QAnon

QAnon, also known as The Storm and The Great Awakening, is a conspiracy theory, popular meme,[6] and right-wing fantasy about a "deep-state" conspiracy against United States President Donald Trump. Following on the heels of similar bullshit, such as Pizzagate (which occupies a small spot on the QAnon map below), it postulates a fantastic web of deceit that wraps up Trumpism, deep-state fearmongering, evil, satanic pedophilia-rings controlled by the Democratic Party, investigations into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, and New World Order paranoia into a package easily and wholeheartedly promoted by internet cesspools and Alex Jones.[7][4] It originated from a series of incoherent posts on 4chan in 2017 by someone calling themselves "Q".[8] The name "Q" is likely based on the US government's top-secret Q clearance.File:Wikipedia's W.svg The theories put forth in the conspiracy mirror anti-semitic tropes that conspiracists have used for centuries.[9]

Some dare call it
Conspiracy
What THEY don't want
you to know!
Sheeple wakers
v - t - e
"The Storm" redirects here. For the alt-right forum, see Stormfront; for the "news" media, see The Daily Stormer. For the Christian revival "Great Awakening", see First Great Awakening.
“”Disinformation is real. Disinformation is necessary.
—An explanation of and by QAnon on 8chan[3]
“”Public riots are being organized in serious numbers in an effort to prevent the arrest and capture of more senior public officials. On POTUS' order, a state of temporary military control will be actioned and special ops carried out. False leaks have been made to retain several within the confines of the United States to prevent extradition and special operator necessity.
—"Q Clearance Patriot" reveals secret truths and predicts chaos[4][5]

In the beginning

The first appearance of the figure(s) now known as Q appeared on 4chan with this post:[1][10]

“”HRC extradition already in motion effective yesterday with several countries in case of cross border run. Passport approved to be flagged effective 10/30 @ 12:01am. Expect massive riots organized in defiance and others fleeing the US to occur. US M’s will conduct the operation while NG activated. Proof check: Locate a NG member and ask if activated for duty 10/30 across most major cities.

A post that followed soon after this first post implied that Hillary would soon be arrested, another failed prediction.[1] Notably, the first post started out with a lie — Hillary Clinton has never been extradited — and a prediction that has not come to pass after over 3 years — there have not been massive riots in the US.

It has been argued that the genesis of QAnon paralleled that of Discordianism.[11]

What???
Sure it's a fantasy, but Trump gets to be the hero (for the only time in his life).

The alleged plot
“”What is the "storm" the POTUS spoke about? it is the draining of the swamp, a giant global hurricane of veracity.
—A somewhat more… lucid… description[12]

QAnon's central premise is that President Trump is secretly working to take down a global ring of elite, cannibalistic, Satanic pedophiles.[13] They also believe that the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election, led by former FBI director Robert Mueller, is actually an investigation into the so-called "deep state", a cabal of evil, money-grubbing globalists, including Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, responsible for everything from a global pedophile ring to the mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.[4]

What makes the QAnon conspiracy an anomaly is that it presents an alternate world in which the "good guys" are in control of the entire government; according to University of Miami professor Joseph Uscinski, in most other theories, the shadowy conspiracy in control is malevolent.[14]

QAnon crazies also see hints in Trump's actions. According to the enlightened, when Trump awkwardly took a drink from a bottle of Fiji Water at a press conference in November 2017, it wasn't because he was thirsty; it was actually a secret signal to those in the know that the Storm of annihilation of deep state pedophiles had begun (or was about to begin). Because as everyone knows, Fiji is a hot spot for child trafficking.[15]

Q believers have a tremendous amount of baggage on the crazy train in the form of crank magnetism: special counsel Robert S. Mueller III is actually investigating high-level Democrats, the Illuminati, the Rothschild conspiracy, "Operation Mockingbird" (an alleged 20th century CIA infiltration of the media), fascism, the hidden meaning of Francis Ford Coppola films and Christian revivalism.[16] Oh, and J. P. Morgan had the Titanic sunk to take out his millionaire rivals,[17] and "John F. Kennedy Jr. faked his death and joined Trump's secret evil-fighting organization, where he writes 4chan posts under the pseudonym 'Q'."[18]

"Q"
Postings by QAnon need lots of creative "analysis" — and the chans are happy to help.

A fictional personality (or to the faithful, an "anonymous patriot") central to "The Storm" theory, going by the name of "QAnon" ("Q" supposedly standing for Q Clearance, a mid-level Department of Energy clearance that is not used by law enforcement or intelligence agencies), began posting a series of messages on 4chan's /pol/ board in a thread called "CBTS" (Calm Before The Storm) on October 28, 2017.[6] In these, Q claimed that Trump was being protected by the military because the CIA, the FBI, and the Secret Service are all corrupt. Their postings take the form of cryptic questions, each of which is supposedly a hint, clue, or riddle containing some awesome revelation that would make treasure hunter Nicolas Cage smack his forehead and yell, "Of Course!" The questions are usually the type of stuff found in grade-Z spy novels and often contain their own obvious irony, such as this knee-slapper:

“”Has POTUS *ever* made a statement that has not become proven as true/fact?
—"Q Clearance Patriot"[19]

The writing style is likely based on QFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, a race from Star Trek, and several people who claimed to be "Q" have cited inspiration on the character, specifically the Next Generation's version of the character.[20]

Q's postings are known among enthusiasts as "breadcrumbs", because they're thought to be tidbits of information forming a trail that leads to… well, with a bit of imagination, you can make these random words and phrases lead anywhere.[14] And they're vague enough that they could apply to pretty much anything. Many sound like they were written by Deepak Chopra channeling Alex Jones. The phrase "down the rabbit hole" (a reference to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in WonderlandFile:Wikipedia's W.svg) is popular among believers who feel they are lucky participants in a great adventure where nothing is random and everything has meaning, and to "follow the white rabbit" is to be willingly led on a journey of ridiculous speculations regarding Q's postings.[19]

