IMPORTED TERRORISM07/06/22
Let's say Aotearoa is a democratic organisation of free and moderate expressions of opinions. It is not moderate because of fear of retaliation, but because of tolerance of difference between ethnicities, cultures, belief, gender or sex-orientation and so on.
Aotearoa boasts its diverse organisation and social progress towards equality /equity and well-being. But like other countries, it shares domestic incidents of extreme violence.
There are several versions of terrorism definitions, but are relatively similar. It is the intentional use of violence whether physical or psychological to achieve political goals. This includes crowd presence and intimidation, verbal threats, graphic image presentation, damage to property also such actions as gathering in public places or blocking traffic and public access without authorisation.
This has also included online and social media activities of mis/disinformation and hate speech. Since some of this political propaganda is carried out by algorithm, Information Technology is therefore used for the promotion of terrorist activities.
The key in here is when normal speech is intended to harm that is no longer normal but threating and hateful.
These actions are motivated by fundamental factors such as ideology, ethnocentrism and religion are directed at various organisations.
The antivax protests were politically motivated and directed at government and health mandate. This is imported when political motivation deliberately used disinformation to mislead the public on COVID-19 vaccine. Some individuals were paid by business associates to carry out such political actions.
Political motivation overlaps in other bases such as ethnocentrism and religion. The antivax protest was for example organised and carried out by a religious group. And this is following from US influence where the right-wing ideology has occupied Christianity. And the use of Christian principles is tarnished with political motivation to extremities.
To have Christianity mixed up with race discrimination and economic status is hardly the message of Christ and it has shown up the nature of modern religion.
Ethnocentrism is the use of one's ethnicity as more advance in relation to other ethnic groups. When discriminative such as claiming one's ethnicity to be superior over others and attempting to prevent others from access to resources etc., it becomes nationalist ethnocentrism. Could be nationalcentrism.
Nationalcentrism is a term of awareness in diverse organisation. It's likened to a jealous child who kicks up a fuss when another child seems to get more attention and rewards. Protests or threats of violence may be directed at groups who are receiving funding or access. The former cause of racial conflicts reared during times of economic downturns when immigrants and ethnic minority groups were blamed for taking over jobs and housing.
However, equity has to be understood that the above ethnic minority groups among indigenous people are due redress for discriminations and subordination for ethnicity, belief, gender or sex orientation. It is the result of years of discrimination under colonial economic systems that these folks are left behind.
When funds are directed at programs to address those social issues, the right wing or nationalcentrists call it social spending. And preventing social spending is preventing other ethnic groups from access to resources. So, social spending has racial connotation and misinformation.
There have been two terrorist incidents; one at Christchurch Mosque was carried out by an Australian, and the one at New Lynn Mall was carried out by a refugee. The former incident is a white nationalist act; the latter is believed to be a radicalised refugee.
Gun violence however is a problem with gang activities. Gangs use violence against other gangs to control their boundaries and drugs involving criminal activities. They cause violent threats to the public but are considered not political. However, following school shootings in the US, there is a collective awareness of gun control to be regulated for the protection of children and innocent civilians.
Poverty deprives the young from their right to education. When these folks grow up without education, the only way to survival is opportunistic and without formal education they are vulnerable to gang affiliation. Add to the prevention of gang violence and guns, is to reduce Poverty. And you can't reduce Poverty without social spending.
I could be wrong but I'm not sure if there has been a real domestic terrorist incident involving a local citizen in Aotearoa. But imports of ideological ideas such as direct attack against governments and politicalisation of modern religion or promotion of one ethnicity over others have a radicalisation influence.
A little while ago, some preachers were banned from entering the country because their style of preaching somewhat incite racial innuendoes and hints of radicalisation. But during COVID-19 protests, a religious group clearly delivered direct anti-government sentiment.
The right-wing nationalist movement overlaps ethnicity and religion depending on country. India for example persecutes Christians and Islamic, but some of those folks are Indians themselves.
The Trump nationalistic trend gave rise to fake news and misinformation, but protests are potentially violent. Politics have basically sabotaged and desecrated sacred traditional establishments of office, religion and culture.
If that is not a use of violence to achieve a political goal, I don't know what terrorism is. It's another urgent force added to the Climate Change crisis. This nationalcentrist has radicalisation influence to incite violence in times of need.