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France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Should France's incel threat be treated like terrorism?
France 's counter-terrorism authority has launched its first investigation into the threat posed by the toxic misogyny of masculinist, incel culture. An 18-year-old identified as Timothy G. was charged and placed in pre-trial detention on Tuesday for being part of a 'terrorist criminal conspiracy' and making threats. He had two knives in his possession when he was arrested on June 28 in the Saint-Étienne region by the French domestic intelligence service, the DGSI, near the secondary school he attended. He had no police record and was enrolled in preparatory classes prior to attending university. Timothy G's lawyer, Maria Snitsar, said her client was 'a young person in distress' who 'has difficulty communicating with young people of his age [and] who is not at ease with himself'. She also said his detention was likely related to his activity online. 'I have the impression that being on social networks played a part in his being placed under investigation.' Snitsar says understanding her client's personality would be a key part of the inquiry. Determining the 'legal categorisation of the charges' will be possible only once the investigation has progressed further, she added. Not much precedent Very little information has been made public since Timothy G.'s first appearance before a custodial judge. However, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office confirmed that an investigation had been opened into the young man, who "claims to be a member of the 'incel' movement". Incels feel they have been rejected by women and have adopted aggressively misogynist views in response. According to a source close to the investigation, this is the first time an individual claiming to belong to this movement has been referred to the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office for related activities. Since the creation of the special anti-terror prosecutor's office in 2019, magistrates have mainly focused on the jihadist threat or potential attacks from far-right groups. Watch more France arrests teen for plotting attacks on women in landmark 'incel' case 'There isn't much case law on this type of issue,' notes Snitsar. But in recent years, the 'incel' branch of the masculinist movement has stepped up its hateful rhetoric, sometimes leading to acts of violence. In May 2024, a 26-year-old man was arrested near Bordeaux after a member of the public alerted authorities to his toxic online posts via the interior ministry's Pharos web portal, a system designed to curb illicit or harmful online content. He had posted a video praising 'incel' Elliot Rodger, the 22-year-old perpetrator of a 2014 mass killing in Isla Vista, California, in which seven people died, including Rodger. Because the terrorist intentions of the young Frenchman from Bordeaux were not established, the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office did not deal with the case. Dehumanisation of women Originating in North America in the 1990s, masculinist ideology has taken off, in part thanks to the internet. France's High Council for Equality between Women and Men (HCE) noted in its most recent report in January that "sexist and masculinist discourse has gained in visibility". "Women are more feminist and men more masculinist, especially young people," notes the council's director, Bérangère Couillard. According to a 2024 HCE survey, 52 percent of men between 25 and 34 felt that "men are being picked on". Among the various branches of masculinism popular on online forums, the "incels" are the most violent. A few hours before going on his killing spree, Rodger posted a long manifesto, justifying his actions by his hatred of women who had rejected him. 'I do not know why you girls aren't attracted to me,' he wrote 'But I will punish you all for it.' Mélissa Blais, professor of sociology at the Université du Québec in Outaouais (UQO) and a specialist in antifeminist movements, says there is something particularly violent about the movements seen today. "In 'incel' communities, there's something going on that's conducive to mass murder. Women are dehumanised, labelled as 'femoids' – seen as creatures to be fought. Dehumanisation is an important part of mass murder," Blais says. Canada has been one of the epicentres of masculinism since a 1989 massacre at Montreal 's École Polytechnique that targeted women. "There were two charges of terrorism brought in connection with masculinist attacks in Canada in 2023,' says Blais. One of the two men involved was a minor who had attempted to murder women in a massage parlour in 2020 in a case also inspired by the incel movement. In that case, an Ontario judge explained during the hearing that the suspect's behaviour did, indeed, meet the criteria to be considered terrorism under the Canadian Criminal Code. An evolving threat that is difficult to track Many countries are now weighing what incel activity meets the criteria to be legally categorised as terrorism. After a mass shooting in Plymouth in August 2021, UK counter-terrorism police initially felt the attack had not been motivated by "incel" propaganda. They backtracked in light of videos found on the suspect's computer. "The question is whether or not the authorities wish to treat the 'incel' phenomenon as a terrorist risk," notes the UK's independent terrorism laws auditor, Jonathan Hall. Hall says the definition of terrorism in the UK is broad enough to prosecute 'incel' violence under its statutes. The incel threat is difficult for the police to track. Although all are young men, they do not function as an established group or have a hierarchy, unlike a structured terrorist organisation. They also come from a wide variety of social backgrounds. Isolated kids exposed to toxic culture online 10:18 However, a 2021 report by the Paris public prosecutor's office cited by Mediapart noted the ideological proximity between the radical far right and masculinist groups. In its 2020 report on the terrorist threat, the European police agency Europol categorised 'incels' as a subset of 'far-right terrorism'. But Eviane Leidig, a researcher at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, an independent think tank, says this classification does not provide an effective understanding of the threat. 'Movements such as male supremacism and 'incels' can and should be considered as a distinct threat category, and not simply as a 'gateway' to other ideologies,' she says. The investigation into Timothy G. could provide the first clues as to how the French justice system will come to grips with the masculinist threat as well as the role of social networks in recruitment.