Like Batman, QAnon's identity is supposedly a deep, dark secret, and so the kookosphere swirls with speculation. Some name "NSA whistleblower" Thomas Drake, whose anti-Obama posture has gained him somewhat of a fanbase on the far-right.[21] Others say it's Steve Bannon. Or Trump himself. Or Donald Trump Jr. Or an artificial intelligence.[22]

Adding to the confusion, many "Q impostors" and fakes have appeared, as well as copycat Anons such as "MegaAnon" and "WH Anon", prompting the faithful to conclude it's all just part of a "deep state" plot to smear QAnon.[23][24]

In reality, however, the supposed deep cover agent QAnon is most likely one or more 4chan trolls, doing it for the shits and giggles. At the very least, Russian troll accounts were pushing the QAnon bullshit to idiots on Twitter before being purged.[25] As is always the case, conspiracy theorists who fell for this have never stopped to wonder if "Q" is just effing with them.

Fredrick Brennan, a former owner of the 8chan domain, believes that Q is Jim Watkins and his son Ron Watkins. The two Watkins were the final owners of 8chan and the current owners of its successor, 8kun.[1] Brennan believes that the Watkins knew they needed Q to attract users, though the Watkins have denied knowing who 'Q' is.[1] A series of email logs have shown connections between Jim Watkins and QAnon influencers.[26] Ron Watkins, the self-described "one of the top network defense analysts in the world" left the email logs open to the public.[26]

"The Storm"

The term "The Storm" was apparently inspired by an October 2017 non sequitur, mumbled by Trump to the press during a routine photo-op with senior military leaders.[27]

“”TRUMP: "You guys know what this represents? … Maybe it's the calm before the storm."

REPORTER: "What storm, Mr. President?"

TRUMP: "You'll find out."
—Trump, to puzzled reporters.[28]

While most observers were content to dismiss this exchange as merely one of what would, over time, become many, many examples of a terminally stupid old man having a brain fart in front of a reporter, believers have interpreted his bizarre remarks to mean he was recruited by military intelligence to lead a "quiet coup" to restore "integrity" to the US government, possibly because he was surrounded by high-ranking military officers at the time; hence, he will impose martial law and unleash a "storm" of retribution against satanic Clintonites, Democratic evil-doers, Deep State dirtbags, and RINO cucks. And this coup will succeed, according to one believer, since "deep state corruption has a heavy Jewish influence" and "the military has a very low rate of Jewish people".[29]

So, while the shit was supposed to hit the fan in November 2017 with mass demonstrations (and the suppression thereof), a military coup, and the arrest of hundreds of public officials, the fact that November came and went without any of these things happening appears to have had no effect on the theory's overzealous supporters. On the contrary, it has apparently made it even more popular.[30]

Post-Mueller
See the main article on this topic: Trump-Russia connection
QAnon sign at a Trump rally.

In March 2019, the Russia investigation officially ended, with Robert Mueller turning in his report to the Attorney General Barr.[31] There were no mentions of aliens, pedophile cults, false-flag attacks, cannibalism, or any of the other bullshit beliefs held by QAnon believers.[citation NOT needed] There's now been enough time to show that the QAnon conspiracy is still alive and well despite having one of its core tenets disproven:[32] Mueller is most certainly not using the Russia investigation as a secret means to destroy Hillary Clinton's supervillain organization. In fact, most QAnon believers hailed the release of the report as just another step taken towards Trump's endgame; the only thing they seemed to take issue with is the idea that Trump said "I'm fucked", because they can't wrap their heads around the idea that Dear Leader could express weakness and doubt.[33]

Unfortunately, this is just how conspiracy theories work, and this one is no different. QAnon had a significant overlap with the conspiracy theory that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg secretly died and had been replaced by a body double. Still, upon seeing the theory disproven, its believers doubled down anyway.[34] In other words, despite being unfathomably stupid, QAnon is going to live in the dark corners of the internet for a long, long time.

Evidence against is evidence for
See the main articles on this topic: Falsifiability and Escape hatch

A staple characteristic of conspiracy theories is that they are impossible to disprove. After all, what would be the fun in that? QAnon goes a step further. One of Q's posts explains his various false predictions and claims by saying "disinformation is necessary."[35] Of course it is. This explanation makes QAnon into a so-called "self-sealing" conspiracy: every time it's proven false, that's just the evil cabal making it seem that way! Stephan Lewandowsky, a professor at the University of Bristol who studies conspiracy theories, noted this self-sealing nature by saying:[36]

“”Conspiracy theories often serve an ironic function of providing a sense of order in chaos. People would rather believe that there are evil masterminds out there that pull strings on cataclysmic events than accept the occurrence of random events.

This also helps explain the unfortunate longevity of QAnon. This is even though there are dozens of failed QAnon predictions, the most famous of which was that July 2018 would be "the month the world discovered the TRUTH."[37]

Some failed prophecies:[38]

  • John F. Kennedy Jr. faked his own death and later pretended to be Trump supporter Vincent Fusca, who was supposed to reveal who he really was at a Trump rally on July 4, 2019.[39]
  • Austin Steinbart, whom many believe(d) to be Q, allegedly received messages from his future self using 'quantum computing'. In real life, he was charged with criminal extortion, then jailed for violating the terms of his pre-trial release for cheating on a required drug test.[40]
  • Hillary Clinton was supposed to have been imprisoned in 2017. Escape hatch: the Hillary that you see now is a clone and the real one is in prison.[41]

I want to believe!

