From men’s movements to ‘sovereigns’: new sects are often virtual

From self-proclaimed Christian organizations handing out pamphlets with the message that women are not part of God’s original plan – “unlike chickens and bitches” – to online communities encouraging physical and verbal violence against women. At the headquarters of the Information and Advice Center on Harmful Sectarian Organizations (IACSSO), they are increasingly concerned about sectarian movements spreading misogynistic discourse. This is evident from an activity report that the center published last month.

It is striking that movements that proclaim such messages are not always physical organizations with a clearly defined structure. According to the IACSSO, there has been a “dematerialization” over the past five years. According to them, this evolution is due to the internet. While classic sectarian movements relied on pamphlets and word of mouth fifteen years ago, today new organizations can easily spread their ideas through a network of online chat groups and forums.

Sacred feminine

The corona crisis also played a role in this. For example, the report calls Covid-19 a “destabilizing catalyst”. “Corona was an accelerator for trends we saw before,” explains Kerstine Vanderput, director of the IACSSO. “Physical contacts were restricted, causing more people to seek refuge in the online world.”

However, this does not mean that traditional forms of sectarian movements have disappeared from the radar. “Classic organizations with one leader and an accountant still exist,” says Vanderput, “but they are no longer alone.”

As sectarian movements become more powerful, it becomes more difficult for the IACSSO to control their activities. Online it is not always clear who spreads which messages, from which country or how many people they reach. “When we used to receive reports about a branching of Protestantism, for example, it often involved people from countries like Brazil who had built a physical church here,” says Vanderput. “Now we are getting questions about groups from the other side of the world that are also recruiting supporters from us via the internet.”

Other trends are emerging in both the virtual and physical worlds. There is a clearer crystallization of men’s and women’s movements: on the one hand, the IACSSO notices an increase in masculinist and misogynistic discourse, on the other hand, the center received more questions about groups that celebrate the ‘sacred feminine’.

An example of this are the ‘red tents’: red-colored tents in which women come together once a month to celebrate themselves and nature. There is nothing wrong with that, but in some red tents there is pyramid selling, which is prohibited by law.

Another trend that the IACSSO has noticed since corona is that of ‘sovereign’ citizens. These are citizens who reject all interference from above. Last year, the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities reported that more and more ‘sovereigns’ in Flanders are sending letters to their mayors to disconnect themselves from the government, so that they no longer have to pay taxes, for example.

Others unite in ‘eco-villages’ in order to live completely self-sufficiently. Prepper Yannick V., who is said to have prepared a terrorist attack, also described himself as sovereign. The movement now has 10,000 members in neighboring countries such as the Netherlands.

Thermometer

Although there are increasing reports of groups that oppose the government, or groups that honor the feminine, Vanderput emphasizes that not all spiritual or philosophical organizations are necessarily sectarian.

To call it a sectarian movement, thirteen established criteria must be met. As soon as this is the case, the IACSSO must report this to state security or another competent government department. The center did this no fewer than 420 times between 2017 and 2023.

This operation could be compromised, the IACSSO warns. Not only because the center has to monitor more and more fronts, but also because there is a structural staff shortage. This is now so urgent that the center will probably no longer be able to answer questions from citizens in Dutch by the summer, because the last Dutch-speaking analyst is leaving.

“It’s poignant,” says Vanderput, “because people have the right to be helped in their own language.” Moreover, it is in the interest of society as a whole that sectarian movements are detected in time, says the director. “We are a thermometer of what is going on in society, but we have been in the red for years.”