposing will make one iota of difference."

Mr Mulheron believes that teachers are already well trained to know when students are at risk of being radicalised, and that the Radicalisation Awareness Kit has been a massive waste of time and money.

"Schools are already happy, safe and tolerant places that bring children together, particularly public schools that bring children from all the different walks of life, different religions, different backgrounds, different socio-economic groups.

"We as teachers are very good at bringing a diverse group of young people into our schools and turning them into a community so they can take up their roles as citizens within the broader community."

Mr Keenan said groups seeking to radicalise young people started by separating them from their communities.

"ISIL go and they try to groom young people in in the same way that a paedophile might try and groom a young person. We want to make sure that the people who are on the frontline, teachers and other service workers, members of the community, are able to identify if this is happening and then know what they can do to arrest it from happening."

Few people have actually held a copy of the booklet in their hands. It was released on the first day of the school holidays, but it is available for download on the minister's website.

Assessment of the kit will continue in earnest when schools go back in two weeks' time

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-24/anti-radicalisation-kit-under-fire-from-green-groups-teachers/6803024