Any Means Necessary. Shane Britten

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СКАЧАТЬ together in small groups and looking with unveiled hostility at the others around them. This was what I expected so I wasn’t overly surprised to see them, the majority sporting the shaved heads and anti-social looks that I’d come to associate with far-right groups. Others seemed to be what I would normally expect of a left-wing organisation, with long, dread-locked hair, ill-fitting clothes and the overbearing scent of the unwashed. I didn’t see anyone I recognised which was a blessing, especially given I was registered in my real name.

      Soon enough, the two sets of doors were flung open to stereo-blasted fanfare, and an excited hum started among the group. WOLF members waited with small handheld scanners to scan tickets, ensuring each attendee was registered. A few in front of me hadn’t, so were sent to the side to fill out a form. Data gathering seemed to be important to the group. I pulled up the ticket on my phone and held it out for the scanner, which didn’t work. I angled the phone so the WOLF member, a surly young man, could write down the ticket number, keeping my grip on the device when he attempted to take it away. With our initial tug of war over, he looked me up and down with a less-than-impressed expression. I flashed him a smile, wanting to seem flippant, light-hearted. Entry process complete, I tucked my phone away and followed, joining the throng about three quarters of the way towards the back.

      Inside the auditorium was quite a spectacle. Banners and signs were erected along every wall and a huge WELCOME! was projected on the screen behind a podium on the stage. Individual WOLF members, clad in branded t-shirts complete with a howling wolf motif, ushered people in, their faces flushed and friendly, far from the surly man who had checked me in. Seating was arranged in rows like a flat cinema. I aimed for the centre aisle seat halfway along, ignoring the uncomfortable itch on the back of my neck at having people sit behind me. Most intelligence operators would automatically sit with their backs to a wall within eyesight of at least one exit. It was a habit I was consciously trying to break, trading that little bit of situational awareness for a better ability to blend into a crowd.

      People continued to fill the room until there were at least one hundred attendees. Despite multiple rows in front and behind me being fairly free, a young couple insisted on pushing their way past to sit alongside me and I supressed an urge to glare at them, especially when they each gave me a friendly, broad smile. Any conversation was halted as the lights dimmed, the hush of expectation stretching out for almost a minute.

      A short, rotund man bounded up on the stage with an energy and agility that belied his cube-like frame. ‘Welcome!’ he called out, wearing the headset mic of a fitness instructor that he definitely was not. ‘My name is Blake and I’m here to set the ground rules.’ He smiled enthusiastically. ‘Before we start today, please turn off your mobile phones and ensure you don’t need the bathroom, as we have set restroom breaks.’

      Strange.

      He proceeded to point out emergency exits and timings for the day. It looked like two hours of content stretched out over four.

      ‘Our founder and head WOLF, Eran Tuso, will be along shortly. In the meantime, turn to the would-be WOLF next to you and tell them why you’re here!’

      Next to me was only the young couple who, based on both scent and appearance, seemed to me to have embraced the ‘hippie’ lifestyle. Or they didn’t own a shower. Maybe they were allergic to water. The girl was closest to me. I reflected on just how strange it was that hippie types would be here and wondered whether it was due to the vague nature of the WOLF messaging on their website and brochures. Of course, there was a good chance it was actually me in the wrong place.

      The hippie girl was anxiously waiting to introduce herself. ‘I’m Amy,’ she gushed excitedly, ‘and my boyfriend, Steven, and I are here because we are sick of the way money rules our world and want to be part of the revolution’. She proceeded to tell me, without pause even for breath, how Steven had lost his job to someone who was probably an illegal immigrant and they subsequently had to move out of their house. They had been living with friends in already crowded share houses and occasionally on the streets.

      I did my best to show the right emotions at the right time. It wasn’t difficult really – it was a sad story. I withheld the anger that always struck me in similar situations. I’d seen it in Africa, the Middle-East and throughout Asia, people being pushed to increasingly radical ideas due to falling on hard times. They needed faith to explain their poor situation and dream of something better, in this life or the next.

      Groups like WOLF and individuals like Tuso were like vultures, preying on people while they were vulnerable, weak, looking for hope. It was how suicide bombers, generations of young soldiers and idealistic zealots were created all around the world. To see it happening in Australia so blatantly made me furious.

      I realised she was waiting for my answer and smiled apologetically. ‘I was with the Army,’ I said softly, with my rehearsed cause rolling easily off my tongue. ‘Afghanistan, Iraq, both times. I felt betrayed when I saw we were fighting for money and oil, seeing my friends die for the greed of politicians and liars. I guess I’ve been searching for something meaningful ever since. All of this terrorism stuff has come about because we keep getting involved in the affairs of other countries and letting foreigners into our country. If I can be part of a group that changes that, I see it as my duty.’

      Amy put a hand on my forearm and gave a reassuring smile. ‘I think we have come to the right place.’ She turned back to her boyfriend, giving me a chance to notice the WOLF members paying particularly close attention to what was being said. Two of them were paying me unusually high levels of interest, heightened after I said the word ‘army’. I smiled at them and turned to face the front, waiting for Tuso to appear and continuing to scan for any sign of Edward or Jessica. I was all set to ask the nearest WOLF member if there were any famous people that were part of the group as a pretext to try to get close to discussing either Edward or Jessica, when I was interrupted by the arrival of the head WOLF.

      Tuso’s arrival was heralded with music and applause, which rapidly rose to rapturous volume as everyone stood up, cheering. I joined in, feeling the energy in the room and finding it surprising. There was very little information available about the man and he was not a publicly well-known figure, but here he was being treated like a rock star. Whistles and cheers continued as he walked back and forth across the stage, waving his arms and enjoying the fixation of the crowd.

      ‘Hello everyone!’ said the lean, well-dressed Tuso, singling out a few people in the crowd for eye contact, waves and thumbs up. He was quite the showman. ‘I’m a simple man with a simple dream,’ he started, pacing the stage with the confidence of a seasoned performer. The crowd was awe-struck, silent.

      ‘That we can build a world where we look after our neighbours, the brothers and sisters here in this room. Where our energy is devoted to saving our city, our country, our race, ensuring no one can stop us. Where companies exist only because we need them and want them, not to serve the greed of their foreign owners. Where children are taught the value of our lives is contained in the stories of our forefathers and the lessons they have shown us about the failure of multiculturalism, the way unrestrained immigration is destroying our economy and how our crime rates increase with every new immigrant allowed into the country.’

      Something had caught my attention and it wasn’t Tuso’s oration. Some of the WOLF members were studying the crowd and taking detailed notes, murmuring to each other and gesturing towards some of the group members with either nods or shakes of their head. As Tuso continued, I realised what was happening. The leader was listing a range of causes while his workers were carefully taking note of which causes appealed to which attendees. They could narrow down the preferred member list based on who supported the causes true to the group and who was on the fringe of what the group stood for and expected.

      The morning continued much the same way, with Tuso talking about the virtues of the world we would all create together, СКАЧАТЬ