Five years after Toronto van attack, 'incel' threat is growing: expert
Five years after Alek Minassian claimed he was inspired by "incels" to commit one of Canada's worst mass murders, law enforcement agencies say groups with misogynist ideology are a rising concern.
toronto.citynews.ca
Posted Apr 22, 2023
''Five years ago, after a man deliberately drove a van down a busy Toronto sidewalk in one of Canada’s worst mass murders, the country was confronted with a previously obscure extremist movement, which experts say remains a growing threat.
The attacker, Alek Minassian, had claimed to be angered by women who wouldn’t sleep with him and inspired by“incels,” or involuntary celibates.
While Minassian later cited various motivations for the violence and the presiding judge at his trial ultimately found he carried out the attack to achieve notoriety, his rampage on April 23, 2018 forced renewed attention on the capacity of misogynist movements to inspire violence.
Arie Perliger, the director of security studies at the University of Massachusetts – Lowell, said law enforcement agencies now see incels and groups with misogynist ideology as a rising concern.
“The threat is growing,” he said. “It will continue to be a problem.”
“The statistics show that men are more likely to suffer from mental health issues. Men are more likely to conduct a suicide or to attempt suicide. Men are more likely to be incarcerated or to end up in prison. Men are more likely to be victims of violent crimes.” he said.
“Young men are dealing with some significant challenges and we need to think how we can help them and how we can address those challenges.”
