PROMOTING LIBERALISM IN AN AGE OF INCREASING FAR-RIGHT EXTREMISM
BY JACK ROSS
NON-FICTION
CW: Facism, racism, death, violence, gun violence
Liberal democracies protect our generation’s core values and history’s hard-won liberties; without them, the identity and power of Australia and western democracies would be lost. The rule of law, freedom of speech and association, a multi-party system, and a robust civil society are the heart of prosperity in Australia. That system is deliberately organised in such a way that defines and limits power, in order to promote legitimate governance within a framework of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play, compassion and in pursuit of the public good. However, as our world becomes ever more interconnected and globalised, the vitality of liberal democratic values face a paradoxical conundrum. The integration of economies, blurring of legal jurisdictions, the reshuffling of global power, the rising tide of inequality, both within and between borders, and the threats of transnational crises have simultaneously unified and fractured our democracies. International institutions that herald liberal democratic values aim to unite and achieve cooperation in solving global economic, social, cultural or humanitarian problems, and coordinate the actions of nations to achieve shared prosperity and work towards the betterment of humanity. Nonetheless, just as it is imperative that liberal democracies deepen their international cooperation, it is also essential that we learn from one another in the ways we seek to protect ourselves and our democracies from threats that are evolving and cultivated domestically. Moreover, it is imperative we look to the heinous and historical moments in modern history, and learn from humanity’s downfalls — the rise of European nationalism and the corresponding political discourses strengthened during the interwar period is of particular relevance. A pervasive threat grows within our borders, aiming to
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radically dislocate the foundations of our institutions and fracture trust in liberal democracy. Tangible threats against our security and safety are not smuggled in by boat, nor are they hidden amongst the plight of refugees who flee war, ethnic violence and brutal persecution. Rather, they spread in the form of domestic offshoots of the growing far-right sentiment within national discourses and political processes. Around the world, far-right voices and forces have managed to blend their prerogatives and ideologies into viable — and often successful — electoral projects. Conspiracies are no longer at the fringe. They are weaponised and deployed to mobilise millions of people.1 Far-right groups and ultra-conservative politicians capitalise on fostering public fear, peddling misinformation, and provoking hysteria. Their antiestablishment and anti-immigration rhetoric is a mere façade, designed to cloak racist ideologies and their far-right extremist personas in the language of concerned citizens, who claim to be the triumphs of truth and rational thinking. However, these groups and their sentiments actively drive a wedge, not only through social cohesion and multicultural prosperity, but through the faith in the success of our liberal democracy. Fuelled by disinformation and pseudo-scientific evidence, extreme rightwing narratives paint the state as oppressive, and globalisation and democracy as flawed and failing. Underpinning the ‘plight’ of white nationalists is the central theme of a white identity under threat from the ‘Great Replacement’. This credo connects right-wing extremist communities in Australia with those in North America and Europe. The interconnectedness of these communities, aided by the internet, seek to widen the range of acceptable social and political discourse in our societies by pushing calculated narratives which
