News24 host Andrew Bolt said Australia is experiencing a growing culture of political extremism and the normalization of violence by the political left.
This warning suggests a shift in the national security landscape, moving beyond established threats to include domestic political instability and targeted intimidation of public figures.
Bolt highlighted a recent incident involving Pauline Hanson to illustrate the current climate. He said Hanson was forced to scrap her initial plan to announce her Victorian election candidates on the steps of Parliament House in Melbourne [1, 2]. Because of the potential for unrest, she moved the announcement to an indoor venue [1, 2].
Bolt said such incidents are indicative of a broader trend where violence is becoming an acceptable tool for political expression. He linked these developments to a rise in extremism that he believes is being overlooked or normalized within certain political circles [1, 2].
"We now don't just have Islamist terrorism. We also have our first case of left-wing terrorism," Bolt said [1]. "There's a culture of violence growing in Australia" [1].
Bolt's assertions focus on the transition from peaceful protest to what he describes as terrorism. He said that the necessity for a politician to change a public venue due to safety concerns reflects a breakdown in democratic norms, a trend he believes is driven by the political left [1, 2].
“"There's a culture of violence growing in Australia."”
The claims made by Bolt reflect an intensifying debate over the definition of domestic terrorism and the boundaries of political protest in Australia. By framing venue changes and political intimidation as 'left-wing terrorism,' Bolt is pushing for a broader security lens that encompasses ideological violence from across the political spectrum, not just religious extremism.
