The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email. This week’s issue is written by Damien Cave, our bureau chief, and a former religion editor for The New York Times.

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A few days after the Christchurch attacks, I found myself writing a story in a pub not far from where it happened, drawing questions from two bearded blokes sitting beside me at the bar.

Once I told them why I was there, they were quick to tell me they were outraged by the violence. They were also well versed (maybe too well versed) in 4chan and other sites that nurse white supremacy — and they were very worried about retaliation from Muslim extremists.

“Before, we were invisible,” one of them said. “Now we’re on their radar.”

Sunday’s bombings in Sri Lanka, where more than 250 people were killed at Catholic churches and hotels, with the Islamic State taking credit, may or may not have had anything to do with the shootings at two Christchurch mosques — Sri Lankan officials said it did; New Zealand officials were doubtful.