Australia's spy chief has warned anti-immigration rallies are being exploited by neo-Nazi groups and "Russian operatives" to sow discord, as the country faces a trend seen across Western democracies of declining trust and rising disinformation.
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation's (ASIO) director-general of security, Mike Burgess, said on Tuesday that community cohesion is under attack in an unprecedented way.
ASIO is investigating pro-Russian social media influencers who are working with an offshore media organization to condemn Australia's support for Kyiv, while also using "social media to spread vitriolic, polarizing commentary on anti-immigration protests and pro-Palestinian marches," he said.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.