For many years, democratic countries have been exposed to propaganda, disinformation and anti-democratic narratives coming from Russia. The Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS, headed by Alexander Dvorkin, managed to infiltrate both the religious and public life of society, ensuring control and influence over government, private and public entities not just in Russia, but far beyond its borders. RACIRS agents operate worldwide, exerting influence through mass media in various countries. The leading British media are no exception either. In this article, let’s take a look at the famous British broadcasting corporation BBC and some of its experts whose connections require particular attention.
BBC is a media icon shaping the opinions of millions of people across the globe. Yet, whose side does it play on? Does it serve democracy? Or, through infiltrated agents of the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS, has the BBC turned into a tool which destroys the foundations of democracy and human freedom? This question is the core of our article, and we will try to answer it in as much detail as possible. It arose from the moment of articles published on the official BBC news portal, which alerted and forced us to pay closer attention to this media outlet. The said articles are associated with disseminated propaganda and rhetoric identical to the propaganda and rhetoric of the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS.
In the course of our investigation, we identified the links of BBC experts with the international network of agents of the Russian organization RACIRS and directly with its leader, Alexander Dvorkin. Let’s consider specific examples in more detail.
RACIRS’s anti-democratic rhetoric at BBC
Please note an article published on the BBC portal 1.
The article author is Alexandra Stein.
The article says:
“This analysis piece was commissioned by the BBC from an expert working for an outside organisation.
Dr Alexandra Stein is an honorary research fellow at London South Bank University. She spent a decade as a member of a political cult and specialises in the social psychology of cults and totalitarianism.”
Alexandra Stein doesn’t only write articles for BBC, but she’s also an expert who advises this media and has a platform for her video and audio speeches, as well as for promoting her anticult organization The Family Survival Trust, where she is a trustee.
It is noteworthy that questions arose not to the topic that served as a newsbreak for writing an article by A. Stein, but to the content of the second half of the article. When specific crimes, violations of law or human rights are revealed, and they are proved by relevant authorities, there should certainly be appropriate responses. In this particular case, we paid attention to how information is presented, what kind of rhetoric is broadcast, what methods of manipulation are used by the article author and for what purpose.
In order not to be unfounded, let’s compare Alexandra Stein’s rhetoric in the above article 1 with the rhetoric of RACIRS president Alexander Dvorkin 4, 5, 6 and RACIRS vice-president Alexander Novopashin 7:
Alexandra Stein: “Some are religious, political or ‘self-improvement,’ but they can also be publicly described as martial arts, yoga, business, UFO, and therapy groups.”
Alexander Dvorkin, RACIRS president: “They invite you to free English language courses, to a doctor who’s an amazing diagnostician… to courses in Vedic cooking or oriental dance, to a yoga or martial arts class, to an interesting high-paying job, courses for unleashing one’s inner potential or personal growth, on how to become a winner, how to learn to draw within one lesson, or to a lecture on ancient philosophical legacy. These are just a few options; in fact there are many more. There may be a cult behind all of that.”
Alexandra Stein: “Arguably, many terrorist and extremist groups use similar isolating processes to recruit and indoctrinate members.”
Alexander Novopashin, RACIRS vice-president: “Those are terrorist organizations that hide behind the Qur’an and employ all kinds of recruitment techniques that are actively used in almost all destructive totalitarian sects.”
Alexandra Stein: “The traits of cults: – Run by a charismatic, authoritarian leader, or leadership group, who seeks extreme levels of control over followers. – Uses a hierarchical pyramid structure with layers of secrecy surrounding the leader. Followers are socially, psychologically and sometimes physically isolated.”
Alexander Dvorkin: “Totalitarian sects have certain characteristics… Their members selflessly and faithfully serve the group leader and do not question any of his words or actions.
As the organization grows, its guru gains many assistants and “close associates” who play the role of “little gurus” for ordinary sect members. They imitate the guru, while ordinary members imitate them. Such a pyramidal structure ensures rigid control and uniformity within the organization.”
