Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has highlighted in his weekly bulletin the fact that an evil coalition of racist right-wing loners and groups affiliated to Islamism are using gay dating apps to target and assault gay and bisexual men in "snuff movie" type internet films.
ABC in Australia says that a 20-year-old university student was brutally attacked in a Sydney underpass by a teenager linked to an Islamic State terrorist network, in a filmed assault that has exposed alarming gaps in hate crime legislation. The victim, Nathan, was left with severe, life-altering injuries.
The 17-year-old assailant, who cannot be named due to his age, recorded a 40-second video of the assault. In the footage, he is seen repeatedly stomping on Nathan's head with heavy work boots while shouting homophobic slurs. He later shared the video on social media.
Nathan sustained a broken nose and eye socket, deep facial lacerations, and a permanently deviated septum that continues to impair his breathing. Court documents revealed the teenager was suspected of multiple similar violent attacks targeting gay men.
Despite the severity of the crime and its extremist links, the case was prosecuted as an aggravated robbery. Last October, the teenager walked free with a nine-month probation order and no conviction recorded after pleading guilty.
This attack is part of a broader, under-reported trend of youth extremism targeting LGBTQIA+ Australians, with offenders influenced by ideologies ranging from jihadism to the far right. Several filmed assaults in Sydney have been connected to teenagers associated with a resurgent IS network, yet charged as common assaults or robberies.
"It sends a message that this crime wasn't taken seriously enough and that the safety of LGBTIQ+ people is not a priority," said Heather Corkhill, legal director at Equality Australia. She highlighted that in many Australian jurisdictions, including New South Wales, there are no hate crime laws that explicitly protect LGBTQIA+ people.
In response to the circulation of such violent videos, NSW Premier Chris Minns announced urgent legislation yesterday, flagging "massive" jail penalties and potential new offences targeting anti-LGBTQIA+ violence.
Extremism researcher Dr Josh Roose from Deakin University identified a dangerous global trend. What began as so-called "paedophile hunting" has morphed into violent "bait-and-bash" attacks targeting gay and bisexual men. He warns of an ideological convergence among extremist groups who now single out Jews and the LGBTQIA+ community.
"We're seeing this from the extreme right, from Islamist Salafi jihadists and conspiracy theorists, and critically, from lone actors," Dr Roose said. He is calling for a national strategy to protect LGBTQIA+ people, who his research finds are among the groups most likely to be killed by violent extremists in Australia.
