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Camilla Bredal Pedersen

@camillabp.bsky.social
151 followers 249 following 210 posts

Beginner's mind in midlife. Intrigued by normalcy and knowledge after twenty years in a famous new-age community/cult. Politics student, partner, bonus parent, dog mama. Viscerally alert to groupthink and invisible power hierarchies. Scotland/Norway. 🏳️‍🌈

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 02/10/2026
A deep dive into the Baltic states' extensive preparations for a Russian invasion, from @isaacstanbecker who tracks "the emergence of a new order, in which Ukraine matters as much to the security of Europe as the United States" www.theatlantic.com/magazine/202...
theatlantic.com
The Baltic States Prepare for War
Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are readying themselves to fend off a Russian attack—with the help of the United States, or without it.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Waking up in Norway to the sad news of King Harald’s passing. As a sovereign, he was genuinely loved for his humanity, moral clarity and values based leadership. His inclusive signalling of belonging mattered enormously to many, including this “girl who likes girls”. youtube.com/watch?v=ShLa...
youtube.com
Norway Is Us
YouTube video by Jan Brogger
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... So glad to see this getting attention in the Guardian yesterday!
theguardian.com
‘If my boyfriend did what my pastor did, I believe police could investigate’. The campaign to close a serious gap in UK law | Barbara Speed
England and Wales pioneered the criminalisation of coercive control, but it doesn’t apply outside of intimate or family relationships. Why stop there, asks deputy head of Guardian Opinion Barbara Spee...
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
auonsson @auonsson.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
A northern Norway submarine comms cable has been damaged underwater rendering parts of west Finnmark offline. Close by in Hammerfest is a large LNG-facility that seem unaffected. Police in Hammerfest still have connectivity. The affected area is sparsely populated. www.nrk.no/tromsogfinnm...
nrk.no
Manglende dekning og forstyrrelser i fiber etter brudd i sjøkabel i Finnmark
Mobildekning og fiber er borte flere steder i Hammerfest kommune etter et brudd i en sjøkabel.
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Marci Shore @marcishore.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
"I do believe that the real problem is that the border between democracy and authoritarianism is the least protected border in the world."--Ivan Krastev
youtube.com
Trump’s New World Disorder with Adam Tooze and Ivan Krastev | The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
YouTube video by The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Among the steady stream of horrifying global news, this quietly validating and impactful piece of cult research kinda made my day. internationalculticstudies.org/research-hig...
internationalculticstudies.org
The unique characteristics of post-cult PTSD and suggested therapeutic approaches ICSA Today - ICSA
An evidence-informed look at how cult trauma can produce a distinct form of Complex PTSD—and what therapists should do differently to avoid retraumatization and support recovery.
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Marci Shore @marcishore.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
Mark Carney is right: it's time to take down the signs.
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Marci Shore @marcishore.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
I feel vindicated for having made all my students read “The Power of the Powerless” all these years. . . www.vaclavhavel.cz/en/index/vid...
vaclavhavel.cz
Vaclav Havel Library
The Václav Havel Library functions as a centre for the documentation and research of modern Czech history, with an emphasis on promoting the ideas of VH.
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
It may not have the hot clang of the Book of Revelation, but when the Danes are selling your bonds it has not been a good day.
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Liam Nissan™ @theliamnissan.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Staying informed on current affairs can be overwhelming and depressing. Do it anyway.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 19/01/2026
Following the news on a daily basis, and the greater authoritarian shift that forms its context has until now been a mostly cognitive experience for me. Today, however, that shifted into a more visceral sense of threat and fear. As always, Anne Applebaum’s perspective is a sanity-anchoring read.
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Melissa Chan @melissakchan.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
It’s old-fashioned to defend mainstream journalism these days but some of the most reliable reporting from people actually on the ground will be the AP and Reuters the next 24 hours. Your Substack journalist writing takes will be using frontline reporting from them.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
youtube.com/watch?v=iRnZ...
