Media Statement on Christchurch

Program Tackles Far Right Extremism in NSW to Prevent Violence and Support Communities

All Together Now is shocked but not surprised about the far-right terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch on 15 March 2019.

Our thoughts are with the victims of the attack and their loved ones. We stand in solidarity with our Muslim brothers and sisters across Australia and Aotearoa.

We have been condemning racist and Islamophobic rhetoric from our country’s leaders — and the media that feeds and amplifies it — since our organisation’s inception. Racism is both deeply engrained and ignored in Australia.

All Together Now has been working since 2012 to specifically undermine far-right extremism, white supremacy and white nationalism in Australia.

While in 2016 CAPE received funding from Multicultural NSW, previously CAPE was largely run on a volunteer basis by All Together Now.

CAPE is one of the projects funded under the Multicultural NSW COMPACT program, which aims to inspire and empower young people to stand united against extremist hate, fear, violence and division.

CAPE focuses on increasing community awareness about far-right extremism.

Under the COMPACT program, CAPE currently provides training to frontline workers in NSW, specifically youth workers and social workers who work with young people who are at risk of being recruited by far-right extremist groups, both online and offline.

The CAPE training aims to enhance the capacity of frontline workers to recognise the full spectrum of far-right extremism in Australia, identify the worrying signs and respond to young people at risk of recruitment.

Since mid-2016, we have also reached out to young people at risk themselves, employing evidence-based approaches aimed at enhancing their critical thinking skills about race and racism and their ability to resist weaponised narratives of the far-right, in particular online.

Background

All Together Now will not be responding to further media enquiries about CAPE at this time because we want to centre and amplify the voices of victims and their families and Muslim communities everywhere, as well as to protect the safety and security of the staff and volunteers who work at All Together Now.