IOL News
3 days ago
- IOL News
Teen plotting attacks on women charged in France's first 'incel' case
According to one of the sources close to the case, the teenager, who wanted to become an engineer, was a fan of misogynist videos on social media, particularly TikTok. Image: File An 18-year-old French man suspected of planning attacks on women has been charged in the country's first case of a terror plot linked to the misogynist "incel" movement, officials said on Wednesday. According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect, Timothy G., was arrested on Friday by the DGSI domestic intelligence agency near a public high school in the southeastern city of Saint-Etienne. Sources added that the suspect was arrested with two knives in his bag and identified himself as a member of the "incel", or involuntary celibate, subculture. The "incel" movement is an internet subculture rife with misogyny, with men tending to blame women and feminism for their romantic failings. They typically target those who they see as attractive or sexually active women. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said that an investigation had been opened on Tuesday "against an 18-year-old man claiming to be part of the 'incel' movement". The man has been charged with terrorist conspiracy with a view to preparing one or more crimes against persons, the PNAT said. The involvement of anti-terror prosecutors appears to indicate that French authorities recognise this form of gender-based violence as terrorism. 'Suffering' teenager On Tuesday evening, Timothy G. appeared before a judge who remanded him in custody. He looked shy and had an almost hairless face and a slender build, according to an AFP journalist. His lawyer Maria Snitsar described him as "a teenager who is suffering, not a fighter preparing for action". According to one of the sources close to the case, the teenager, who wanted to become an engineer, was a fan of misogynist videos on social media, particularly TikTok. Another source close to the case said that this is the first time the PNAT has been called upon to investigate a man who exclusively identifies as part of the "incel" subculture. The concept had previously appeared only marginally in at least two cases handled by the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office. The PNAT announcement was also a sign of changing attitudes in France. A judicial source told AFP in late 2023 that the PNAT had long refused to take up cases linked to the movement, believing that "these mass killing plans were not for them". Netflix hit "Adolescence" has sparked widespread debate about the toxic and misogynistic influences to which young boys are exposed online. The hard-hitting show is to be shown in UK and French schools, officials have said. In 2022, the US Secret Service's National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) highlighted the threat posed by "misogynistic extremism". In the United Kingdom, MI5, the domestic intelligence service, has warned of links between "incels" and other violent conspiracy movements. In 2014, an American man, Elliot Rodger, who had professed frustration over his virginity and women rejecting him, killed six people, including three women, in California before committing suicide. In 2018, Alek Minassian, a man claiming to have been part of the movement, drove a rented van onto a busy Toronto sidewalk, killing 11, mostly women. He was sentenced to life in prison for those murders, but was never charged with terrorism. AFP
Local France
4 days ago
- Local France
Teen plotting attacks on women charged in France's first 'incel' case
According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect, Timothy G., was arrested on Friday by the DGSI security service near a public high school in the southeastern city of Saint-Etienne. According to sources close to the case, the suspect was arrested with two knives in his bag and identified himself as a member of the "incel," or involuntary celibate, subculture. The "incel" movement is an internet subculture rife with misogyny, with men tending to blame women and feminism for their romantic failings. Advertisement The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said that an investigation had been opened on Tuesday "against an 18-year-old man claiming to be part of the 'incel' movement". The man has been charged with terrorist conspiracy with a view to preparing one or more crimes against people, the PNAT said. The involvement of anti-terror prosecutors appears to indicate that French authorities recognise this form of gender-based violence as terrorism. On Tuesday evening, Timothy G. appeared before a judge who remanded him in custody. His lawyer Maria Snitsar described him as "a teenager who is suffering, not a fighter preparing for action". According to one of the sources close to the case, the teenager, who wanted to become an engineer, was a fan of misogynist videos on social media, particularly short-video app TikTok. According to another source close to the case, this is the first time the PNAT has been called upon to investigate a man who exclusively identifies as part of the "incel" subculture. The concept had previously appeared only marginally in at least two cases handled by the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office.