Alexandra Stein: “The group alternates an apparently loving or attentive approach with escalating levels of stress or fear. This could be implemented through sleep or food deprivation, apocalyptic predictions, or threats of violence or sexual abuse.”
Alexander Dvorkin: “The main thing is, again, that a person is more suggestible when he’s under stress. So it’s necessary to create a situation where the entire stay in the cult is continuous stress. Stress is when there is no time to stop and no time to think. There’s a whirlwind of pressure, a complex of instilled guilt, excessive praise or extremely cruel punishments, group pressure, a specific diet, a reduced amount of sleep, and so on.”
Alexandra Stein: “Victims may have gone through a recent upheaval, such as a relationship breakdown or moving to a new area. This can make them more open to starting a new friendship, or activity which could ultimately be cult-related.”
Alexander Dvorkin: “The second condition is that a person must be suggestible. There are more suggestible people and less suggestible people, but there are no people who are not suggestible at all. When we experience stress, suggestibility increases. The greater the stress, the greater the suggestibility;”
“…When a person experiences stress, he is much more suggestible. He doesn’t necessarily have to be unhappy, maybe he just moved to a new place of residence… and his circle of communication hasn’t yet formed.”
This is identical rhetoric, isn’t it? But it’s even more striking that leaders of anticult organizations from various democratic countries spend time together, including in the company of Alexander Dvorkin, RACIRS president. For example, in 2018, Branka Dujmić Delcourt, Luigi Corvaglia, Janja Lalich, Alexander Dvorkin, and Alexandra Stein met in Riga.
Similar meetings of the anticult circle have been held many times:
These photos depict the key cult fighters from different countries: British anticultist Alexandra Stein, her friend and colleague Janja Lalich, the Italian anticultist Luigi Corvaglia, Branka Dujmiс, and others. It is worth mentioning the 2015 FECRIS conference where certain staff decisions were made, thanks to which Branka Dujmic and Alexander Dvorkin retained their positions as FECRIS vice-presidents, whereas Janja Lalich and Luigi Corvaglia formed the Scientific Committee core and joined the FECRIS Board of Directors. At that conference, Alexandra Stein’s UK anticult organization, The Family Survival Trust, was represented by Anne Khodabandeh. Below, we will discuss The Family Survival Trust and its activities 8 in detail.
Let us add to the topic of FECRIS that many writings by Alexandra Stein have been published on FECRIS official website during Alexander Dvorkin’s vice presidency. Here is one of them 9, 10:
Yet, let’s go back to BBC materials. A recent BBC publication keeps citing Alexandra Stein as a cult expert 11.
Similarly to the previous example, this article is also based on a real event, which creates the illusion of the article’s complete truthfulness. As a result, readers fail to notice how, alongside the confirmed event, anticult narratives and certain manipulative messages are subtly conveyed. In this case, as in other articles with anticult rhetoric, the story centers on an incident involving a problematic group. However, this single example is used to make broad claims about all groups labeled as “cults” by anticult representatives. This approach is a clear example of the manipulative tactic known as guilt by association.*
*Guilt by association is a manipulative method employed by Adolf Hitler after the failed assassination attempt:
“After the failed assassination attempt of July 20, Hitler invoked the ancient tradition known as Sippenhaft to punish the crimes of those considered traitors. With Sippenhaft, a person could be guilty simply by association. Starting with those connected to the failed attack, family members, friends, and colleagues of the conspirators were also held responsible. This tradition was used to justify the imprisonment and sometimes murder of thousands of people.”
