After four ideologically driven attacks in six years, Australia is again asking how to respond. The Christchurch Royal Commission offers a nearby example of how inquiry, grief and prevention can be approached.

There have been four terror attacks involving Australians in the last six years.

Three of these had a religious dimension. In two, the attackers were Christian or claimed to be acting to protect a Judeo-Christian civilisation. In the third – the Bondi Hannukah tragedy – the joint attackers were Muslim and the targets Jewish.

The only attacker in these four events born overseas was Sajid Akram.

All of the attackers were lone or family actors. None was part of a terrorist cell but all were influenced by Internet groups.

Only one of these attacks was studied by a Royal Commission – the Australian Brenton Tarrant’s assault on two mosques in Christchurch. Would Australia benefit from a Royal Commission into the Bondi massacre? It is worth spending a little time considering the Royal Commission into the Christchurch events.

In date order these attacks started with Australian Brenton Tarrant’s assault on two mosques in Christchurch in 2019.

Brenton Tarrant killed 51 people in an assault on two mosques in Christchurch in 2019. He claimed to be a “cultural Christian” and had been seduced by the “Great Replacement Theory” which is a driving idea in extreme right attacks on multiculturism and non-white, particularly Muslim, immigration in Europe, the US and to some extent Australia. He carried out the attack in New Zealand, but could equally well have done it in Australia in different........

© Pearls and Irritations