KEY POINTS
- The Queensland massacre has sparked questions over extremism and conspiracy theories.
- Experts warn COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the potential for extremist views, particularly online.
- The federal government is 'actively considering' whether the Queensland attack will spark law changes.
Warning: the following article contains disturbing content.
On encrypted messaging chat channels, the comments flooded in.
Some unpalatably praised — Nathaniel, Gareth and Stacey Train — in a remote property in Wieambilla.
They were hurriedly deleted, apparently too incendiary for even this forum.
Others baselessly painted the attack as a "false flag" operation. They were allowed to last longer before the moderator, a prominent anti-vaccination conspiracy theorist, suspended responses entirely.
The moderator then unveiled a plan to monetise the group, urging his supporters to pay for a separate, private online space safe from "abusers, infiltrators, and planted information".
SBS News witnessed the chat unfold on one social media platform in the days after the Monday murders.
These interactions are public. But it's the more secretive — and presumably more extreme — private messages on apps like these which Opposition leader Peter Dutton wants monitored in the wake of the Wieambilla massacre.
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil has said the shooting, carried out by the three who were reportedly conspiracy theorists,.
Social media was "turbocharging" a problem "as old as time" — misinformation — along the path to extreme violence, she said.
Constables Matthew Arnold (left) and Rachel McCrow were murdered by a family of conspiracy theorists this week. Source: Supplied / Queensland Police
How social media can exploit isolation and mental health
Extremism analyst Katja Theodorakis accepts social media can create an "enabling environment" for radicalisation.
But she says the social rupture of the past two years is the key factor driving the kind of extreme violence which exploded in Queensland this week.
ASIO has warned the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated radicalisation.
Ms Theodorakis said the rhetoric emerging from it is "a lot more connected" to the concerns of mainstream society than other forms of extremism.
"I think what's new in this environment is that there's more acceptance of them, because we've had a cataclysmic event that’s disrupted life as we know it," Ms Theodorakis told SBS News.
"We all had to come to terms with it … so those narratives resonate with a much broader section of the population."
Other experts believe untreated mental health factors combined with online forums could also create a "perfect storm".
"If you combine these with an immersive experience in online forums where violent ideas are normalised, that can be really concerning," Dr Matteo Vergani, a senior lecturer in sociology at Deakin University told ABC radio earlier this week.
Ms Theodarakis says an individual's path to violence can be accelerated when, in addition, a "cognitive rupture" like a job loss, occurs.
Nathaniel and Stacey Train quit their teaching roles last year, reportedly for different reasons.
Queensland Police has announced it will investigate the online presence of the attackers and whether they were lured to the property.
Peter Dutton wants a crackdown on encrypted apps. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Ms Theodarakis also warns the nature of sovereign citizen ideology, which the Trains reportedly had subscribed to, makes it particularly susceptible to morphing into violence.
"(Sovereign citizens are) saying that the government of the day is completely illegitimate, they need to be disposed of," she said.
When that's combined with "end of times" and "apocalyptic" beliefs, that can create a sense of urgency to act out violently, Ms Theodarakis added.
The difficulties of 'combing the haystack'
Part of the problem the internet poses for law enforcement is the sheer volume of conspiracy content.
Assessing which seemingly-innocuous poster could burst into real-life violence is no easy task.
"We can comb the haystack with a much finer comb, but at the end of the day, we're looking at hundreds of chatrooms and hundreds of thousands of people," Ms Theodorakis said.
Whether the murders will inspire more violence largely depends on how authorities respond, she said.
Mr Dutton wants a crackdown on encrypted messaging apps he says are hosting "anti-authoritarian lunacy".
Meanwhile the government is "actively considering" the policy implications of the attack.
But with conspiracy groups primarily made of people "who just go about their lives" without resorting to violence, Ms Theodorakis believes draconian measures could create a "terror and counter-terror cycle" which feeds their narratives.
"People could feel more that the 'shadowy government' is listening in on them, when they're just sharing their views," she said.
Mr Vergani said reaching out to these sections of society was key.
"Bridging gaps and building new trust between isolated groups in the community is the only way forward," he said.
"Because really, when certain groups feel alienated, they feel isolated. The only potential outcome of it if they are left alone, and if society does not reach out, the only potential outcome is further radicalisation."
Readers seeking support with mental health can contact Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636. More information is available at . supports people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
