(...) Nobody knows what to make of the organisation - it is part "schools co-operation", part "clothes-recycling project", part "Third World volunteer organisation", part instrument of world revolution, part multinational business concern. Some people devote their lives to it, but many believe it is exploiting naive young people.
(...)

Thomsen, who remained loyal for 26 years, says Petersen's baby grew into a monster, a cult in which political correctness, loyalty and obedience to Petersen were the most important things.

Opponents say the same values still apply: loyal followers may be invited to join a select inner circle, the Teachers Group, where they are expected to pool all their resources, income and assets. Loyalty to the cause is everything. Tvind's hold over its adherents is such that it has spawned a countergroup in Scandinavia, the Movement Against Tvind, dedicated to warning young people about its true nature.
(...)

Though few Danes deem Tvind a cult - it is more often seen as a fringe political movement - it shares many characteristics described by the Cult Information Centre (CIC): a centralised organisation with a powerful leader, dedicated to its own survival and recruiting new members. In France the Chamber of Deputies two years ago cited Humana-Tvind as "une secte" and it has also been listed as a cult by a Belgian parliamentary inquiry. The experience of several longstanding members supports this.
(...)

In Britain the leading educational charities offering advice on cults, the CIC and FAIR (Family, Action, Information and Resource), have received complaints about Tvind and its organisations and say they have received requests for help. "I'd be very concerned for the welfare of anyone associated with Tvind or any of its associated companies," says Ian Haworth of the CIC.
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