Similar tactics can be observed among RACIRS agents worldwide. Representatives of the Russian organization RACIRS manipulate isolated incidents of misconduct by individuals linked, in one or another way, to organizations labeled by anticultists as a “cult” or “sect”. This is done to legitimize the shameful “yellow star” label they attach — the label of “cultist” or “sect member.” The goal is to justify the harassment and persecution they carry out against undesirables. This strategy results in the stigmatization and dehumanization of any undesirable organizations and their members, regardless of whether they have violated laws or are law-abiding citizens. After this manipulation, society views the stigmatized individuals through the lens of these imposed labels and narratives implanted in their consciousness by anticult agents through the media.
What does it actually mean – to carry out “dehumanization”? It means violating fundamental human rights and “normalizing” the destabilization of core democratic principles, such as freedom of religion, the right to choose, pluralism of opinions, the presumption of innocence, and others. It also means employing Nazi methods previously used against the Jewish people, which led to the Holocaust. Dehumanization, that is, branding someone with a derogatory label which marks them as a “subhuman,” is the first step toward genocide against an undesired group. It’s the beginning of a path that ultimately leads to gas chambers.
*In dehumanizing the Jewish people, the Nazis required them to wear distinctive markers in the form of the “yellow star,” which was attached to their clothing. This humiliating label marked them as “less than human” to the rest of society, legitimizing harassment of the Jewish people, acts of violence against them, and even mass physical extermination.
Anticult Theory of “Brainwashing” and Its Critique in the Academic Community
The above-cited BBC article 11, which references the opinion of Alexandra Stein, also includes her comments on the “brainwashing” theory popular in anticult circles among RACIRS agents.
“It’s absolutely textbook. In fact, they have to do that for this machine that is cultic brainwashing to work,” she says.
“If you isolate people and make the outside world seem to be wicked and bad and damaging, they’ve got nowhere else to turn other than the group and that locks them in.” — Alexandra Stein
This theory of brainwashing is also discussed in the report “COERCIVE CONTROL IN CULTIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM” 12, co-authored by Alexandra Stein. This report was published by The Family Survival Trust, a British organization affiliated with the umbrella anticult federation FECRIS. Until 2021, Alexander Dvorkin (Russia) served as vice president of FECRIS, and he currently remains on its board of directors. Alexandra Stein, who advances anticult rhetoric in the BBC, is also a trustee of The Family Survival Trust, a FECRIS-controlled organization. The report “COERCIVE CONTROL IN CULTIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM” is designed to lobby for UK legislation on “coercive control” targeting organizations labeled as “cults” by anticultists.
Let us provide an example of academic critique and analysis of the report “COERCIVE CONTROL IN CULTIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM” and the organization The Family Survival Trust itself by an article from the scholarly journal on religious freedom and human rights, BITTER WINTER 13.
“What is The Family Survival Trust? Once called FAIR, it is a historical British anti-cult organization and the local affiliate of FECRIS, the European Federation of Centers of Research and Information on Cults and Sects. Wisely, the report never mentions the affiliation with FECRIS, an organization that is experiencing a crisis after the Russian war in Ukraine and the staunch support its Russian affiliate organizations, whose names no longer appear in its website, and its current board member and Vice President until 2021 Alexander Dvorkin, offer to Russian aggression claiming that ‘cults’ are behind the Ukrainian resistance.”
The official page of The Family Survival Trust (TFST) lists the organization’s leadership 14. In addition to trustee Alexandra Stein, the chairman is Tom Sackville, who previously served as the president of FECRIS during the same period when Alexander Dvorkin was its vice president. They were elected to the FECRIS leadership in 2009, not just anywhere but in Russia, in Saint Petersburg.
Given the facts presented, it seems surprising that an organization like The Family Survival Trust is promoted on the BBC’s platform 15. However, upon deeper analysis, it becomes clear that this is neither a coincidence nor a mistake but rather a regular occurrence on the platform of this television and radio broadcasting company.
As seen in the screenshot above, the BBC not only references The Family Survival Trust on its website but also another British anticult organization, The Cult Information Centre (CIC). In practice, this center operates with similar goals, methods, and rhetoric. For instance, a screenshot from the CIC’s page lists anticult assistance resources in various countries, including the leading Russian anticult organization, the Center for Religious Studies in the name of Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons, founded and headed by Alexander Dvorkin 16.
