Extremist influencers ‘weaponizing femininity,’ warns Canadian intelligence report

Government threat agency says extremist are embedding hardline ideology in everything from home finance videos to 'mommy blogs.'

Women’s workout routines that devolve into anti-government rhetoric. Makeup tutorials with anti-feminist commentary. Personal finance videos that blame immigrants for stealing jobs.

According to a Canadian government intelligence report obtained by Global News, extremist movements are “weaponizing femininity” on social media to attract more women into their ranks.

Prepared by Canada’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre (ITAC), the report warns that female “extremist influencers” are using popular online platforms to radicalize and recruit women.

Their strategy: embed hardline messages within “benign narratives” like motherhood and parenting, allowing them to draw in women who weren’t intentionally seeking out extremist content online.

“A body of open-source research shows that women in extremist communities are taking on an active role by creating content specifically on image-based platforms with live streaming capabilities,” it said.

“These women foster a sense of community and create spaces that put their followers at ease, thereby normalizing and mainstreaming extremist rhetoric,” according to the Strategic Intelligence Brief.

While it does not name any influencers, it refers to alt-right extremist channels, anti-government rhetoric about COVID-19 lockdowns and “women-oriented blogs” that promote white supremacy.

Most spread extremist ideology, it said, but some go further, fundraising for their causes and even inciting their followers to violence, raising concerns about possible terrorist attacks.