LeMonde
4 days ago
- LeMonde
France charges teen for plotting attacks on women in landmark 'incel' case
An 18-year-old French man suspected of planning attacks on women has been charged in the country's first case of a terror plot linked to the misogynist "incel" movement, officials said on Wednesday, July 2. According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect, Timothy G., was arrested on Friday by the DGSI domestic intelligence agency near a public high school in the southeastern city of Saint-Etienne. According to sources close to the case, who spoke to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the suspect was arrested with two knives in his bag and identified himself as a member of the incel, or involuntary celibate, subculture. The incel movement is an internet subculture rife with misogyny, with men tending to blame women and feminism for their romantic failings. They typically target those whom they see as attractive or sexually active women. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said that an investigation was opened on Tuesday "against an 18-year-old man claiming to be part of the 'incel' movement." The man has been charged with criminal conspiracy to commit one or more crimes against individuals and has been taken into custody, the PNAT said. Toxic and misogynistic influences online On Tuesday evening, Timothy G. appeared before a judge who remanded him in custody. He looked shy and had an almost hairless face and a slender build, according to an AFP journalist. His lawyer, Maria Snitsar, described him as "a teenager who is suffering, not a fighter preparing for action." According to one of the sources close to the case, the teenager, who wanted to become an engineer, was a fan of misogynistic videos on social media platforms, particularly on TikTok. A source close to the case also said that this is the first time the PNAT has been called upon to investigate a man who exclusively identifies as part of the incel subculture. The involvement of anti-terror prosecutors appears to indicate that French authorities recognize this form of gender-based violence as terrorism. The concept had previously appeared only marginally in at least two cases handled by the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office. The hit Netflix series Adolescence has sparked widespread debate about the toxic and misogynistic influences to which young boys are exposed online. The hard-hitting show is set to be shown in UK and French schools, officials have said.
France 24
4 days ago
- France 24
Teen plotting attacks on women charged in France's first 'incel' case
According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect, Timothy G., was arrested on Friday by the DGSI security service near a public high school in the southeastern city of Saint-Etienne. According to sources close to the case, the suspect was arrested with two knives in his bag and identified himself as a member of the "incel," or involuntary celibate, subculture. The "incel" movement is an internet subculture rife with misogyny, with men tending to blame women and feminism for their romantic failings. They typically target those who they see as attractive or sexually active women. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor's Office (PNAT) said that an investigation had been opened on Tuesday "against an 18-year-old man claiming to be part of the 'incel' movement". The man has been charged with terrorist conspiracy with a view to preparing one or more crimes against persons and imprisoned, the PNAT said. The involvement of anti-terror prosecutors appears to indicate that French authorities recognise this form of gender-based violence as terrorism. On Tuesday evening, Timothy G. appeared before a judge who remanded him in custody. He looked shy and had an almost hairless face and a slender build, according to an AFP journalist. His lawyer Maria Snitsar described him as "a teenager who is suffering, not a fighter preparing for action". According to one of the sources close to the case, the teenager, who wanted to become an engineer, was a fan of misogynist videos on social media, particularly short-video app TikTok. According to another source close to the case, this is the first time the PNAT has been called upon to investigate a man who exclusively identifies as part of the "incel" subculture. The concept had previously appeared only marginally in at least two cases handled by the anti-terrorism prosecutor's office.