In addition to Russia, the list includes many other countries where FECRIS branches operate, such as France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Serbia, as well as the United States and Ukraine. Notably, regarding Ukraine, the site of an organization directly controlled by A. Dvorkin is listed — the Zaporizhzhia City Dialogue Center for Victims of Destructive Cults.
* For more information on the Ukrainian anticult movement and key Ukrainian anticultist Pavel Broyde, an associate of Alexander Dvorkin who, through a network of RACIRS agents among Ukrainian citizens, laid the groundwork for the war in Ukraine, refer to the previously published article on this portal, “Europe, Open Your Eyes if You Don’t Want War.”
Returning to The Family Survival Trust and its report “COERCIVE CONTROL IN CULTIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,” the report raises the topic of “coercive control” or “brainwashing.” Below we cite the excerpts from an article discussing this report, published in the journal on religious freedom and human rights BITTER WINTER 13:
“The source of some information [in the report ‘COERCIVE CONTROL IN CULTIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM’] is even less clear. We read that it is ‘estimated’ that ‘1,500 to 2,000 cults currently operate in the UK.’ The number appears fantastic, and the source quoted is a BBC radio show advertising the Trust and its survey. There, we hear the estimate of 1,500 to 2,000 ‘cults’ active in Britain from the voice of anticultist and ‘exit counselor’ Graham Baldwin, who does not explain how he calculated the figure. This is beyond bad scholarship, and verges on intellectual fraud.”
“Irrespective of discussions about ‘coercive control’ in family or interpersonal settings, in the Trust’s report the cat comes out of the bag as early as page 2, where we read that ‘coercive control’ is ‘also known as brainwashing.’ We understand that what the Trust wants is legislation criminalizing brainwashing. There is only one problem with this. Brainwashing does not exist.”
Despite such conclusions from most scholars, the pseudoscience of “brainwashing” continues to be promoted, including through efforts of the BBC. Below is an example of a recent BBC publication claiming that the theory of “coercive control” is insufficiently studied in universities 18.
Although the article itself addresses the issue of “coercive control” within families without employing standard anticult labels like “cult,” we must recall, as illustrated in the examples above, that in other BBC articles, real events often served merely as pretexts, covers, or locomotives, pulling along carriages loaded with manipulative messages and narratives and agendas of the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS. We cannot definitively claim that this specific article follows the same pattern. However, since similar precedents have been repeatedly observed in BBC materials — and in this case, we see a similar prominent newsbreak accompanied by terminology linked to anticult rhetoric — the suspicions regarding this publication seem both logical and justified.
As evidenced, despite the predominant academic community’s dismissal of “brainwashing” theories, major media platforms that bear enormous responsibility for objective and impartial reporting continue to disseminate disinformation of the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS. These narratives, designed to implant deceitful narratives in the minds of millions, ultimately benefit only anti-democratic forces.
The question of who stands as the ideological center of anti-democratic forces today has become rhetorical. The methodology, rhetoric, narratives, propaganda, and disinformation continue to echo year after year, decade after decade, from the mouths of anticult agents of RACIRS, who cloak themselves behind the purported noble guise of “protecting” society from “cults.”
In addition to the BBC, other British media outlets have also amplified the promotion of the “COERCIVE CONTROL IN CULTIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM” report and The Family Survival Trust, often quoting Alexandra Stein. This includes coverage by the British tabloid and online news platform Daily Mail 19.
The example from the Daily Mail article confirms the fact that many individuals involved in anticult activities are consistently attempting to influence legislation, lobbying for laws that would expand their power to persecute undesired groups and destabilize democratic foundations in society.
