For almost a full day, Romana Didulo, the so-called QAnon Queen of Canada, didn’t post on Telegram. Many of her 70,000 followers were overcome with worry.
Some said they couldn’t sleep, others speculated about why she hadn’t posted—including “Queen Romana is on her way to the nuclear sub”— while others felt this was the day that Didulo would finally declare victory in her fight to end vaccinations. And so it was a relief to many when the QAnon influencer returned with the promise of a livestream.
Videos by VICE
Over the 75-minute stream Monday night, she claimed to her followers (4,000 of whom tuned in live) that she was visited by an RCMP team who executed a search warrant, seized several electronic devices, and took her in for a psych evaluation. She said she was interviewed by a doctor, and released.
“I had known what was coming before it even happened,” she told her followers. “So, there we are, all are glad to see that Queen Romana is not insane and was cleared by the psychiatrist at that hospital.”
The RCMP’s alleged visit came shortly after Didulo wrote a post encouraging followers to “shoot to kill anyone who tries to inject Children under the age of 19 years old with Coronavirus19 vaccines/ bioweapons or any other Vaccines.” The post was reported on by VICE World News and the Canadian Anti-Hate Network and was removed by Telegram because “it contains calls to violence.”
RCMP told VICE World News that they “are not in a position to confirm” Didulo’s claims of being picked up, because they will only offer such confirmation in situations where criminal charges have been laid. In her video, Didulo mentioned an RCMP officer by name, and flashed a card given to her. VICE World News was able to confirm the officer does work for the RCMP. Didulo also showed a document in the livestream that is consistent with an RCMP search warrant.
Didulo’s following, which exploded earlier this year after she was promoted by several influential QAnon figures, has taken numerous real-world actions on her behalf, including the hand delivery of hundreds of fake cease-and-desist notices to businesses in multiple countries. The QAnon community, which is believed to number in the millions, believes in the wildly unfactual, and wide-ranging, conspiracy theory that Donald Trump is secretly waging war against a pedophilic cabal of leftist elites who (also secretly) run the world. It’s a theory that Didulo has, as the self-proclaimed Queen of Canada, inserted herself directly into. The FBI has linked some QAnon followers to violence, and has warned that the community is an increasing domestic threat.
Extremism researcher Amarnath Amarasingam told VICE World News that Didulo “unfortunately, has to be taken seriously.” He said if Didulo’s claims about the RCMP are true, it’s not the normal approach authorities usually use with extremists in Canada.
“I can’t think of a single instance in Canada when Form 10 (being brought in for a psych eval) was used on an individual suspected of being an extremist,” said Amarasingam. “The debate about the intersection between extremism and mental health is of course vibrant, and there are no clear answers. But, I’ve never seen a Form 10 used for these kinds of cases before.”
He added that he thinks there is “ample evidence in her online posts to support a counselling charge (essentially pushing someone to commit a criminal offence) if the authorities wanted to go that route.” Other extremism researchers noted this to VICE World News as well. RCMP didn’t answer when VICE asked if charges are forthcoming.
Didulo’s followers were ecstatic after her recent “shoot to kill” call, and some outright celebrated it. She aimed her message at the “kingdom of Canadian” military and her so-called “duck hunters”—a select set of her followers chosen for action and to make arrests of her enemies, particularly those distributing and promoting COVID-19 vaccines. Didulo did change her language from “shoot to kill” to “arrest” in a second post on the subject. Over 100 of her “duck hunters” have chimed in to make clear they are ready and awaiting further instruction.
“The kinds of rhetoric we are seeing amongst her followers is absolutely dangerous,” said Amarasingam. “She has helped to push the anti-vaccine mandate hysteria into overdrive and moved it into a space where vaccinating children is being equated with child abuse. There is a lot of evidence that when you turn up the temperature like this, especially with respect to protecting children, it can push certain individuals to adopt violence. It only takes one.”
Those within the duck hunter Telegram group shared information about acquiring weapons and discussed specific clinics and schools offering vaccinations to children (Canada recently opened COVID vaccine access to 5-to-11-year-olds.). One man from Quebec wrote about how his daughter’s school was offering free COVID-19 shots to the students. “Time to go hunting. Bang Bang,” he wrote. The post has since been removed; it is unknown why or who took it down.
Following Didulo’s livestream, some in the group discussed the possibility they may face consequences.
“They took her computers and phone and have access to all these accounts and all our names,” one wrote. “Guessing they will be doing a random ‘inquiry’ and firearm inspection.”
Didulo blamed media coverage of the “duck hunters,” including VICE World News, as the reason she was allegedly picked up.
Didulo’s followers are a devoted bunch. Many believe she is more than just a leader, but the person who is meant to lead the world into a better age. A small number of followers, one of whom is an administrator in the chat, have openly suggested that she may be the reincarnation of Jesus. But Didulo’s latest claims have received mixed reactions from her followers. Many questioned how a person they believe is the literal Queen of Canada, who can order military and rescue operations on a whim, could be picked up by RCMP officers and brought for a psychiatric evaluation.
“So she is protected by the galactic alliance and special forces but was arrested by RCMP,’ questioned one. “All I am saying is if I was protected by the military and galactic alliance nobody would be hauling me off to the mental ward.”
“Please God, don’t let this be a psyop,” another lamented. “This doesn’t make sense how easy it was to access her. Where were the alliance and military?”
But many of her followers collectively explained the alleged RCMP action away rather quickly. This was something she allowed to happen, they theorized, and was a test to see who is faithful to her. Furthermore, many decided this was a “10-D” chess move to prove her sound mental health. Others reasoned that because she wasn’t charged with treason for claiming she was Queen of Canada is definitive proof she is Queen of Canada.
“This was a test….only a test,” wrote one. “The Queen was playing her arresters and assessors like an adult lion would play and pacify a field mouse.”
Follow Mack Lamoureux on Twitter.
