Red flag? Rapid rise of ‘Queen’ Didulo rings alarm bells

She travels Canada in a flag-draped RV with an entourage. She greets supporters in small towns, who eagerly film the encounters on mobile phones. She’s called on her disciples to execute health care workers and politicians who support mass vaccination campaigns.

- Leyland Cecco

To her more than 60,000 followers online, she’s the newly installed Queen of Canada. But to law enforcement and national security officials, she represents the threat that online conspiracy theorists may be all too capable of inflicting real-world harm.

Romana Didulo, a leader within a fringe QAnon-linked movement, has claimed sovereignty over Canada, gaining limited but growing popularity amid an erosion of trust in the country’s democratic and civil institutions .

Last month, Didulo made headlines after her disciples attempted to make a “citizen’s arrest” of police officers in Peterborough, 300km south-west of Ottawa. The stunt prompted warnings from experts that similar events are likely in the future .

Didulo immigrated to Canada from the Philippines when she was 15 after losing both of her parents, her website says . In 2007, she set up an engineering recruiting and consulting firm and a separate healthcare consultancy – both with limited success.