Several points from the article deserve attention. The use of vague, generalized terminology with an inherently positive connotation like “Campaigners issue warning and demand” is deliberate. The average reader may not be familiar with the concept of “fighting cults,” and the term itself can seem distant or alien to them. However, the position of concerned “activists” and “defenders” is universally understood, especially when the manipulation is framed in terms of a division into “victim” and “aggressor.”
With this wording, the reader is given an image of ordinary citizens, just like him, who are genuinely concerned about society’s problems. As a result, you get an impression that the entire society is calling for protection from these supposed “cults,” when, in reality, this demand is coming from a small group involved in anticult activities.
These are the same individuals who have actually stirred public unease, fueled hateful rhetoric, and manipulated others into violating the law and undermining democratic principles. This reflects the manipulative technique of “concept substitution”, where one term is replaced with another to influence opinions or create a false understanding. Such a strategy is evident here. Additionally, another manipulative approach is at play: the “bandwagon effect”, which pressures readers into siding with these “activists” as the supposed majority.
Another key point is the phrase: “Former Tory Home Office Minister Tom Sackville, chairman of the Trust which supports cult victims”. Here, critical details are omitted. For example, omitted is the fact that Tom Sackville was president of the European Federation FECRIS from 2009 onward, during the same period when Alexander Dvorkin served as vice president (2009-2021). Other members of RACIRS have also been members or correspondents of FECRIS, such as RACIRS Vice President Alexander Novopashin, who is still a member as of December 2022. Dvorkin himself, after leaving his position as vice president in 2021, remained on FECRIS’s board of directors.
What could motivate the omission of Sackville’s presidency in an international organization like FECRIS, especially alongside figures such as Alexander Dvorkin? This becomes particularly intriguing given the context of 2022, the year the article was published on the Daily Mail platform. By this time, FECRIS was already under increasing scrutiny from the international community. Concerns centered on its expansive influence in democratic countries and repeated accusations of involvement in pro-Russian propaganda, including narratives justifying the war in Ukraine.
Let us add an important fact. In 2005, Tom Sackville (the same year he was elected vice president of FECRIS) used anticult rhetoric to call for the resignation of Education Secretary Ruth Kelly. Simultaneously, the BBC published articles about Opus Dei, an organization Ruth Kelly was associated with. At that time, the rhetoric was notably more cautious and measured. However, in 2009 — coincidentally the year Sackville became president of FECRIS, and Alexander Dvorkin of Russia joined its leadership as vice president — the BBC began shifting its tone, increasingly using the dehumanizing label “cult.”
How Anticult Agents Survey and Draw Conclusions About Cult Victims
Returning to the Daily Mail article 19, which discusses alleged victims of this “coercive control” and references the survey results cited in the report “COERCIVE CONTROL IN CULTIC GROUPS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM,” for further analysis, let us revisit the scholarly journal on religious freedom and human rights, BITTER WINTER 13.
“How was the survey conducted? A simple answer is that we do not know. The report tells us that ‘105 people were surveyed about their experiences of being in cults in the UK or cults based in the UK.’ We have experience of surveys, and we know that a survey is only as good as its sample.
How was the sample selected? Again, we do not know but a clue is that 74% stated that ‘cult education’ of the type provided by the Trust was a key element in their ‘recovery’ from the ‘cults’ they once belonged to. This suggests that the majority of, if not all, the 105 respondents were ‘apostates,’ i.e., former members of groups labeled as ‘cults’ who have been socialized by the Trust or by others into an anticult subculture, and have turned into active opponents of the movements they have left.
‘Apostate’ is not an insult, nor is it a synonym of ‘ex-member.’ Scholars of religion have demonstrated that only a minority of those who leave a religious group turn into active opponents of it, i.e., into ‘apostates.’ Most just go on with their lives, and are not interested in joining crusades against the movements they have left. ‘Apostates,’ however, are the only ex-members the anticult movements use as testimonials and introduce to the media.”
