Australia’s young people are being radicalised to violence more frequently, more quickly, and for increasingly complicated reasons – including the spread of misogynistic ideology. It’s time we better understand the relationship between misogyny and violent extremism, and the threat it presents to national security.
Experts are clear on the role of online spaces in facilitating radicalisation, attributing a wave of youth radicalisation to a network of online communities known as the ‘manosphere’. These communities share overlapping anti-feminist ideologies and misogynistic views.
Blended or hybrid radical ideologies – comprising seemingly separate beliefs – are not new in the world of violent extremism, but they are increasingly impacting younger audiences.
The Director-General of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), Mike Burgess, has made clear that youth radicalisation to violence can happen more quickly than previously thought, and identified the need to counter this process as a national priority.
Experts are clear on the role of online spaces in facilitating radicalisation, attributing a wave of youth radicalisation to a network of online communities known as the ‘manosphere’. These communities share overlapping anti-feminist ideologies and misogynistic views.
Manosphere content is increasingly expanding from the fringes of society into mainstream culture, owing to social media algorithms that amplify the dissemination of such content. This has exposed more young people – particularly young boys – to extremist misogynistic material, opening the door to radicalisation.
The eSafety Commissioner found that online influencers are instrumental in shaping young males’ identities. In 2022, an Australian survey of over 1,300 young males found that 25% viewed so-called ‘manfluencer’ and self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate as a role model.
That same year, the Centre for Countering Digital Hate identified 47 YouTube videos in which Tate shared extreme and violent misogynistic views. Prior to being banned, Tate had more than 11 billion views on TikTok, 4 million X followers and 768,000 YouTube subscribers. Children as young as 13 were found to be engaging with Tate’s content. Tate’s content continues to circulate social media platforms despite his ban.
The route to violence and terrorism
Misogynistic extremism becomes a national security risk when it radicalises individuals to violence or terrorism.
Prior to a 2023 mass shooting in Allen, Texas, its perpetrator expressed gender-based grievances as a key motive alongside white supremacist and fascist beliefs. Following the attack, public discussion focused on his fascist beliefs, discounting the influence of misogyny on his ideological development and radicalisation.
Just last month, Owen Lawrence described plans for ‘terrorism, revenge and misogynistic rage’ in a Facebook manifesto before shooting two women dead in Leeds.
Similarly, the perpetrator of the 2020 Hanau terrorist attack in Germany displayed a “very wild mixture of conspiracy theories, racism and incel ideology”. His manifesto described his sexual frustration and a sense of sexual entitlement to women as his motivation.
Elliot Rodger, perpetrator of the 2014 Isla Vista killings, created videos and wrote a manifesto revealing perceived injustices and sexual deprivation as motivation to “punish all females for the crime of depriving [him] of sex”. His attack inspired further acts of misogynistic extremism, including a 2018 shooting in Tallahassee and attacks in Toronto in 2018 and 2020.
Just last month, Owen Lawrence described plans for “terrorism, revenge and misogynistic rage” in a Facebook manifesto before shooting two women dead in Leeds.
Despite the international precedent, Australian law enforcement remains limited in its capacity to recognise violent misogyny as an ideological driver of political violence.
While Australia does not yet have an officially designated case of misogynistic violent extremism, existing cases fit the description. One such case is Matthew Sean Donaldson’s brutal 2021 attack against a female sex worker in Sydney.
Prior to the attack, Donaldson read nine articles online about women being murdered, and had written a list of tasks that included “practice kill” and “just do it”. He also exhibited misogynistic attitudes towards his victim’s occupation, texting her after the attack that she “should have picked a different career”.
Seemingly, New South Wales Police did not consider Donaldson’s violent misogynistic political beliefs to be a motivating factor for his attack, as he was sentenced only for attempted murder. They did not deem the attack to be politically motivated, nor did they label it a hate crime.
Misogyny evolving into violent extremism
As more young people are exposed to violent misogyny, Australia needs a targeted policy response to better mitigate the threat. The Government should establish a national framework aimed at deterring young people from extremist ideologies, including misogyny.
Government-supported programs aimed at countering violent extremism should be informed by research on misogyny, radicalisation and its intersection with violent extremism.
Some agencies, such as ASIO and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, have already acknowledged the link between misogyny and violent extremism. Remaining departments should follow suit. A whole-of-government approach should encourage whole-of-society awareness.
The Government has already committed to strengthening its threat communication through its A Safer Australia strategy. It can use this strategy to inform the broader population on the potential for misogyny to evolve into violent extremism.
Social media platforms must also be held accountable for popularising manosphere content. A study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue revealed that YouTube’s algorithms recommended content containing “overtly misogynist and manosphere messages” to young Australian males, even though they had never consumed such content.
Government-supported programs aimed at countering violent extremism should be informed by research on misogyny, radicalisation and its intersection with violent extremism. Practitioners should be trained in managing violent misogynistic behaviour and seek to provide role models for those who need them.
Organisations such as The Man Cave provide young men with positive male role models and accessible mental health resources. As manosphere content grows in popularity, we should provide further resourcing to these initiatives supporting young men.
This article first appeared on The Strategist, the commentary and analysis site of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, and is republished under a Creative Commons Licence; you can read the original here.
Picture © Conrado / Shutterstock
