The fatal shooting at Bondi Beach last week was, in the narrowest sense, a local tragedy. Within hours of the attack, it became a global political artefact. Even before the attackers and their motive were officially identified, social media platforms, particularly Twitter (now X) and Reddit, were fuelled with speculation, misidentification, and ideological framing. This spread of misinformation has fuelled a rising wave of populism in Europe, with the voter base increasingly polarised.

In the recent past, every singular act of violence has been rapidly absorbed into a transnational populist ecosystem, stripped of context and repackaged as fodder to feed populist rhetoric centred around civilisational decline, elite failure, or cultural invasion. Bondi, in this regard, was no different. Its speed, scale, and emotional charge, however, offer a useful insight into a broader political shift unfolding across Europe.

Ironically, populism is increasingly polarising public opinion in the advanced economies of the single market, most evidently in Germany. The Alternative for Germany (AfD), once dismissed as a protest movement, is polling at historic highs. Unlike many right-wing populist parties elsewhere in Europe, the AfD has not moderated as it has grown. Instead, it has professionalised its organisation while sharpening its message. Strongly supported by Elon Musk and the new US government, the party banks on its anti-immigration stance, which appeals to its much younger electorate. Migration has, in fact, become the party’s unifying axis; a shorthand through which economic anxiety, cultural dislocation, and institutional mistrust are expressed.

Platforms such as Twitter/X and Reddit act as parallel political arenas in the digital world, with one big........

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