A primary driver in the QAnon belief system (as with other conspiracy theories) is that people can connect just about anything that 'Q' posts with all sorts of unrelated trivialities in the real world. The psychological basis for this is known as pareidolia — seeing patterns in a random stimulus. This is reinforced with confirmation bias. Some crazy examples of this are QAnon believers saying that following Trump's election loss in 2020 that:[42]

  • "Trump's back-to-back golf outings over the weekend were proof that the president was in control and that all was going according to plan."
  • "Rudolph W. Giuliani's bizarre Saturday news conference at Four Seasons Total Landscaping, on an industrial block in Philadelphia between a crematorium and an adult-video store, with two Q posts in the past year in which he used the words 'landscape.'"

All aboard the crazy train!
Free the Clinton-Podesta Martian child sex slaves!
“”Mueller was hired to investigate Clinton, period. If my theory proves to be correct, this will go down as one of the most brilliant sting operations in history.
—Liz Crokin[43]

Train conductors

Pizzagate promoters, such as Liz Crokin and David Seaman, have taken a very active interest in this brand-new opportunity to spread batshit insanity, with Crokin claiming that Sean Hannity is privately "on board" with the conspiracy theory. Seaman, being an old Pizzagater, has plenty of experience weaving bullshit from out of thin air. On Christmas Eve, December 24, 2017, Q apparently posted a picture of George Washington crossing the Delaware River. Seaman claimed that the painting showed Washington in the act of "starting the American Revolutionary War" (it doesn't: the war started in Boston more than a year before), and excitedly concluded, "so in other words, the second revolution is upon us and the deep state is being taken out now."[44] (In reality, of course, the painting depicts Washington showing dangerous irresponsibility by standing up in a boat, so it might not be such a poor metaphor for QAnon after all.)

Then, of course, there's leading birther and InfoWars esteemed crackpot Jerome Corsi, who was hard at work with the stable geniuses of 8chan to "decipher" Q's crumbs.[45][46] But none can hope to rival professional insanity dispenser Alex Jones, who has enthusiastically endorsed "The Storm" crackpottery,[47] especially the part about a global Clinton-led pedophilia ring, which happens to fit in nicely with his claims that child sex slaves have been kidnapped and shipped to Mars.[48] Or well, he did, until Qanon and the merchandise around it started cutting into his bottom line and sales of nutritional supplements. Now Jones claims that QAnon is a false flag meant to make conservatives look like a bunch of paranoid schizophrenics (as if they needed the help).[49]

Alt-right conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec claimed on One America News Network in September 2018 that QAnon was gradually developed by two pro-Trump Twitter trolls named Microchip and Dreamcatcher in fall 2017, drawing inspiration from the 1999 Italian novel Q written by four Italian authors under the pseudonym Luther Blissett,File:Wikipedia's W.svg as well as from an anonymous user with the handle FBIAnon who proliferated on 4chan at the time of the 2016 presidential election. Posobiec further claimed that at some point Microchip and Dreamcatcher left, and the 8chan QAnon posts are now done by people who are in it for the money.[50][51]

Pundit Curt Schilling has promoted QAnon on his Breitbart podcast.[52]

Michael Salla, ufologist and promoter of the idea that extraterrestrials are involved in Earthly politics (exopolitics), has promoted QAnon in at least three web articles.[53][54][55]

Because she didn't look dumb enough already, TV actress Roseanne Barr promoted QAnon on Twitter in 2017 and 2018 to her 900,000 followers.[56]

Sidney Powell

Sidney Powell,File:Wikipedia's W.svg a Texas attorney who first obtained prominence for defending Michael Flynn in 2019. Both Powell and Flynn are recognized as major figures within QAnon circles.[57] One year after defending Flynn, Powell later joined Donald Trump's legal team that tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election of Joe Biden… only to be fired by Trump's legal team a few weeks after the election. [58] (Apparently her multiple baseless lawsuits (filled with embarrassing spelling and formatting errors) [59] and "evidence" that consisted entirely of conspiracy therories and debunked allegations[60] was too unhinged for Trump… even Tucker Carlson (of all people) pushed back against her claims on one of his shows, asking to see actual evidence.[61][note 1]) Powell has retweeted several major QAnon accounts, used rhetoric and imagery associated with QAnon in her social media accounts, [63][64][65] and made a live appearance on a Youtube channel run by "War Drummer",[66] a person who runs a heavily Q promoting [67] fringe conservative blog that also promotes other conspiracy theories, apocalyptic Christianity, and a similar affection for embarrassing spelling mistakes.[68][69]

In December 2020 Powell, no longer representing Trump, filed an affidavit claiming voter fraud in the already-certified 2020 Georgia Presidential election from Ron Watkins.[57] Watkins claimed in the affidavit to "be an information security expert with nine years of experience as a 'network and information defense analyst' and security engineer."[57] The claim was largely based on his expience running the 8chan (8kun) bulletin board, which he could not do particularly well (down for 3 months in 2019).[57]

