Understanding and Reducing Violent Extremism
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All news →Newsletter · August 2026
August 2026 Newsletter
AVERT's August 2026 newsletter: submissions to the INSLM, NSW Legislative Assembly and Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, Associate Professor Keiran Hardy announced as incoming Convenor, the week-long 25th anniversary of 9/11 event series, and the 2026 Research Symposium call for proposals.
7 September 2026
Registrations Now Open: AVERT National Research Symposium 2026
Registrations are now open for the 2026 AVERT National Research Symposium: Youth and Extremism, taking place 26–27 November 2026 at Macquarie University's City Campus (Level …
26 August 2026
Legacies of 9/11: AVERT announces 25th anniversary event series
To mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, the AVERT Research Network is presenting Legacies of 9/11: 25 Years of Changing Global Security — a week-long se…
20 July 2026
AVERT National Research Symposium 2026: Youth and Extremism
Update (7 September 2026): Registrations are now open.
Upcoming Events
All events →Wednesday 7 October 2026, 16:30–17:30 AEDT
07:30–08:30 AM CEST
Bodies of Defence: Far-Right Women and Militant Femininities in Germany and Europe
This webinar will explore how women in far-right movements across Germany and Europe use social media, particularly Instagram, to shape and promote far-right ideas and identities. It will examine how female influencers and networks from a range of far-right communities - including New Right groups, ethnonationalist movements, political parties, music scenes, and football supporter networks - use images to spread common messages and connect with one another across national borders. The webinar will look at how these women combine themes of threat, protection, rebellion, and strength to portray themselves as defenders of the nation and Europe. It will also examine how these visual narratives are shared between countries, helping to increase the visibility and influence of far-right women across Europe. Rather than arguing that these images directly encourage violence, the webinar will explore how they reinforce ideas about conflict, sacrifice, enemies, and the need to defend society. It argues that while women have long played roles in far-right movements, social media has given them a much more prominent and influential public role in shaping the movement's identity and messaging.

Viktoria Rösch
Research Associate, GERDEA and DEMOREG Projects, Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
Commentary
Royal commission report doesn't help us start making sense of Bondi terror attack
Justice Virginia Bell has handed the governor-general her interim findings from the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responde…
We can't coerce our way to social cohesion. Here's what else governments should be doing
Last week, Queensland followed the New South Wales and federal parliaments by passing stronger hate crime laws in response to the Bondi terror attack.
Is Australia's terrorism definition still fit for purpose?
With the alleged attempted bombing at Perth's Invasion Day protest now declared a terrorist act, the release of coronial findings into the Bondi Westfield stabbing, and ever-growin…
What is extremism, and how do we decide?
As controversy over Australia's new hate laws continues, last weekend's so-called March for Australia rallies were the latest in a string of events that have raised the temperature…
With its new laws, the government is tackling hate speech quickly, but not properly
On Tuesday, in response to the Bondi terrorist attack and mounting pressure to take strong action, the Albanese government released draft legislation to counter hate crime and stre…
How Australia's anti‑immigration rallies were amplified online by the global far right
Over the weekend, rallies were staged across various Australian cities under the branding "March for Australia". The rallies, which were attended by avowed neo-Nazis and elected po…











