Has my ex been indoctrinated by a cult or is he being radicalised??

[Whatthecluckinghell]

Just that really.

Back story.
ExDp has always been a conspiracy theorist of some sort, various conspiracies over the course of our relationship, some where utterly ridiculous but this latest one is becoming downright dangerous.

So as we all know Covid has come and turned everyone's lives upside down however my exDp has now (recently) come across the conspiracy of the vaccine and covid as a whole subject, bare with me, il ramble because its so hard to articulate this without sounding like a loony. He has suddenly decided to believe that everyone who has had the vaccines will die in 6 months to 3 years (you've probably already heard that because thousands of other people believe it too) and that eventually there will be forced vaccinations of children and if you don't allow it they (the army/police/medical staff) will forcefully remove them from your care and if you as an adult refuse the jabs you'll be dragged kicking and screaming to a 'quarantine camp' where you either have the jab or they will kill you..he believes the army has been brought back from Afghanistan to enforce this, and bring in martial law. Now every single person he talks to online are filling his head with the fact he's on the right track, he's woken, he's onto the truth and he must spread the word. Now as far as conspiracies go whilst it's very worrying he believes that it gets alot worse... he recently suggested he was going to buy weapons and suggested he would kill anyone who tried to forcefully vaccinate our children/him, he has been watching bitchute videos almost none stop from the minute he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep, even when he's at work he's 'researching' between tasks, the videos he is watching are all horrific and they all push a narrative of being prepped to harm/kill those who have taken part in this covid stuff ie the vaccinators/the government/the elites/the police/the army. Now its not just him who has been sucked into this as thousands upon thousands of people all over the globe share the exact same thought process/beliefs. He is a member of loads of Facebook groups/online groups that all peddle this stuff and make people believe them.

Now I am very very concerned about all of this, at first I wasn't bothered because who is he realistically hurting? Nobody UNTIL he started on about getting weapons (he hasn't got any...yet) his own parents think he is in a cult, I fear he is being radicalised, I'm worried he will harm someone even though it is not in his usual nature, I don't know what to do or where to turn.

I used to think conspiracy theories where relatively harmless but this one is proving otherwise. Its got worse over the space of 2 months, we are broken up, I don't believe in what he's saying, but he's got the voices of many many people behind him telling him he's right and every else who questions or shows concern are the enemy and sheep.

Is there any way I can help him? For what it's worth he knows if he shares these views with any mental health professionals/person in power he would be most likely sectioned/put on medications/locked up so he downplays it or just Denys it all but it's all over his social media the dangerous views albeit a watered down version of them, I'm scared for him, I'm not scared of him, I'm scared for him and what this means for him, and our DC.
Sorry for the ramble there's probably more but i can't think straight about it as my brains gone gaga trying to work out what to do.

I just want to add that before all of this whilst yes he was still into conspiracy theories they never got like this one, and he was level headed at one point before covid hit. Up until earlier this year he had 'covid fatigue' like many of us from the constant bombardment of the subject on SM and the news and all the restrictions and lockdowns etc it really took a toll on him as it did myself and almost everyone else but he recently found this conspiracy and decided to free fall down the rabbit hole and has watched numerous videos and read numerous posts all with the same narrative of prepare for war/fight for freedom/prepare to cause harm. Of course whilst in this rabbit hole he's been learning about the elites and child satanic rituals (I won't even go into detail on those because they are all manner of fucked up) and how we need to protect the children of the world from being stolen/exploited/harmed (nothing I'd like more than to end child abuse) but my god the things he told me he's seen/read about have given me sleepless nights in the past.
He genuinely thinks this is genocide and if you have the jab your going to die. He truly makes kicks my anxiety off with his beliefs because they are abhorrent and utterly terrifying

I think he's been led into a cult and that cult is trying so hard to radicalise him but for what purpose I'm not too sure of, like I've said previously he's a soft natured person and never been one to be violent or even get violent, he's never expressed he wants to hurt anyone before.

Are you Billie Piper? Sounds like Laurence Fox none sense.

I think however you should report in the context of the weapons?

Is it Qanon? There is a reddit group for people who has lost family members to Qanon, it’s called “Qanon casualties” - just so you feel less alone! The internet has done a number on society in the past few years. The first sign of descent into this sort of thing is when they start saying they “don’t trust mainstream media” - like getting their news from increasingly radicalised YouTube sources is somehow more reliable than the BBC/the financial times. It boggles the mind, I’ve also lost family members to this.

He’s probably not in a specific “cult” - just caught by the YouTube algorithms and seeing increasingly bizarre stuff and discussing this on forums with others who believe. They get into a bubble and the bubble also feels great because they feel supported and like they’re in the right while the rest of us are “sheeples” with the wool pulled over our eyes. It feels like an exclusive internet community to them.

So, are you going to contact prevent? Because you sound like you are looking for reasons behind excusing his behaviour. You cannot fix this, the sooner he gets help the better and the safer we all become. Watching and doing nothing about it until it's too late, is actually reprehensible I'm afraid.