Notable train passengers
  • Matthew Lusk (1963–)[70] ran as a Republican in 2020 for Florida's 5th Congressional District. He has stated, "I belong to no secret societies or clubs, Q is one of my issues because it's definitely a leak from high places. I follow Q, but I don’t know who or what Q is."[71] Lusk also subscribes to sub-theories of QAnon, namely "Arkancide"/Clinton body count,[72] deep state, and the antisemitic Federal Reserve conspiracy theory ("Federal Reserve Banksters").[73] Fortunately, he bowed out of the House race before the primary.[74]
  • Cheryl SullengerFile:Wikipedia's W.svg (1955–) of Operation Rescue indicated her belief in QAnon based on Q's claim that Trump would put an end to Planned Parenthood.[75][76]
  • Markus “Notch” Persson (1979–) tweeted, "Q is legit. Don’t trust the media,"[77] and later confirmed that, "I might be the most serious I've ever been."[78][79] This was one of the factors leading Microsoft to exclude him from the anniversary event of his creation, the popular video game Minecraft.[80]
  • Jake Angeli, aka the Q Shaman, who became famous after appearing in the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot.
  • Fifty-nine (current or former) candidates for Congress in 2020, as of July 1:[81]
  1. Darren Aquino (Florida, Republican)
  2. Phil Arlinghaus (Tennessee, Republican)
  3. Mykel Barthelemy (Georgia, Republican) — lost the primary
  4. Karen Bedonie (New Mexico, Republican) — lost the primary
  5. Dan Belcher (Oklahoma, Republican) — dropped out
  6. Dion Bergeron (Indiana, Republican, funded by QAnon Super PAC[82]) — lost primary
  7. Michael Bluemling (Florida, Republican) — dropped out
  8. Lauren Boebert (Colorado, Republican). She won her 2020 election and will be representing her district in Washington.[83]
  9. Jeremy Brown (Florida, Republican) — dropped out
  10. Jamie Byers (California, Republican) — lost the primary
  11. Mike Cargile (California, Republican) — on general election ballot by default
  12. Erin Cruz (California, Republican) — won the primary
  13. Ignacio Cruz (California, Republican) — lost the primary
  14. Ron Curtis (Hawaii, Republican)
  15. Vic DeGrammont (Florida, Republican)
  16. Billy Earley (California, Republican) — lost the primary
  17. Tim Fazenbaker (Maryland, Republican) — lost the primary
  18. Ari Friedman (Ohio, Democrat) — lost the primary
  19. Rhonda Furin (California, Republican) — lost the primary
  20. Thomas Gilmer (Connecticut, Republican)
  21. Sammy Ginder (New Jersey, Republican) — write-in candidate
  22. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Georgia, Republican) — running in the general election, has made "racist, Islamophobic and anti-Semitic remarks". She won her 2020 election and will be representing her district in Washington.[83]
  23. Alison Hayden (California, Republican) — won the primary
  24. Rich Helms (Texas, Republican) — dropped out
  25. Gary Heyer (Minnesota, independent) — dropped out
  26. Bobby Jeffries (Pennsylvania, Republican) — dropped out
  27. Patrice Kimbler (California, Republican) — lost the primary
  28. Bob Lancia (Rhode Island, Republican)
  29. Tracy Lovvorn (Massachusetts, Republican)
  30. Matthew Lusk (Florida, Republican) — dropped out
  31. Andrew Meehan (Pennsylvania, Republican) — lost the primary
  32. Jessi Melton (Florida, Republican)
  33. Karl "KW" Miller (Florida, independent)[84]
  34. James Mitchell (Washington, Democrat)
  35. Michael Moates (Texas, Republican) — dropped out
  36. C. Wesley Morgan (Kentucky, Republican) — lost the primary
  37. Buzz Patterson (California, Republican) — won the primary
  38. Jo Rae Perkins (Oregon, Republican) — won primary[85]
  39. Billy Prempeh (New Jersey, Republican)
  40. Mindy Robinson (Nevada, Republican) — lost the primary
  41. Kristen Alamo Rowin (Texas, Republican) — lost the primary
  42. David Schuster (Tennessee, Republican)
  43. Christine Scott (Florida, Republican) — dropped out
  44. Dan Severson (Florida, Republican)
  45. Reba Sherrill (Florida, Republican)
  46. Angela Stanton-King (Georgia, Republican) — won the primary by default
  47. Danielle Stella (Minnesota, Republican) — lost the primary
  48. Darlene Swaffar (Florida, Republican)
  49. Johnny Teague (Texas, Republican) — won the primary
  50. DeAnna Lorraine Tesoriero (California, Republican) — lost the primary
  51. Antoine Tucker (New York, Republican) — write-in candidate
  52. Steve Von Loor (North Carolina, Republican) — lost the primary
  53. Joe Walz (Texas, Republican) — lost primary[86]
  54. Rob Weber (Ohio, Republican) — won the primary
  55. Nichole Williams (Tennessee, Republican)
  56. Samuel Williams (Texas, Republican) — won the initial primary
  57. Lauren Witzke (Delaware, Republican)
  58. Daniel Wood (Arizona, Republican)
  59. Joanne Wright (California, Republican) — lost the primary

A violent ride
“”QAnon is batshit crazy. Crazy stuff. Inspiring people to violence. I think it is a platform that plays off people's fears, that compels them to do things they normally wouldn't do. And it's very much a threat.
—Senator Lindsey Graham.[87]

In March 2018, the Reddit board for QAnon was shut down due to "encouraging or inciting violence and posting personal and confidential information", and its moderators were banned from the site.[88] In June 2018, Mathew P. Wright of Henderson, Nevada was arrested for allegedly blocking the bridge over the Hoover Dam with his home-made armored vehicle and guns; he held out a sign that was linked to QAnon.[89][90] In July 2018, Pennsylvanian Gardner Boyd was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill Trump and was reported to have made several references to QAnon.[91] In August 2018, Forrest Clark was arrested for allegedly igniting a forest fire in Orange County, California; Clark had previously posted about QAnon and other conspiracy theories.[92]

