Kristy Campion - Chasing Shadows: The untold and deadly story of terrorism in Australia

Dr Kristy Campion is Australias leading expert on right-wing extremism and terrorism. She is a lecturer in Terrorism Studies in the Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security at Charles Sturt University. She has advised governments and delivered high-level training to federal and state authorities.

We can only defeat terrorism if we understand it first. Dr Campion presents a well-researched history of modern terrorism, from a uniquely Australian perspective, in what is a compelling read for anyone who wants to understand how we have arrived where we are. It importantly takes facts and circumstances previously only known or collated by a few, and makes them accessible for everyone.

Andrew Colvin APM, OAM, former Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police

In her richly sourced but accessible history of Australian terrorism writ large, Dr Campion ably demonstrates how political violence and extremist ideologies from around the world have found a home in Australia for more than a century; her work should be read by all who want to understand the long and painful history of terrorism in Australia.

Professor Randall Law, Birmingham-Southern College, USA

Engaging, well-researched and comprehensive, Chasing Shadows is a major contribution to understanding the past and present terrorist threats to Australia.

Emeritus Professor David Horner AM FASSA, author of The Spy Catchers

Terrorist violence from ideological or religious extremists, often with links to similar ideologies or organisations overseas, remains a constant threat in Australia. Kristy Campions analysis is essential reading for those seeking to understand the contemporary terrorist phenomenon in Australia.

David Irvine AO, former Director-General of Security in charge of ASIO

Dr Campions book is a comprehensive and wide-ranging examination of all aspects of terrorism and politically motivated violence in Australia. The thoroughly researched historical background is as fascinating as it is informative. This will almost certainly be a great reference and resource for all who are interested in this topic, whether professionally or otherwise.

Nick Kaldas APM, Former Deputy Commissioner NSW Police

First published in 2022

Copyright 2022 Kristy Campion

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

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This work is dedicated to the Australian citizens killed in acts of terrorism, and to the victims of Australian terrorists around the world. It is further dedicated to the individuals who have devoted their lives to countering terrorism and keeping us safe. Finally, it is for those who bear the scars left by terrorismseen and unseen.

It was a warm and golden March afternoon. I had the radio playing in my car as I was driving but I wasnt really listeningI was thinking about the weekend, about a visit with family. The normally light-hearted radio channel only caught my notice when there was a sudden switch from celebrity gossip to a serious news bulletin. An Australian citizenan armed gunmanhad fired on the worshippers in two mosques in New Zealand, according to the newsreader. There were reports of multiple casualties, a manifesto, a livestream, and of Christchurch hospitals in lockdown.

I hope that isnt what I think it is, I remember muttering.

It was. The months and years that followed were sickening in so many ways. An Australian citizen had committed a terrorist attack against the civilians of our closest neighbour, motivated by extreme right-wing ideology. Fifty-one people had been killed, and another 49 injured. As an expert in right-wing terrorism and a historian who had spent the past few years investigating Australian terrorism, I could not entirely shake the feeling that somehow I should have seen it coming. While I had expected lethal violence to reignite eventually, I never expected it would have happened over the Tasman. At first glance, the history of Australian terrorism seems a short and nasty affair. In earnest, it is far more extensive than even I realised when I started this book.

Chasing Shadows is the first comprehensive history of the Australian experience of terrorism. It explores terrorism against Australians by foreign and domestic organisationsin Bali, the Middle East and elsewhere around the world. It looks at terrorism in Australiaoften conducted by Australians in the service of obscure beliefs, such as the Hilton Hotel bombing in 1978. It then considers how Australia has been used by domestic or foreign terrorist organisations, such as Aum Shinrikyo, to achieve their aims. Foremost, however, it addresses the extreme beliefs that give sense and meaning to seemingly senseless and meaningless terrorist violence. This takes us around the world, pursuing dangerous ideologies, distant influences and local inspirations. Its foundations are found in centuries of oppression and wrongdoing, or entitlement and rage, imperialism and conquestand compelled by all-consuming despair and hope for revolution.

Despite our varied experience of terrorism, our perceptions seem twisted by the dark notoriety created by sensational violence. Terrorism brings with it visions of swathed foreigners exalting under black flags, or white hoods bowed towards tall flames; of zealous bomb-throwers and unstoppable strategists imbued with an otherworldly, destructive genius. Wherever they may be, terrorists seemingly emerge with suddenness from the shadows, bringing terrible violence and dark ideas. Because of the secrecy that shrouds their existence, terrorists can cast long and distorted shadows, becoming an unknown and impossibly unknowable threat. But we can know it, and even understand it, if we understand their worldviewtheir ideology.

At the heart of terrorist violence and its deadly designs is extreme ideology. Simply put, ideology is how we perceive the world around us; it explains the order of things. It is a system of ideas that informs our beliefs and understandings of the world and what we perceive as truth. In an extreme ideology, this truth is anchored in the belief that the world was once harmonious and beautiful. This pure state of being, extremists believe, has been lostor, in some cases, stolenfrom them. They believe that the world around them is rotten to its core, divergent from its authentic nature, or sinking into decadence and decay. They condemn this corrupted order and all the people who exist there comfortably. This rejection and despair, however, are not without hope.