ASIO Says Politically Motivated Violence Now a Key Concern

ASIO highlighted increase in uncivil discourse and violent protests, spurred initially by COVID-19 restrictions and then by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Australian Security Intelligence Organisation ASIO Director General Mike Burgess preparing for his annual speech at ASIO headquarters in Canberra, Wednesday, March 17, 2021. AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

Australia has experienced nine suspected terror incidents over the past year, a third of which involved religiously motivated violence, according to Mike Burgess, director-general of security at the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO).

While none of the cases were connected to the ongoing Middle Eastern conflict, “the majority of incidents were allegedly motivated by nationalist and racist ideologies or mixed ideologies,” Burgess told a Senate inquiry on Nov. 4.