Meanwhile, a charity group in Arizona called Veterans on Patrol is now patrolling the state searching for child sex trafficking operations after having stumbled onto a homeless shelter and coming to the dumbest possible conclusion.[93] Later, in May of 2019, QAnon conspiracists insanely misinterpreted a tweet from James Comey and came to the conclusion that the former FBI director was planning to launch a terrorist attack against a charter school; the school canceled a charity event out of fear that "internet vigilantes" would show up to cause trouble.[94] One of the school's event coordinators later said, "We knew the theory itself was not targeting our event and in fact, it appeared that the QAnon [followers] somehow thought they were keeping us safe. But there was concern that the call-outs to the Anon communities to 'protect the children' could entice these people to show up to our event… there was no win for the festival under these circumstances."[95]

QAnon supporters are also preying on the mentally ill. In January 2020, a woman was arrested in Colorado for cooperating with QAnon crazies to kidnap her own child from the state's protective custody.[96] According to police records, the mother went "a bit crazy" after Colorado child welfare officials removed her child from her home, and she was subsequently sucked into the QAnon shitshow. She started appearing in numerous YouTube videos alleging that child protective services "has child trafficking rings in certain areas", stopped going to therapy, and allowed a heavily armed QAnon supporter to stay in her home for her "self-defense".[96] The woman was arrested and charged with felony conspiracy to commit kidnapping. According to police, they received a tip-off from the woman's own daughter, alerting them to the planned raid.[97]

In May 2019, an FBI memo from the Phoenix Field Office designated several political conspiracy theories (QAnon, Pizzagate, HAARP, New World Order, Sandy Hook massacre) as domestic threats with the potential to incite violence.[98][99] As evidence, the FBI cited arrests for criminal activities associated with the conspiracy theories.[99]

In Canada, on July 3, 2020, Corey Hurren drove his pickup truck, which contained multiple firearms, through the gates of Rideau HallFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, an important government building in Canada where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was living at the time. After fleeing his vehicle on foot, Hurren was eventually arrested and charged with threatening to cause death or bodily harm to the prime minister and multiple weapons offenses. Less than an hour earlier, Hurren had posted a meme relating to the "Event 201" COVID-19 conspiracy theory to his Instagram account. He also previously posted in March a QAnon meme referencing Q, the "white rabbit", and several other hashtags linked to QAnon (such as WWG1WGA, PizzaGate, etc.) [100][101]

Due to the violence associated with QAnon, the penny finally dropped at Twitter Safety, and QAnon activity was banned as of July 21, 2020.[102]

One of the first signs that the QAnon following will turn violent occurred when votes in Pennsylvania started to turn against Donald Trump in the 2020 US elections. Two QAnon morons with AR-15s were arrested near the Philadelphia vote counting center, having apparently been traveling there to "straighten things out".[103]

On January 6, 2021 in Portland, Oregon,File:Wikipedia's W.svg a man named Cody Levi Melby was arrested in a "Stop the Steal" rally outside the Oregon State House for firing five shots into the side of Portland's federal courthouse.[104] Melby in July 2020 had previously posted videos on YouTube sympathizing with QAnon conspiracy theories, and also ironically angrily warned Black Lives Matter protesters in Portland that "every single time you attack a government installation, or a federal facility, that is an act of treason, that is an act of sedition, that is an act of insurrection."[105]

In the Trump administration
Trump gives a shoutout to a Q believer.
“”I don't know much about the movement other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate. I have heard that it's gaining in popularity. I've heard these are people that love our country.
—Then-President Trump on QAnon believers.[106]

Trump occasionally likes to throw his most insane group of supporters a bone. At one of his rallies, he gestured approvingly towards a man with a "Q" shirt, and this happened because someone on Trump's team thought it appropriate to give the conspiracist a front-row VIP pass.[107] Trump also likes to retweet posts from QAnon accounts, which, while not directly related to the conspiracy, easily lead interested followers back to it. Most recently, he retweeted a post about Jeanine Pirro from an account that had "Q" as its profile picture.[108]

Trump's pastry chef at his Florida retreat is very vocal on Instagram, and revealed that she sought her current job so that she could serve Trump while he takes down the alleged Democratic pedophile conspiracy.[109] Her posts also suggest that she has interacted with the president's security detail regularly and shows that she enjoys baking QAnon-themed pastries for Mar-a-Lago guests.[109]

While some Republicans do distance themselves from QAnon when confronted with the movement's most egregious behavior,[110] other Republicans appeared to be willing to wink and nudge at the movement... or even outright re-tweet QAnon posters. In particular, Donald Trump was very keen on retweeting QAnon accounts (tweeting at least 90 posts from 49 pro-QAnon accounts since the COVID-19 pandemic began according to a July 12, 2020 Politico analysis), knowing that these people are some of his biggest fans.[111] More troublingly, in 2020, the rhetoric of Donald Trump increasingly started to tack closely to the QAnon narrative, even if Trump did not explicitly mention QAnon in his tweets.[112]

Going viral
These people can read?

All of the dubious claims of this conspiracy theory have been easily debunked, discredited, and immediately recognized as complete and total fabrications, slander, and lies. Despite this, legions of rabid, far-right-wing extremists and conspiracists have embraced and promoted the theory in an increasingly crowded field of loonies inhabiting the cesspools of social media and YouTube.[45] A detailed analysis of the whole fetid affair is documented in a boringly exhaustive copypasta.[5][113]

In April 2019, the Southern Poverty Law Center documented how the conspiracy theory has strangely become a hit with the sovereign citizen movement, in a stunning example of crank magnetism in action.[114] What makes this strange is that QAnon's base premise is that the government and law ultimately work. However, sovereign citizens and other anti-government extremists believe that they know the "true" law, which has been betrayed by the regular institutions of government, and that the military and Trump will help them save this mythological "true" law.[114]

QAnon has become an all-encompassing conspiracy theory. For instance, in late May of 2019, police in small-town California arrested a crazy lady for building homemade pipe bombs, and QAnon thinks that she was connected to a secret plot by James Comey to blow up a school.[115] This demonstrates that just about anything can be linked to QAnon if one happens to be creative enough.

