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A brand new report on hate and extremism in Alberta and Canada reveals there was a development for folks liable to radical concepts appearing alone somewhat than with a gaggle.
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The report, launched this week by the Group for the Prevention of Violence, confirmed that, over the previous three years, teams that have been as soon as prevalent in Alberta, such because the Troopers of Odin and the Three Percenters, who have been liable to ideological violence, have largely disbanded or grow to be disorganized. Of their place, a lot of the extremism within the province and all through North America has moved in the direction of folks appearing alone.
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Michael King, OPV’s director of analysis, stated Canada has been keen to label teams as hate organizations, a distinction most individuals don’t need to be related to.
“This has spooked folks,” stated King. “Persons are much less fascinated about being in these teams.”
King stated, in flip, there was a rise in “salad bar” extremism, the place people will choose and select radical concepts that they affiliate with from varied ideologies and teams.
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“Folks selecting and selecting stuff from neo-Nazi ideology, selecting parts of it, however not every thing. Then additionally selecting stuff from the sovereign residents motion or the freemen on the land motion, however not every thing,” stated King. “They don’t go tremendous excessive, however they do assume some elements of which might be relevant after which additionally they espouse a number of the theories of QAnon and so they put that every one collectively after which they’ve their very own ideology.”
King stated the transfer to a extra individualistic model of ideological extremism might make folks liable to violence tougher to detect as they wouldn’t be as simply identifiable. Nonetheless, he stated lone actors would have a tougher time inflicting widespread, large-scale violence.
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He stated that whereas there are numerous consultants who’re targeted on one kind of maximum ideology, similar to consultants on ISIS, transferring ahead folks may have to have the ability to spot a bigger variety of ideologies.
John McCoy, government director of OPV, stated there has additionally been an increase in anti-government and anti-authority actions.
“We’ve seen sort of numerous anti-authority, anti-government sentiments, and in some circumstances, , transferring into the realm of promotion of violence or violent extremism,” stated McCoy. “There’s numerous anger that drives in the direction of folks in authorities but in addition drives in the direction of the media.”
He stated the rise of people who find themselves appearing alone and shopping for into conspiracy theories is making it tough for people who find themselves combating extremism to pick who’s liable to violence. Pointing to the Nova Scotia shootings the place a gunman killed 22 folks, the brothers in Saanich, B.C., who have been killed throughout a financial institution theft and members of the Coutts blockade who have been discovered with weapons, McCoy stated numerous the ideological violence in Canada has not been group-affiliated however has had anti-authority sentiments connected to it.
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“There’s no group affiliation,” stated McCoy. “It’s type of like a unfastened community of like-minded people with grievances being significantly necessary, and grievances in the direction of authorities significantly necessary.”
King stated there has additionally been an recognized rise in folks affected by mental-health points turning into liable to radicalization. He stated transferring ahead, there must be conversations and discussions round whether or not a psychosocial intervention is required to stop violence or if a safety or regulation enforcement strategy is greatest suited to intervene.
“They should take into account psychosocial responses to a few of these circumstances. Not all of those circumstances match that invoice, however the authorities must more and more take into account that as a viable counterterrorism software,” stated King.