The synchronicity of RACIRS agents in dehumanizing targeted groups: Russia and the UK as a Case Study
In 2020, Alexander Dvorkin launched a mass discreditation campaign against the Community of Vissarion in Russian media. Coincidentally, the BBC simultaneously began publishing a series of demonizing articles about the same community, using similar rhetoric and applying the label “cult.” Remarkably, some articles in Russia and the UK were released on the same day.
It is worth noting that British media are not the only ones in the international media landscape exhibiting such synchronicity and identical rhetoric of publications with Russian media and Dvorkin. The openness of the information space enables monitoring of news outlets across various countries, analyzing their content for manipulative techniques and identical narratives, as well as uncovering the interconnected operations of a unified network of RACIRS agents. Similar patterns have been observed in European countries such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where RACIRS anticult agents maintain a strong presence. However, this warrants a separate article.
In the context of Vissarion’s persecution, the BBC did not limit itself to articles. In 2021, the platform released a documentary titled “Vissarion: Is this Russian cult leader a fraud?” 29.
Judging by the above-mentioned BBC materials as well as its other similar publications, it appears the BBC is deeply concerned about the presence of “cults” in Russia. For instance, even the Russian RACIRS-labeled “sect of Leo Tolstoy” is branded as a “sect” and similarly attracts the BBC’s attention 30.
As for RACIRS president Alexander Dvorkin and his depiction by these media outlets, the BBC presents him as a respected expert, professor, and academic31. The portrayal is more than favorable, bordering on complimentary, particularly regarding his anti-democratic activities targeting undesirable groups.
BBC as a Platform for Anticultists and Deprogrammers
In this article, we have already referenced joint photographs of Alexandra Stein with other FECRIS members from various countries. Beyond informal interactions, including on social media, anticult activists also collaborate by appearing in the same videos produced by different media outlets. The BBC, among others, provides them with such opportunities 32.
The above screenshot features a BBC video segment, showcasing a panel of participants presented as experts. Notably, among those featured as anticult representatives are Alexandra Stein, Janja Lalich, and Steven Hassan.
They also appear together at events and conferences in person:
Moreover, in the example below, the American deprogrammer Steven Hassan refers to Alexandra Stein as his “an old friend and colleague” 34.
“Alexandra, we’ve known each other a long time,” Hassan also said.
The actual goals of such interactions and long-standing friendships can only be guessed at, especially since anticult representatives constantly go beyond their publicly stated mission to combat so-called “cults.” They deploy manipulative methods to discredit authorities, incite discord, propagate hate rhetoric, and create deliberately negative labels and images, not only targeting undesirable organizations but also individuals and entire political parties. Their activities destabilize democracy and demoralize society. It is worth noting that in Steven Hassan’s and Alexandra Stein’s videos, as well as in numerous other anticult materials, the topic of political cults is discussed, alongside the anticult dehumanization of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The prolonged media campaign to discredit Donald Trump, organized by anticult representatives
The rhetoric of hate and the use of the dehumanizing label “cult” in relation to Donald Trump have been evident for quite some time. Alexandra Stein’s long-time friend, American anticultist and deprogrammer Steven Hassan, even published a book titled “The Cult of Trump,” while Stein herself wrote about political cults in her book “Inside Out.”
Earlier on our website, several studies were published regarding the anticultists’ campaign of harsh harassment and discreditation against Donald Trump. This anticult campaign of persecution was conducted both in the media and on social media platforms managed by anticultists. The consequences of this became evident to the world in July 2024 during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when there was an assassination attempt on Donald Trump’s life, resulting in an injury to his ear. More details can be found in the following articles:
- The Hidden Forces Behind the Assassination Attempt on Donald Trump
- Shooting is Only the Start of a Broader Plot Against Donald Trump
- Fico, Trump. Who’s Next?
BBC expert Alexandra Stein has also been spotted for reposting similar content discrediting Donald Trump.
