Cult of self-proclaimed 'Queen of Canada' threatens Sask. village with public executions

S E E D E D   C O N T E N T

An extremist cult leader and her followers have set up camp in a small Saskatchewan village, 83 kilometres northwest of Maple Creek, near the Alberta border. The group has called for public execution of elected officials and other members in and around the community.

Romana Didulo is known as a far-right QAnon conspiracy theorist. She has declared herself the "Queen of Canada," among other titles including the national Indigenous leader.

She has amassed thousands of followers by pushing conspiracy theories and what she calls decrees through social media, particularly Telegram — a messaging app that has grown in popularity with the far right.

Didulo and some of her followers, who call themselves the 'Kingdom of Canada,' have been travelling around the country for some time. On Sept. 13, they were forced out of Kamsack, Sask., by the townspeople.

A temporary RCMP detachment has been set up in Richmound. (Submitted by Brad Miller)

The cult then made its way to the village of Richmound on Sept. 15, and has been staying at the former Richmound School, having been invited by the property owner.

Richmound Mayor Brad Miller said village residents do not feel safe with them there.

"It's been escalating and the people are getting more and more tired of this, more mental health [concerns], more scared," Miller said.

Thomas Fougere of Community TV, a local independent news outlet based in Medicine Hat, Alta., has been covering the cult's presence in Richmound. He said the people there are nervous about the group's extreme beliefs, their behaviour and their potential impact on the children in the village.

Richmound Mayor Brad Miller said village residents do not feel safe with Romana Didulo and her followers there. (CBC)

The playground, which is near the school, is closed to children to avoid the possibility of a child being confronted.

On Sept. 24, after taking note of Kamsack's success in driving Didulo and her followers out of town, Richmound villagers protested with signs — parading their cars near the school, honking their horns and calling for the cult to leave.

"The people who were inside the school compound line, all of them were very agitated," said Fougere of Didulo's followers.

Cease and desist notice

On Monday, followers of Didulo sent village administration at least four "cease and desist" emails, according to Miller. The notice was also posted to Telegram and shared across other social media platforms.

It addressed the mayor, village councillors, members of the fire department, RCMP members, Fougere and a school teacher — all by name — accusing them of corruption, bullying, and stalking, and calling these behaviours "dangerous," "illegal" and "immoral."

In her letters and online postings Romana Didulo claims to be the 'sovereign of the republic of Canada." She and her followers are currently living at an old school in Richmound, Sask. (Bitchute)

In the letter, the cult threatened that if the village did not follow the decrees of the "queen," they would receive judgment and "if found guilty of 'crimes against humanity' or 'treason,' would face "publicly broadcast execution upon yourselves, and undeserved devastation upon your children, grandchildren and families."

"Be forewarned and prepared. WTP (We the People) now are watching you with open eyes. The curtain is drawn … Your future is in your hands," read the post.

Miller said a village council meeting was called shortly after this letter went out.

"We were all disgusted and scared," said Miller.

"It's got everybody on their toes. People are just staying in their houses more. Their heads are on 360, they're swiveling."

CBC reached out to Didulo's followers for comment on the situation, but the group didn't respond.

Provincial response, RCMP presence

Richmound alerted Cypress Hills MLA Doug Steele about the situation.

In an emailed statement to CBC News on Thursday, Steele said, "While the government of Saskatchewan does not direct police in their daily operations or enforcement activities, I am confident the RCMP will take appropriate action in accordance with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms to prevent, investigate and maintain order involving federal, provincial, and municipal law in the village of Richmound."

The village of Richmound blocked off this playground, which is close to the school where the 'Kingdom of Canada' cult is staying. Independent journalist Thomas Fougere says a man connected to the cult recently took down the tape. (Submitted by Thomas Fougere)

On Friday, Chief Supt. Tyler Bates of the RCMP's south district management team said officers are currently investigating the threatening online post and emails. He said he cannot provide any further details at this time, but that Richmound will see an increase in police presence.

"We're monitoring very closely the commentaries [and] the activities of the group to gauge whether or not there's aspects of criminality with respect to their activities," Bates said.

He warned that all citizens must follow the same rules and laws, even if they feel threatened.

"We're certainly wanting to make sure that this situation is de-escalated, that there doesn't continue to be emotions that risk spilling over into criminal conduct."

As for the emailed and online threats, Bates said it is a complex situation that requires a lot of assessment and expertise.

"To threaten personal harm to another individual is certainly within the realm of criminality. But all of that said, there's lots of investigation that goes into an indirect threat. There's lots of investigation that goes into cyber comments as opposed to direct face-to-face interactions."

A temporary RCMP detachment in Richmound was set up on Friday in response to concerns about the group's presence in the village and reports of assault, threats and suspicious persons, according to an RCMP news release.

"All [reports] are under active investigation and we are unable to provide additional details at this time," the release said.

Bates has promised the RCMP will conduct regular patrols and said the mobile detachment "will allow our officers to quickly respond to any potential calls for service in the area."

When asked Wednesday about the situation in Richmound, Premier Scott Moe said the Ministry of Justice would be discussing the issue on Friday.

"[They] most certainly will provide, I think, the community some advice and some options on how they can ultimately  protect the serenity of their community. And the government will support that," Moe said.

Barriers have been set up around the former school where the 'Kingdom of Canada' cult is staying. The school is private property. (CBC)

Taking threats seriously

Local journalist Fougere told CBC he does not believe the cult will actually execute him, but said being named in the threatening emails and online posts is still concerning.

"I don't know who's reading this stuff. I don't know what kind of mental state they're in. I don't know if they're currently in a vehicle heading toward Richmound, Saskatchewan, with a bunch of firearms. There's a lot of unknowns. It makes me feel a little bit nervous. It makes me feel a little sick," Fougere said.

Dr. Christine Sarteschi, a professor of social work and criminology at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has been following the movement of the "Queen of Canada" for years.

"They seem to feel that the people of Richmound were attacking the queen and that she's in danger," Sarteschi said.

Christine Sarteschi, an associate professor of social work and criminology at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, has been tracking the spread of the sovereign citizen movement. (Dan Taekema/CBC)

She said this reaction is exaggerated, which is par for the course when it comes to the "queen" and her followers. Sarteschi said the cult has made similar "public execution" threats before, and to her knowledge have never actually carried out violence. But she said that does not mean threats against the people of Richmound should not be taken seriously.

"We don't know what they're capable of, but they're very active," said Sarteschi.

"People are being threatened. Their kids and their grandchildren are being threatened in this. We should not ignore it. We don't know what their intentions are."

Sarteschi estimates there are currently up to 12 followers with Didulo in Richmound. They are holding a meet and greet for followers and possible new recruits on Oct. 14, which Sarteschi said is cause for concern.