As a show of just how far this insanity has gone, a QAnon book called QAnon: An Invitation to the Great Awakening was written by many anonymous authors and reached number goddamn 2 on Amazon's algorithmically generated “hot new releases” and best-sellers lists.[116][117] Among the book's highlights: claims that Democrats eat children, claims that Hillary Clinton runs a global Satanic cabal, and claims that the government created AIDS and Lyme disease.[118] Needless to say, it's a hot mess.

The hacker group Anonymous has since denounced QAnon and Pizzagate, and accused them of being created by state-backed actors and Trump supporters with knowledge of Anonymous's workings to discredit their operations.[119]

Becoming a full-fledged cult

By 2020, QAnon had all of the markings of not just a conspiracy theory, but an outright omniconspiracy cult.[11] Reports have surfaced that some QAnon adherents effectively cut off family and friends to stay with the online QAnon community.[120][121] According to one man who watched his girlfriend become consumed by the conspiracy, the social isolation and obsession displayed by his girlfriend was reminiscent of losing a loved one to drug addiction.[122] Some people describe that QAnon has effectively brainwashed people close to them into people they no longer know. Terms like "deprogramming" people from QAnon have increasingly appeared in the media.[123][124]

“”I look at QAnon as a cult... When you get recruited into a mind control cult, and get indoctrinated into a new belief system ... a lot of it is motivated by fear.
—Steven HassanFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, who as an ex-Moonie knows a thing or two about cults.[124]

In July 2019, a Reddit group called r/QAnonCasualties [125] was created to help people who have lost loved ones to the QAnon conspiracy cult share stories and advice, and possibly help drag their loved ones out of the wormhole.[126]

QAnon Goes To Washington

On August 11, 2020, QAnon (the conspiracy theory that likes to complain about the "deep state") made significant progress in becoming part of the deep state itself when Marjorie Taylor Greene defeated John Cowan in the Republican primary for Georgia's 14th Congressional District.[128] On November 3rd, Greene defeated her Democratic opponent Kevin Van Ausdal to win her Congressional seat, becoming the first open supporter of the QAnon conspiracy to win a seat in Congress. [129] Greene had previously praised Q as a "patriot" in a video posted to Facebook on November 2017.[130] Unsurprisingly, Greene had previously made racist ranting videos on Facebook, suggesting Islamic nations routinely commit pedophilia, equating Black Lives Matter activists to Ku Klux Klan members, defending Confederate statues, floating a conspiracy theory that the Las Vegas shooting massacre was a plot to abolish the Second Amendment, describing the election of Ilhan Omar as an "Islamic invasion", and evoking Godwin's Law by calling George Soros as a Nazi collaborator.[131] House Leader Kevin McCarthyFile:Wikipedia's W.svg could have done more to stop her campaign,[132] but he remained neutral. After adding 9/11 conspiracies[133] to her bat-shit beliefs, Leader McCarthy decided to endorse her fully.[134] To no one's surprise, Donald Trump sent a congratulatory tweet in response to her winning the primary, calling her a "future Republican star".[128][135] Greene earned a key endorsement in May 2020 from white supremacist Chester Doles, who is associated with a variety of skinhead movements, who stated in a post on Russian social media platform VKontakte: "Our friend Marjorie Greene is running for Congress. She’s part of the Q movement. Good friend to have."[136] Greene announced that she would introduce articles to impeach Joe Biden seven days before his presidency even started.[137]

Such was a demonstration of how QAnon was slowly being normalized into Republican populism in 2020. In July 2020, a QAnon mug appeared in the background of a Fox News interview with New York police union head Ed MullinsFile:Wikipedia's W.svg [138] In an interview with Eric TrumpFile:Wikipedia's W.svg on July 25 2020, Fox News host Jesse WattersFile:Wikipedia's W.svg said QAnon had "uncovered a lot of great stuff".[139] Social media retweets, hashtags, and memes were posted by Eric Trump, White House deputy communications director Dan Scavino,File:Wikipedia's W.svg Trump's first national security advisor Michael Flynn,[138] and former campaign advisor Roger Stone.[140]

During the 2020 Republican national convention, a woman named Mary Ann Mendoza (who is an advisory board member for Women for TrumpFile:Wikipedia's W.svg and was also involved with We Build the Wall, at the time indicted for fraud just a few days prior) was scheduled to speak about her son's 2014 death at the hands of a drunk driver who was in the country illegally. Before speaking, however, she tweeted a link to an extremely lengthy thread [141] from a user whose Gab account proudly proclaims it to be affiliated with QAnon.[142] The thread imagined a Hollywood-esque conspiratorial narrative using old Rothschild family and RMS Titanic tropes, implying the age-old conspiracy theory that the Jews run the world. (Among the many gems within this thread [141] are a list of supposed "Original Federal Reserve Board Members", all supposedly linked to the Rothschild family, that didn't even include the first Federal Reserve chairman, Charles Sumner HamlinFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, but did for some stupid fucking reason include the Bank of EnglandFile:Wikipedia's W.svg.) Although Mendoza deleted the tweet and her speech ended up being canceled due to the ensuing uproar, Mendoza had posted other bullshit in the past (such as linking George Soros to the Rothchild family in a conspiratorial manner, to the point where ONE WORLD GOVT! was of course written in ALL CAPS!)[143] that would not be out of place in a QAnon social media thread.[144][145]

