Step aside King Charles, Canada might just have a queen after all.
Romana Didulo, a far-right extremist cult leader who calls herself the “Queen of Canada,” brought fear-mongering and misinformation to a whole new level, providing a real-life example of the dangers of echo chambers.
On Sept. 3, police conducted a search of a decommissioned school in Richmound, Sask., which Didulo and her followers used as a compound, seizing 13 imitation semi-automatic handguns and ammunition. For the past two years, the cult intimidated community members and threatened officials with public executions and “devastation upon [their] children, grandchildren and families” if they did not follow her “decrees.”
Police arrested Didulo and 15 cult members after their search, but released all of them from custody. Their majesty was released on bail, facing one count of failure to comply with undertaking conditions and one count of intimidation of a justice system participant.
The cult is largely inspired by the viral Pizzagate and QAnon conspiracies, which falsely claim government officials and others are secretly Satan-worshipping pedophiles operating a global child sex trafficking ring, and Donald Trump is privately working to stop them.
I know, I can’t believe it either. But how come so many do? And why are Canadians falling for the lies?
It turns out the COVID-19 pandemic played a major role. During the lockdowns and quarantines, we all turned online, where we were promptly consumed by algorithms. That’s fine if you were watching endless Tiger King TikToks, but less so if you consumed misinformation and extremism, and were urged to lose the masks or storm the U.S. Capitol.
Algorithms force us into echo chambers, which promote polarization and confirmation bias, as we interact with only those who share our view, no matter what that view might be. During such a tumultuous time, many were — and still are — subject to fear-mongering that encouraged government distrust and incited violent thinking, which makes people more susceptible to cults. Because when it seems like everyone around you shares one opinion, the truth might sound like a lie.
Didulo now has thousands of followers on social platforms X, Rumble and Telegram.
In 2022, Didulo’s “Kingdom of Canada” joined the freedom convoy, protesting COVID-19 restrictions in Ottawa. Didulo also encouraged her followers to kill anyone vaccinating children and called for healthcare workers to receive the death penalty. That same year, in Peterborough Ont., dozens of Didulo’s followers attempted to take over a police station and perform citizen’s arrests on officers there.
I’ve heard about the dangers of echo chambers, but we are now witnessing the alarming ways they can leave the screen — and their tangible effects on Canada.
The recent escalations prove just how far conspiracy theories can go, and how much real-life damage they inflict. These people had guns. They threatened to kill anyone speaking out against them, and yet no one took action.
You cannot and should not police thought or belief. I agree that a healthy distrust of the government is good, and even necessary for holding the powerful to account. But spreading defamatory claims with no scientific backing or basis in reality, all meant to inspire fear and chaos, is not the same thing as healthy distrust.
I remember laughing at the Pizzagate conspiracy and the memes that ran wild as many wondered how someone could believe anything so crazy. But it’s not as funny when it happens closer to home. It’s not as funny when the cultists have guns.
This laughter is part of the problem, according to one study by researchers from the UK National Health Service and Durham University. Belittlement of cult-like groups only leads to further polarization, as an us-versus-them attitude further pushes members to radicalization.
When someone dubs themself the “Queen of Canada,” it’s hard to take them seriously, but that is exactly what we need to start doing. We need to stop acting like there are no real-life consequences to what happens online. We need to stop believing things like this do not happen in Canada. Romana Didulo’s “reign” is proof that they do.
