Followers of Romana Didulo, a Canadian conspirator who calls herself the country’s ‘Queen’, plan to gather in Peterborough on Saturday to arrest members of the local police and hand them over to the military. In messages posted online, the group of followers writes that the police station is aware of the protesters’ arrival.
Saturday’s “citizen’s arrest” would begin with a rally at Confederation Park, one block from city police headquarters. “The police are aware of the rally and are following [les activités] said Sandra Dueck, police communications coordinator, by email. Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien’s office referred The duty to the police. The Department of National Defense declined to comment on the matter.
According to Christine M. Sarteschi, a professor at Chatham University, Pennsylvania, who is interested in the activities of Romana Didulo, an individual named Frank Curtin, was one of the main organizers of Saturday’s rally. “In numerous videos, he expressed his displeasure with the police for handling a complaint about his employer,” she said. The professor does not expect Romana Didulo, who claims to be sovereign of the “Republic of Canada”, to be present.
According to Carmen Celestini, a professor at the University of Waterloo who specializes in conspiratorial movements, the city of Peterborough was chosen, among other things, because several of the approximately 60,000 followers of Romana Didulo live there. White supremacists also reside in the area, she said. In 2017, the supremacist group Canadian Nationalist Front attempted to hold a rally at Confederation Park, only to call it off at the last minute.
Organizers of Saturday’s rally hope about 1,000 people will join the park, but Carmen Celestini, like Christine M. Sarteschi, expects only about 200 ‘Queen of Canada’ followers to attend. . “There will be no army and the police will not capitulate,” she explains. “I’m not too worried,” says Stephanie Carvin, a former national security analyst with the federal government. But the former analyst notes that the organization of such a gathering demonstrates that the followers of Romana Didulo are confident in their belief.
“Followers think they’re going to arrest the police, they’re going to come out and people are going to celebrate them,” said Carmen Celestini, who will be in Peterborough on Saturday to follow the progress of the mobilization. “They think they will be seen as heroes,” she continues.
The tens of thousands of subscribers of Romana Didulo on the social network Telegram represent a Canadian fringe of the movement of sovereign citizens. “The movement is anti-government in nature,” described Christine M. Sarteschi on the La Conversation site in June. Followers believe they are immune to government laws. The idea of a citizen’s arrest is part of this philosophy. “These people see themselves as agents of peace,” comments Stephanie Carvin.
With Boris Proulx
This story is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.