Becoming a domestic terrorist threat
“”QAnon believers will confront facts and reality in court.
—U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell, who is presiding over many of the 2021 Capitol riot cases[146]

In 2019, for the first time, the FBI labeled "conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists" (including QAnon) as a domestic terrorism threat.[147]

In late 2020, QAnon movement adherents started focusing on supporting Donald Trump's dubious claims over the 2020 U.S. presidential election, particularly after Joe Biden won in November and Trump responded by making baseless claims concerning electoral fraud. Due to fears concerning the incidents of real-world violence up to that point, and concerns that this violence will spill into the election itself, several social media sites started cracking down on QAnon. In July 2020, Twitter announced a crackdown on QAnon content.[148] In October 2020, Facebook labeled QAnon a "militarized social movement" and completely banned QAnon across all of their platforms.[149] Also in October 2020, YouTube updated its hate policies to “prohibit content that targets an individual or group with conspiracy theories that have been used to justify real-world violence."[150] EtsyFile:Wikipedia's W.svg banned QAnon merchandise from its marketplace around the same time period.[151] (This "ban", however, was not super-strict; therefore it was often still relatively easy to find QAnon information on these platforms even after the crackdown took place.)[152][153]

Fears about QAnon violence were realized with QAnon's role in the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot. On January 6th, 2021 (the day that Congress was voting to certify Biden's Electoral CollegeFile:Wikipedia's W.svg win), Donald Trump organized a "Save America" rally that included inflammatory speeches by Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and others.[154][155] The rally devolved into a violent mob who attempted to siege the Capitol building. Several participants were wearing QAnon apparel, or were known as being strongly associated with the movement; [156] many of the ludicrous claims of QAnon were shouted as the mob tried to take over the Capitol. [157]

One woman who was part of this mob, Ashli Babbitt, attempted to break through a door in order to enter the Speaker's Lobby (where lawmakers were evacuating from at the time), and was subsequently fatally shot by Capitol police. An analysis of her social media shows how her exploration of the darker sentiments circulating in online right-wing circles, including a full embracement of QAnon conspiracy theories, had radicalized her to the point of participating in an attempted insurrection, in only a couple years' time.[158][159][160]

A man named Douglas Jensen, clothed in a Q shirt, was among the first to break into the US Capitol; he later ended up chasing and menacing a Black police officer.[161]

Shortly after the riots, Cleveland Grover Meredith was arrested for texting plans to shoot the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Meredith had put up a billboard saying "#QANON" near his business in 2018, and his social media showed strong interest in far-right disinformation.[162]

Perhaps most visibly, a man named Jake Angeli, aka the "QAnon Shaman" (distinguished for wearing a bizarre outfit consisting of fur, a horned helmet, and facepaint) entered the Senate floor and demanded to see the person designated to certify the election, Vice President Mike Pence.[163][164]

This was a wake-up call to many social media companies (where, despite previous bans, plenty of baseless QAnon-oriented misinformation still remained on platforms like Facebook[165]) regarding the potential violent dangers of the QAnon movement. This prompted them to finally (we hope) take heavier action and remove QAnon from their platform. Shortly after the attempted coup, Twitter suspended 70,000 QAnon accounts,[166] and AmazonFile:Wikipedia's W.svg and eBayFile:Wikipedia's W.svg removed merchandise related to the QAnon movement.[167] This was also a wake-up call to government intelligence, who issued a bulletin labeling domestic extremists as the "greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021", and included QAnon conspiracies as part of the possible motivation.[168]

Decline and evolution post-Biden

When the sudden mass arrest of their opponents didn't materialize and Joe Biden was sworn in without a hitch on the 20th of January, some of the QAnon faithful appeared to lose hope,[169] with a handful even admitting their mistakes and moving on with their lives.[170] Some of them, however, merely did what they have always done when a Q prediction failed to come true: they moved the goalposts. Despite the days passing uneventfully with Trump sitting in retirement in Florida and Biden doing his job in the White House, the more hard core believers of QAnon continued insisting that executions, military operations and the dramatic return of Trump was just around the corner. A new date was selected for Trump's victory over his perceived enemies: March 4.

This particular date was arrived at by using sovereign citizen logic. Since (according to them) the United States ceased to be a real country in 1871, every government since then has been illegitimate. QAnon supporters latched onto this theory, using it as evidence that Biden is NOT the President, and that March 4 (the old date for Presidential inaugurations, used until 1933) is the inauguration date of the true Republic.[171] (Of course, by this logic, Trump could never have been a legitimate President either, since he himself was inaugurated on 20 January 2017, on the "false" inauguration date of a "non-existent" country. Not that this seems to bother any of these people...) There is absolutely no credible evidence to support any of these claims[172] but they nonetheless became wildly popular amongst believers desperate for any ray of hope. The social media posts about March 4 being significant even caught the attention of security forces in Washington (who decided to stick around until March 12 partly because of this)[173] and also the Trump International Hotel in DC, which seemed eager to capitalize on the potential influx of Trump fanatics. Prices for rooms at the hotel were more than doubled for the date in preparation.[174]

Predictably, on March 4th... nothing happened. [175] Also predictably, in response to yet another failed prediction, some QAnon followers quickly labeled the March 4 prediction as a "false flag". Moving the goalposts again, a new date was chosen: March 20th, 2021, due to this being the anniversary date of the Republican party's founding. [176]

Greatest crossover event in conspiracy history
THE TITANIC WAS AN INSIDE JOB.
“”I don’t like to talk about that stuff [Satanism] because it gives those anti-Q people way too much fuel for the fire.
—In Pursuit of Truth, a QAnon "analysis" YouTube channel.[177][178]

There are some truly glorious examples of QAnon stupidity. Whoever "Q" is, they've managed to pull elements from just about every conspiracy theory under the sun. Here are some highlights.

