Freedom rallies, young people and the far-right

In the lead up to the federal election, we’ve seen a host of minor far-right political parties spin, propagate, and actively spread disinformation, seemingly for political gain. All the while, the so-called 'freedom' rallies continue to protest outside political institutions. What is it motivating people to show up to these rallies or join these conspiracy-laden movements more broadly? To delve more deeply into this topic we hear Professor Pam Nilan speak at the launch of her latest book titled Young People and the Far-right which interrogates how specifically young white men get attracted to the dystopian fantasies of far-right futures. The book launch was held at the Black Spark Cultural Centre on April 26. Then, activist Michel* speaks about their preliminary research on the so-called freedom movement in Naarm/Melbourne. They have a background in community organising and are completing Honours in Anthropology at the University of Melbourne. *For security reasons, the name has been changed