This brief examines the ideologies and motivations of the protesters that congregated in Australia’s federal capital, Canberra, in early 2022. The self-proclaimed ‘Convoy to Canberra’ movement called for the mass mobilisation of protesters seeking to abolish Covid-19 mandates instituted during the pandemic. These freedom movements across Australia became known by various names, with the stalwart Canberra contingent being colloquially and pejoratively known as ‘the Cookers’. The Convoy comprised of protesters from around the nation, influenced by the increasing online presence of sovereign citizen and conspiracist social media activists, promoting anti-lockdown, anti-vaccine and anti-government ideologies. This mercurial collection of activists in Canberra’s ‘anti-social movement’ (ASM) demonstrated a lack of cohesive or informed ideologies, falling in and out of favour with other national freedom movements. The hybridization of these ‘anti’ ideologies was overwhelmingly characterised as a disunited and dysfunctional collection of actors attracted by the social identity of the group as opposed to an ideologically cohesive extremist movement. The Canberra convoy initially evolved from a legitimate civil protest rally into a gathering of freedom protesters, occupying the city’s showgrounds and parklands with a celebratory atmosphere comparable to a music festival. The protest movement lost momentum as leadership struggles and infighting highlighted individuals seeking political,
financial and social media notoriety. What remained was a motley group of up to a dozen activists skulking daily outside the gates of the Governor General’s residence, armed with a bullhorn and Red Ensign flags. This brief will articulate the motivations and ideological drivers of the Convoy to Canberra protesters from their inception to the remaining cohort that now represent the ‘ASM’.
About the Author
Kristy Milligan
Sgt Kristy Milligan VA (Ret) was a member of the New South Wales Police Force for 16 years until 2021. Kristy completed her Masters of Terrorism and Security Studies with Distinction through the Australian Graduate School of Policing, Charles Sturt University prior to commencing her PhD through Victoria University in 2022. Her PhD will examine the role of symbolism in terrorism and extremism. Her other areas of research include XRW idiosyncratic actors, including the Sovereign Citizen Movement, and symbolism in terrorist propaganda.
Kristy has contributed to research on the exploitation of extremism during the Covid pandemic, and presented the paper’s findings to the 2021 AVERT symposium. She presented to CSU’s 2021 Threat Briefing series and the AFP’s CT Investigators Program, discussing the role of symbolism in terrorism and extremism. She is combining her operational and academic knowledge to create professional development programs on terrorism and extremism. Kristy is currently involved in the development of technology designed to aide law enforcement and government agencies in combating terrorism and extremism.