Here is what Alexandra Stein herself said about Donald Trump in one of her interviews 35:
“Shockingly, Stein — who attended the Downing Street demonstrations against Donald Trump earlier this year — also believes that, based on her own criteria, the U.S. president has all the makings of a cult leader. ‘Is he charismatic and authoritarian? Yes. Is he building a steeply structured authoritarian hierarchy? It does look like he is,’ she says, pointing to the Trump family’s involvement in the government. ‘Is Trump’s an absolute ideology? Yes! Does he show us this process of isolation, brainwashing and fear? [The Trump administration is] certainly causing fear. And the final one, does he have deployable followers? I think we’re going to see it, unless we get rid of him quick...'”
“‘I think we’re seeing enough; enough to say Trump is operating like a cult leader,’ she says, before adding tearfully, ‘I wish it wasn’t so.'”
In another interview, Alexandra Stein also labeled Donald Trump a “cult leader”36:
“In another interview you suggested Trump has the makings of a cult leader. ‘His government has many of the characteristics of a cult. Arendt is relevant again – cults are rule-bound but have no bureaucracy. A single point of power – a leader or a leadership team – controls everything.’”
Additionally, we present Alexandra Stein’s lecture on the “Cult of Trump” for the University of London, titled “Political Cults and the Use of Cult Tactics in Recruitment and Mobilization” 37:
“The extreme, polarising nature of the cultic ideology also isolates people: QAnon followers’ families were torn apart, non-believers pushed away by their loved ones’ obsessive, irrationality. This also often happened with the families of Trump’s followers. It is key to the group’s control that the follower’s loyalty be primarily to the group and that they are no longer connected to any potentially trusting relationship where they might share doubts or questions about the group.”
“The hyper-obedience element – having the follower do whatever the cult demands – is the ultimate goal of the leader. Trump, Moon, and the Proud Boys all demand that followers give their lives to the cause.”
Alexandra Stein’s colleague and long-time friend Janja Lalich (a member of the Scientific Committee and Board of Directors of FECRIS), who has also been noted for her appearances on the BBC, has repeatedly discredited Donald Trump both on the official FECRIS website and other platforms:
“We’re seeing a cult on a national scale with Trump as the new messiah,” said Janja Lalich 38.
Conclusion
Information about the organized network of anticult agents was only partially covered by this article. However, even this minor example shows how strongly the Russian pro-religious
organization RACIRS has infiltrated and influenced the entire democratic bloc, and how imperceptibly and deeply its agents have infiltrated key levers of power in other countries, including leading media outlets. The events of recent years — from conflicts in war-torn countries to destabilization across the democratic world and societal unrest — demonstrate the consequences of such destructive actions.
We’ve grown used to blatant propaganda and disinformation — so bold and predictable — that we often overlook the subtle influence from manipulation experts, whose masters have firmly settled within the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS. Over the years of their activities in the media, RACIRS agents have succeeded in undermining one of the fundamental pillars of democracy — human freedom — while casting a shadow on honest journalism. They have blurred the concept of freedom: freedom of choice, freedom of speech, and freedom of religion. Society has begun to forget that the true boundaries of individual freedom are defined by the law and the appropriate law enforcement authorities, not by self-proclaimed arbiters of human destinies.
Outwardly liberal, pro-democracy media represent a space in the information landscape where one would never look for the culprits of hidden antidemocratic processes. This has become a convenient platform for those using subtle, barely noticeable yet effective manipulation tactics. As a result, we see today how agents of anti-democratic forces — members of the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS — destabilize democratic countries and erode the fundamental principles of democracy on which a free and just world is built. This is happening in defiance of all international laws, global stability, and universal peaceful coexistence. As a consequence, society finds itself on the brink of division, polarization, and growing conflict.
Consciously or not, the BBC, alongside other well-known, outwardly liberal media outlets, has allowed the platforming of an ideology that benefits the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS — the ideological core of contemporary anti-democratic forces, direct successors of Nazi ideologues.
