Mr James Hearnes1
1Monash University, ,
As the persistence of right-wing extremism as a security threat continues to develop globally, the need for techniques with which law enforcement and intelligence officials can identify individuals particularly at-risk of their becoming extremist actors emerges. Through the studies of transnational commonalities shared by prior right-wing extremist actors, such as Anders Breivik and Brenton Tarrant, and individuals at the forefront of ongoing extreme right-wing thought and discourse in online communities, such a technique emerges in exposing specific ‘warning signs’ and a proposed rubric of interpreting extreme right-wing discourse and behaviour with which to identify individuals at increased risk of their becoming engaged in right-wing extremist action. This research article presents such a rubric for understanding the evolution of right-wing extremist thought and exposes relevant ‘warning signs’ intended to interpret individuals at greater risk of engaging in right-wing extremist action and, thus, aimed at allowing for law enforcement and security intelligence officials to minimise future risk.
Biography:
A student of the Masters of International Relations at Monash University, and qualified journalist, Hearnes’ research focuses primarily on criminal justice trends and studies of extremism and extremist actors.