youtube.com
Moldova president: We are just a testing ground for Putin | Exclusive interview
YouTube video by The Telegraph
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Alexandra Stein @alexandrastein.bsky.social · 24/10/2025
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
theguardian.com
Australia’s cults crisis: why more people are falling prey to insidious high-control groups
Inquiry hears of boom in cult activity as coercive groups promise recruits ‘simple answers to complex problems’
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Marci Shore @marcishore.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
I found this very satisfying: “We do need support, but nobody’s playing the cards given by America. Nobody gives a flying fuck about JD Vance’s opinion.”-- Artem Chapeye @ljohnson.bsky.social
newrepublic.com
The Ukrainian Anarchist Pacifist Writer Putin Drove to Take Up Arms
Artem Chapeye once spent his time translating Gandhi and Chomsky and getting published in The New Yorker. Then, in 2022, he joined the army.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
Well this will be a treat! This English language version just arrived at my door and I can see myself shifting plans for this evening. 🤭🤓 #booksky #reading #politics #internationalrelations #NATO #jensstoltenberg
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Thomas Nilsen @thomasnilsen.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
I mer enn ti år har Kongsberg Gruppens kunde videresolgt avansert undervannsteknologi fra Norge og Vesten til Russland. Teknologien benyttes til militære installasjoner langs sjøbunnen i Barentshavet.
nrk.no
Norsk teknologi kan ha bidratt til å beskytte Putins atomvåpen
Hvordan kunne det norske utstyret fra Kongsberg Gruppen ende opp her?
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
didionecon.bsky.social @didionecon.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
A local councillor was just asking me if I'm planning to install a heat pump. Dunno, are they planning to let us continue living here for the duration of the payback period? They're so blind to what this 'debate' does at a community level.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
The entire response is unnerving, serving only to further normalise chilling ideals such as “cultural cohesion”.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
While I appreciate the sonic design of this programme, I’m finding myself in a familiar place of exasperation. Here is another philosophical exploration of the Findhorn Community’s magical origin story, evoking hippie era nostalgia and existential wonder, while missing the more relevant human story.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 04/10/2025
Un-British now. I’m going to assume she is aware of how loaded and irresponsible that rhetoric is, especially when spoken on behalf of a sitting government. 🚨🚩😳
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
I haven't posted here in a while due to the surprising and debilitating onset of what appears to be M.E/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or possibly Long Covid. Tips and advice from anyone with experience of navigating the NHS and other UK resources are welcome. #chronicfatiguesyndrome #ME/CFS #longcovid
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Alexandra Stein @alexandrastein.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
UK people! We need your signature on this petition to amend the coercive control legislation to include group coercion, such as happens in cults. Please share widely. thefamilysurvivaltrust.org/petition/?fb...
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
Existing coercive control legislation offers protection to victims of domestic and intimate partner abuse. And, as a former cult member, I am acutely aware of the (psychological, sexual, economic) coercive control that still goes unchecked within a vast number of cultlike groups. #groupcoercion #UK
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 04/06/2025
Sad news about a brilliant author.
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Alexandra Stein @alexandrastein.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
Important Observer article on Scientology harassment tactics. The same tactics have been used by Lighthouse International Group towards myself, @catrinnye.bsky.social and many others. This must be stopped. The UK police must step up. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...
theguardian.com
‘I’ve been getting 100 messages a day’: Church of Scientology accused of intimidating UK critics
Campaigners face online attacks, claims of criminality and complaints to employers. The Church says it’s the victim
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 23/03/2025
Congratulations, @apostatealex.bsky.social on bringing about today's excellent exposure! May much-needed action to stop Scientology's well-documented abuses now follow. #cults #abusivepractices #legislativechange #coercivecontrol
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
If you know you know. 🇺🇦🏳️‍🌈🏴‍☠️🗳️❌👑🐸 @pcqgal.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
@ruthbenghiat.bsky.social Your explanation of what a dictator and dictatorship is with real world examples is amazing.
youtu.be
History Professor Answers Dictator Questions | Tech Support | WIRED
YouTube video by WIRED
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Maria Popova @popovaprof.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
Eastern Europeans have a long record of deposing corrupt autocrats through peaceful protest. Let's see if the Serbs succeed for the second time in 25 years.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 09/03/2025
“Wellness Wild West” and predatory cult leaders are a match enabled by lack of industry regulation. And this is also an example of why we should consider amending existing coercive control legislation to also include group-settings. #cult #wellness #uk www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
The disturbing case of a Tantric yoga guru and his followers
Under the guise of spiritual leadership, Gregorian Bivolaru allegedly exploited hundreds of people through an international network of yoga camps and retreats. Now he’s awaiting trial, accused of kidn...
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Alexis Licht @alexislicht.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
Dear US colleagues, In response to the Trump administration, my university @univ-amu.fr is setting up a new program dedicated to welcoming American scientists wishing to pursue their work in France. There are several M$ in the budget. www.univ-amu.fr/en/public/ac...
univ-amu.fr
Safe Place For Science: Aix Marseille Université ready to welcome American scientists | Aix Marseille Université
In a context where some scientists in the United States may feel threatened or hindered in their research, our university is announcing the launch of the Safe Place For Science program, dedicated to w...