Child satanic rituals sounds like a combination of Qanon and evangelical Christian conspiracies. He’s probably reading a range of sources - this article is a great one that explains what’s going on in some of the anti vax community and ideas around links to Satan etc www.webworm.co/p/worshipping-at-the-church-of-anti?r=7xcdl&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email&utm_source=copy

I think you should contact the police, social services, and anyone and everyone. If your children stay with him, and he is functioning on that level of paranoia, it coud be catastrophic for you and them.
It sounds very dangerous to me.

Sad too obviously - but the danger needs to be addressed first, and with urgency.

I understand why you're not concerned for your DC but I would be personally. Because people like this appear to be starting to move on to attempting to "protect" their DC by keeping them away from their other family, school, friends etc. He might not be there yet, but if he gets there, I'd be concerned.

Do you have a court order in place wrt contact for your children? Because if not I would be stopping all contact for now, and I would be calling the police.

Regardless of whether this is any kind of breakdown, he is talking about getting weapons and is, IMO, a danger to your children and you need to protect them.

You can’t save him, but you can save your children, and you owe it to them.

Sounds like your exdp is very mentally unwell and with his talk of weapons , I really would worry about your children's safety 😨😨 if he is this unbalanced then it sounds like he is liable to do anything to "protect" them. I definitely think you need to seek legal/ professional advice here on what you should do.

That sounds scary, OP. Let's hope if everyone sensible in real life he trusts (family, GP, work) keeps channels of communication open then eventually they and reality (that there is no forced vaccinations, no camps and so on) eventually helps him realise or move on to another focus (or conspiracy that is potentially less harmful). Unfortunatley, often as with pre-COVID anti-vaxxers, disagreeing strongly or providing counter-evidence just seems to reinforce the believer.

I've never understood the psychological motivation nor when the event a conspiracy believer doesn't happen why this doesn't always lead to a reassessment though I think often the conspiracy is a symptom rather than a cause.

Good luck.

You do need to take this seriously OP.

TW
I was reminded of that recent case in California where a father murdered his children www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/surf-school-father-children-murder-mexico-qanon-b1901780.html

I would contact Prevent for advice.

If you do refer him to prevent, make sure to tell him or he will think he is being watched or some such shit. I'd also think twice before dropping my kids round at his unsupervised.

You also need to sit the kids down and talk with them about the dangers of conspiracy theories and how people can get very wrapped up in them. Especially when they are not in a healthy place mentally.

@Opentooffers I don't need judging I am In a huge messed up situation and I've asked for advice and yes I will most likely contact them for advice and guidance, I've never dealt with anything like this before in my life and il be honest I didn't know there was such an organisation for these things as I've never been affected by radicalisation or cult like behaviour/terrorism so I've never needed to find organisations that deal with these issues

I have a friend in a similar position. She's now divorced.

Her ex was bad before Covid but 1000x worse now. Similar views to your dh. Problem is he now has the kids every other weekend and spouts this stuff. Luckily they're sensible enough not to believe it. Custody went to court and she was clear about her concerns but they took no notice. I'd say he's emotionally abusive to the kids but safeguarding does nothing.

You have a duty to protect yourself, your family and the public by reporting him to the police. This is exactly what prevent is for.

Thank you everyone, I will and I am taking it seriously because I would hate for anyone including my exDP and especially my children to get hurt.

I honestly never realised how dangerous conspiracies could be and il never take for granted the power of the Internet and how persuasive people online can be.

People with views like his have tried to kill or succeeded in killing people. If he's as bad as you say then it should be taken very seriously.

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-dad-killed-his-kids-over-qanon-serpent-dna-conspiracy-n1276611

www.insider.com/qanon-violence-crime-conspiracy-theory-us-allegation-arrest-killing-gun-2020-8

Hi OP

I have done Prevent training as part of my job. It is a misconception that prevent is just to do with the "stereotypical" terrorism... It's ANY radicalization, from any organisation or terrorist group. So this would count.

You need look into it. You need to report it especially if he is considering arming himself with any intent to use the weapons.

How do they help unradicalise people? How do they assess what is needed etc I've never been through this before and I am worried and concerned 😟

@Dogoodfeelgood

Is it Qanon? There is a reddit group for people who has lost family members to Qanon, it’s called “Qanon casualties” - just so you feel less alone! The internet has done a number on society in the past few years. The first sign of descent into this sort of thing is when they start saying they “don’t trust mainstream media” - like getting their news from increasingly radicalised YouTube sources is somehow more reliable than the BBC/the financial times. It boggles the mind, I’ve also lost family members to this.

Came on to say exactly this

Sorry my internet is glitchy, also come onto say, if he is too far gone, don't try and reason with him either, otherwise you may become the enemy, or working with them or are a sheep.

It’s worth reporting to Police because it could have an impact on how likely he is to obtain any weapons - like stop him being granted a gun license for instance.