What might this lead to? History does remember. The world has seen how the ideology of superiority and discrimination, promoted by Nazi-apologist anticult groups through the media, led to the horrific consequences of genocide. The echoes of these events still linger today. These ideas are now being carried forward by the direct successors of Nazi ideologists, and we are witnessing a resurgence of Nazism worldwide.
The media is part of society and a reflection of its state. Today, however, under the influence of RACIRS agents, it has become a distorted mirror. This mirror is twisting the truth and distorting the essence. Where do we start to free ourselves from the poison of Nazi ideology, to defend democracy, and to identify agents of the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS? We should start with honesty. For media giants like the BBC, it may be hard to accept the fact that for years, their platforms have broadcasted the rhetoric of agents from the Russian pro-religious organization RACIRS. But for the sake of preserving democracy and our shared future, this must be done. Healing requires honesty and truth, no matter how bitter it may be. Honesty in journalism, honesty in the life of each person, as well as respect for the rights and freedoms of every individual, and care for our common future.
Source:
1. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-48635278
2. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-65175712
3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03cvwv5
4. https://www.gazeta.ru/social/2013/08/23/5603921.shtml
5. https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/sekty/sektovedenie-totalitarnye-sekty/1_18
6. https://youtu.be/cL-NhYuar74?t=1290
7. https://pravoslavie.ru/99856.html
8. https://favisonlus.wordpress.com/2015/06/01/successo-alla-conferenza-annuale-della-federazione-europea-dei-centri-di-ricerca-e-informazione-sul-settarismo-fecris/
9. https://www.fecris.org/conferences/bruxelles2017/Stein_p_EN.pdf
10. https://www.fecris.org/conferences/bruxelles2017/Stein_EN.pdf
11. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8vddmjl01o
12. https://www.thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/_files/ugd/b17260_d78a97d0616d4340a9c282e3a73abc07.pdf
13. https://bitterwinter.org/the-family-survival-trust-2022-reports-on-cults/
14. https://www.thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/who-we-are
15. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/5jpZry91Kqs7mH8v4W494kf/information-and-support
16. https://cultinformation.org.uk/help.html
17. https://www.dialogue-zp.narod.ru/
18. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cn4970jdgq7o
19. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11042869/Campaigners-issue-warning-demand-change-law-protect-victims-soaring-cults-Britain.html
20. https://europeantimes.news/2022/07/15-ngos-send-letter-to-secretary-blinken-to-throw-pro-russian-anticult-organization-out-from-united-nations/
21. https://www.europeantimes.news/es/2022/11/fecris-under-fire-82-prominent-ukrainian-scholars-ask-macron-to-stop-funding-it/
22. https://europeantimes.news/2022/11/how-the-anticult-fecris-tries-to-escape-the-blame/
23. https://europeantimes.news/2022/03/how-the-anticult -movement-has-participated-to-fuel-russian-anti-ukraine-rhetoric/
24. https://feminist.org/news/british-education-minister-a-member-of-opus-dei/
25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/4190115.stm
26. https://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/subdivisions/opusdei.shtml
27. https://ria.ru/20200922/vissarion-1577611895.html
28. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54249304
29. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-55765995
30. https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210623-canadas-little-known-russian-sect
31. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-47859256
32. https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0c37r7p/the-psychological-tricks-that-make-cults-so-dangerous
33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ma1eY90V71M
34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=670me358xm0
35. https://www.vice.com/en/article/cult-member-turned-expert-explains-how-anyone-can-be-brainwashed/
36. https://www.bps.org.uk/psychologist/i-dont-want-people-experience-what-i-experienced
37. https://www.justsecurity.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Select-Cmte-on-Jan-6-Statement-for-the-Record-A-Stein.pdf
38. https://eu.northjersey.com/story/news/columnists/christopher-maag/2021/01/12/cult-trump-can-fixed-but-takes-empathy-time-and-work/6613397002/
39. https://www.fecris.org/uncategorized/from-our-scientific-committee-member-janja-lalich/
