(Vancouver) Experts disagree on the threat posed by “incels”, those involuntary celibates with radical anti-feminist discourse.
Posted at 3:40 p.m.
Some fear that the violent rhetoric observed on social networks formulated by this segment of the population is a source of concern; others feel that this danger is overstated among a group of men who mostly need mental health help.
In August, the newspaper The world defined involuntary celibates or “incels” as men who had little success with women and ended up hating them. According to think tank Moonshot CVE, these young heterosexual men blame women, sexually active men and “oppressive societal structures” for their failures.
And as many killings linked to members of this nebula have occurred in recent years, the authorities are beginning to consider this movement as a terrorist threat.
A study carried out for the federal government by Moonshot indicates that the lifting of restrictions put in place against COVID-19 could lead to an increase in suicides, violence and acts of terrorism.
“For our researchers, the pandemic has been the great equalizer, as incels believe everyone has experienced the social and emotional isolation they suffer on a daily basis,” says Moonshot spokesperson Alex Amend. The end of confinement could become a trigger for them. Doctors would do well to be mindful of this. »
According to him, the pandemic has exacerbated feelings of isolation and alienation fueling the anger of people seeking to connect on the internet. The firm’s study reports an idealization of suicide, nihilistic attitudes and a refusal of psychological care on discussion forums.
“There is a critical need for mental health professionals to be trained to recognize incel ideology,” Amend argues.
Sophia Moskalenko, a social psychologist who specializes in radicalism and terrorism, doesn’t believe potential violence should be the primary concern. She asks for more research on non-violent incels. According to her, they are a very neglected part of the mental health crisis.
“Radicalization is not necessarily the main topic among incels. Only a small minority supports radical ideas and a smaller minority acts accordingly. My studies consistently find that the link between ideology and radical action is extremely weak. »
A 2020 study by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue estimated that there are at least 6,600 online channels about ideologically motivated violent extremism in which Canadians are involved. “Thus, Canadians are among the most active people in the movements advocating this type of extremism online,” says the federal Department of Public Security on its website.
“The threat posed by Ideologically Motivated Violent Extremism (DVE) continues to grow in Canada. Our government is stepping up its efforts to deal with it,” the ministry wrote in an email.
Leah West, a national security expert from Carleton University, says the concept of terrorism is constantly evolving.
“There is confusion over the legal definition of terrorism because it has not been applied equally across the country throughout its history,” she said. It applies to the type of terrorism targeted by the laws, that inspired by al-Qaeda and Daesh, but it may not apply to other types of threat. »
Since previous acts of terrorism have always been politically or religiously motivated, courts must first define an accused’s ideology, says Ms.me West. Lawyers will need to prove that “incels” fit this definition in order to prove possible terrorism-related charges.
According to her, there are three main reasons for designating the violence exerted by this radical fringe as an act of terrorism: to apply the law equally, regardless of occupation, gender, race or political ideology, to denounce these crimes for deterrence purposes and to recognize that a particular group has been a target.
Jesse Morton, another expert, believes that most academic research relies too heavily on the radicalization of a relatively small number of “incels” who commit a violent act.
“The data indicates that very few people advocating a radical ideology commit a violent act. If we stigmatize them, we could encourage greater violence,” he says.
He suggests doing more studies on the effects of public stigma and social exclusion towards incels.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.