Sick incel cult’s net boost for crossbow haul loser
Support for jailed student
George Mair
A student jailed for 10 years under the Terrorism Act is now being “memorialised” online by members of the incel movement, according to a top criminologist.
Gabrielle Friel, 22, was found guilty of having weapons including a crossbow and a machete and a bulletproof vest at various locations in Edinburgh between June 1 and August 16, 2019.
During his trial at the High Court in the capital, the prosecution brought up his fascination with the online male incel cult who blame females for their problems.
Incels – a shortened term for involuntary celibates – believe it is a man’s right to have sex with a woman.
The court heard Friel felt “an affiliation” with incel Elliot Rodger who murdered six in California in 2014 before killing himself.
Whi le Friel was convicted of possessing weapons in circumstances giving rise to the r e a sonabl e suspicion they were for “a pu r po s e conne c t e d wi th terrorism”, a further charge that he was motivated by incel ideology was not proven.
But Dr Katharine Boyd, senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Exeter, said Friel is now being given support online by incel members.
Speaking on BBC Scotland’s Crime Files, tonight at 10.30pm, Dr Boyd said: “Incel is essentially a number of men who see society as structured by physical and sexual attractiveness and incels see themselves as being unfairly at the bottom of this social structure and therefore they blame women for not being able to have successful sex lives.
“They also are advocating for violence, a number of them online, including advocating for raping women and killing people. This is associated with at least seven mass
murders that have taken place. Gabriel le was wel l known for looking at a number of spree mass murders, including Elliot Rodger’s, and he also had the weapons such as the crossbow and the machete.
“He advocated very strong feelings for Elliot Rodger. It’s interesting to see how online, right now, we’ve got incel members who are sympathising and showing support for him.
“People are memorialising him and seeing him in sympathetic terms.”
Dr Boyd said social media was “crucial ” to promulgating incel ideology. She said that individuals associated with incels such as Alek Minassian, who killed 10 pedestrians in Toronto, Canada, with a van, had used tactics adopted by jihadists.
Friel said he bought the weapons as he wanted to provoke police to shoot him, just as Minassian had attempted to do.
Dr Boyd said: “In terms of how incel is similar to jihadist groups, we see how incel has developed a culture of martyrdom where individuals who have committed murder on behalf of incel are kind of treated as heroes.”
In Januar y the Sunday Mai l revealed how Friel was being praised by extremist groups online.
He had penned a 141- page document that attacked women and was quickly adopted as a martyr by the incel movement.