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 08/03/2025
A brave and exposing story about growing up in the Rajneesh communes, detailing the cultural normalisation of sexual abuse perpetrated by adult members. To me, this new-age setting feels familiar with its lack of boundaries and accountability. And the word “juicy” will forever make me want to barf.
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Reposted by Camilla Bredal Pedersen
Erik Schreiner Evans🌻 @schrevans.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
EU har ikkje for vane å jobba særleg fort, men no er dei i gang med å byggja ein ny tryggleiksinfrastruktur for kontinentet. Dette burde Noreg vore del av.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 06/03/2025
As a relatively naive Northern European, I firmly support this direction, and find that Donald Tusk’s deep understanding of the Russian threat makes for credible and clear leadership at a time when we ought to pay particularly close attention to lessons from Polish and Eastern European history.
regard.at
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 05/03/2025
This point stands out to me as fundamental, and evokes cult memories of the inexplicable dynamics that arise when in a ‘shared unreality’. “Trump, Vance, and many of the people around them now fully inhabit an alternative reality, one composed entirely of things they see and hear in the ether.”
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 04/03/2025
Good to hear Maria Ressa speak from a place of visceral experience and with important knowledge to share. #authoritarianshift #broligarcy #corruption #coercion #coopting #holdtheline #USA
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
Another sabotage action in the Baltic Sea, this time attempting to affect the water supply of Gotland.
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Marci Shore @marcishore.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Thank you to @heidicuda.bsky.social and @highfidelity.bsky.social for a very serious conversation about what happened in the Oval Office on Friday.
youtube.com
Episode 129: This Is Not a Game with Professor Marci Shore
YouTube video by RADICALIZED: Truth Survives Podcast
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Kaja Kallas @kajakallas.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
We need to make sure that Russia doesn’t attack again. And for that, we need to put political and economic pressure on Russia to stop this war, and at the same time, also help Ukraine defend itself. Extract from my interview at 'Face The Nation' ↓
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Eliot Higgins @eliothiggins.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
Estonia has a mandatory high school course called "Media and Manipulation," where students analyse persuasion techniques, fact-check claims, and recognise propaganda.
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Marci Shore @marcishore.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
Ivan Krastev to Europeans: "What kind of failure the Trumpian revolution will be, we do not know. But what history teaches us is that the best strategy is not to resist the revolutionaries but to hijack their revolution."
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Here I react to the shameful encounter between American leaders and media and the Ukrainian president. No doubt there were more, but I saw five failures on our side: of hospitality, decency, democracy, strategy, and independence. Please watch and share. snyder.substack.com/p/five-failu...
snyder.substack.com
Five Failures in the Oval Office (video)
America hurt itself badly today.
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Martine Aurdal @martineaurdal.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Ursula von der Leyen. Nå må du lede den frie verden.
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Marci Shore @marcishore.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
As an American and a faculty member at the university that awarded Vance a law degree, I want to express my deepest shame to President Zelensky and all Ukrainians for the disgraceful behavior of the American president and vice-president.
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Donald Tusk @donald-tusk.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
Dear Volodymyr Zelenskyy, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.
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Andrea Pitzer @andreapitzer.bsky.social · 28/02/2025
So evil it's hard to watch. Teeing up another round of apologies to my Ukrainian friends over the foreign policy "expertise" from our cut-rate Jonestown Burger Chef and Jeff.
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Camilla Bredal Pedersen @camillabp.bsky.social · 26/02/2025
Reality vs unreality politics is where it’s fundamentally at. Timothy Snyder effectively distills this message at a time when it feels very very urgent. #unrealitypolitics
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Minna Ålander 🌻 @alanderminna.bsky.social · 23/02/2025
First an SPD chancellor who completely clung to US leadership and refused to do anything to support Ukraine without the US. Now a (likely) CDU chancellor who says Europe needs to decouple from the US. What a time to be alive
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
The UK's anti-protest laws pre-legitimise far right authoritarianism. Labour must repeal them now. My column today. www.theguardian.com/global/comme...
theguardian.com
Extremists would not need to create an authoritarian state in Britain: Starmer is doing that for them | George Monbiot
The PM and his ministers are supporting illiberal laws that hard-right authoritarians could apply with zeal, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
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Alexandra Stein @alexandrastein.bsky.social · 22/02/2025
the.ink/p/alexandra-...
the.ink
How to break MAGA's emotional bonds
We consult a psychologist about how Trumpism works on people, how to protect yourself from it, and how to break its grip
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