“Propaganda,” Hitler’s chief propagandist declared, “works best when those who are being manipulated are confident they are acting on their own free will”. This, together with the insight that many people will simply go along with and not challenge a movement that seems socially dominant – the Mitläufer phenomenon, translating literally as one who walks with – explains a great deal about why extremists and autocrats are so keen to use people of good faith to amplify their evil ideas.

March for Australia protesters in Sydney.Credit: Max Mason-Hubers

The Chinese Communist Party celebrated its military might and propaganda nous this week, with the help of Western leaders. Former Victorian premier Dan Andrews was depicted striding, hand outstretched, towards Chinese dictator Xi Jinping. Later he posed for a photo alongside the Chinese leader and his Russian, Iranian, and North Korean counterparts at a military parade.

Andrews’ insistence that he acted in Australia’s interests is precisely what makes him so useful to Beijing – propaganda works best when its subjects believe themselves sovereign. The assembled autocrats got to show their citizens and the world that an influential Australian is untroubled by their agendas and the CCP vision.

It’s been a big year for bad actors manufacturing images of consent. Last week, ASIO revealed that some of the most frightening recent antisemitic attacks in Australia were part of a mischief campaign, directed by Iran, with the objective of destabilising our social cohesion. That these attacks are now recognised to have been orchestrated and not spontaneous expressions of endemic antisemitism is some comfort, but it just exposes Iran as the clumsiest among a wide range of opportunists.

When 90,000........

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