Hawzah News Agency (Sydney - Australia) - Australian Muslims have called for Australia to ban far-right groups, warning extremist material is increasingly being imported through social media platforms from Britain, the US and Europe.  

The Australian Muslim Advocacy Network is urging the federal government to follow international allies in banning extremist far-right groups.

The group says the ban will combat the spread of extremist material on social media, which is increasingly being imported from Britain, the US, and Europe.

A lack of official terrorist listings imposed on far-right organisations is limiting the capacity of social media companies to respond to the threat, the group has warned.

AMAN spokesperson Rita Jabri-Markwell told News banning far-right groups would send a strong signal that extremism isn't tolerated in Australia.

“We can’t ignore the reality of the internet … they are operating through Australian channels now to convince Australians that some minorities are this frightening and horrific threat,” she said.

“It’s extremely damaging to democracy but also to national security because this is the trajectory towards radicalization.”

Australia's international allies the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada have all moved to ban examples of extremist right-wing groups in their jurisdictions.

Germany recently banned the Northern Eagle organisation and has been cracking down on neo-Nazi organisations that have been using social media to recruit new members and support far-right violence.

There are no similar groups on Australia’s banned terrorist organisation list, despite intelligence agencies repeatedly drawing attention to the escalating threat.   

AMAN issued its warning about right-wing extremists in a submission to the Senate inquiry into foreign interference through social media.

The group’s research has identified what it describes as “inauthentic behavior” between a network of groups in Australia linked to right wing and white supremacist content overseas.

“We remain very concerned about the exportation of right wing extremist rhetoric from the UK, Europe and USA to Australia through coordinated exercises on social media platforms like Facebook, and its potentially devastating impacts for Australia’s democracy, social cohesion and national security,” it said in the submission.