RMS Titanic
See the main article on this topic: RMS Titanic

QAnon followers think J.P. Morgan sank the Titanic to form the Federal Reserve.[179] Oh yeah, we're starting you off in the deep end, folks. The story goes that many wealthy businessmen were on the Titanic, all of whom opposed the Federal Reserve, and J.P. Morgan intentionally built the Titanic without safety measures to get them all killed.[180] There's also a version of the story that says the men were opponents of the income tax.[181]

Trump's secret war

Just about every aspect of the Trump-Russia thing with Trump and Russia Mueller investigation has been shoehorned by QAnon believers into their narrative about a secret war being fought between Trump and the "deep state". They think that Trump was recruited by military intelligence to fight the deep state because, apparently, we trust the military but not the rest of the government.[53] Key events highlighted by the QAnoners include the raid on Trump's personal lawyer, Michael Cohen (the cabal becomes more aggressive), and Trump's missile strike on Syria (Trump wanted to accommodate the cabal's wishes for some fucking reason).[54]

JFK Jr.

In 1999, John F. Kennedy Jr. died in a tragic plane crash on his way to a family wedding.[182] Or is that just what he wants you to think? Nah, he's pretty damn dead, but QAnon followers have found a bizarre way to work him into their inane imaginings. Hardcore Q believers think that JFK Jr. is actually still alive, having faked his death to secretly fight the evil cabal.[183] Some of them think JFK Jr. is Q, and they hold that he faked his death to escape the same fate as his father, who they think was assassinated by the deep state.

The idea gained prominence thanks to the far-right Pizzagate whackjob Liz Crokin going on about it on YouTube, explaining her belief that Q's references to JFK Jr. must mean that he is JFK Jr. and that any ridicule she receives over this stupid idea proves her right.[184] As further evidence, Q believers tout a fake quote from JFK Jr. saying, "If my dear friend Donald Trump ever decided to sacrifice his fabulous billionaire lifestyle to become president he would be an unstoppable force for ultimate justice that Democrats and Republicans alike would celebrate."[185] The fake quote was debunked, of course, not that any QAnon followers would actually give a shit.

To add the shit cherry on the weird-ass cake, some Q followers also picked out a random guy standing at one of Trump's rallies, identified him as a man named Vincent Fusca, and then decided that he must actually be JFK Jr. in disguise.[39] According to them, JFK Jr. is just biding his time until he thinks it's the right moment to emerge from hiding, confirm QAnon, and then replace Mike Pence as Trump's running mate.[186] That all seems, uh, rather unlikely.

Deep state puppet masters

QAnon has also gone with the mandatory George Soros conspiracy theories, but his post "exposing" the leaders of the deep state dusted off some oldies but goodies. Specifically, the Rothschilds,[54] who QAnon sees as significant architects and financial backers, despite their family banking business making less than a percent of what Walmart makes in a year.[187] The family's richest member has a smaller net worth than George Lucas,[187][188] and their assets are spread out across hundreds, maybe thousands of people. They ain't the puppet masters of shit.

Strangest of all, Q also fingers (heh heh) the House of Saud as being backers of the deep state,[54] which doesn't really mesh with the fact that they seem to be among Trump's closest friends on the global stage.[189] Apparently, selling weapons to the deep state against the wishes of Congress[190] is the path to defeating the deep state. Who knew?

Finally, what QAnon sub-conspiracy would be complete without that old classic, Satanism? Q thinks the Rothschilds are the head of a global Satanic cult which includes the Soros family, the Clinton family, and the Sauds.[55] The three main dynasties, Soros, Saud, and Rothschild, form the so-called "Triangle" because why fucking not bring the Illuminati into this bullshit too?[191]

CIA psyops and fake news
See the main articles on this topic: CIA and Fake news
Q exposes the deep state puppeteers.

A central feature of Trumpism and QAnon is the concept of fake news. Q has taken it a step further with the concept of "Operation Mockingbird". According to Q, the Central Intelligence Agency (check one off the list) is manipulating the media and has been since the JFK assassination (check).[192] QAnon followers call these CIA operatives "Black Hats", and claim that Black Hats spend their days digging around through classified data with the intent of fabricating fake news stories to pass on to the mainstream media.[193] Apparently, the "Black Hats" are paid with CIA black budget money and foreign accounts; Q specifically mentions the Panama Papers (check) as an example of how this works.[193]

Christianity, pedophilia, sex trafficking, and Hollywood
“”Polaris, the charity that operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline, had to issue a statement discouraging people from reporting that children were being sold inside expensive cabinets online because callers were flooding its phones with a Q-adjacent conspiracy. The inundated hotline is one example of a problem each of the anti-trafficking representatives I spoke to raised: Even if QAnon is bringing people’s attention to child trafficking in general, it's focusing that attention specifically on a sensationalized, largely inaccurate picture of what trafficking looks like. And that can pull focus and resources away from the actual problem.
—Kaleigh Rogers, FiveThirtyEight.[194]

QAnon (in a similar fashion to Pizzagate) pays an obsessive amount of attention to conspiracy theories surrounding pedophilia and child-sex trafficking, particularly the notion that there is a global conspiracy involving a ring of Satan-worshiping, child-molesting criminals led by prominent Democrats.[195]

In general, QAnon conspiracy theories can be seen as less a concern about the legitimate issues of child abuse, and more an attack on cosmopolitan culture and social changes in American society – anxieties that can be seen in far older moral panics, such as the Satanic Panic of the 1980s, which also shared a core belief that the wealthy and powerful elite was kidnapping and breeding children for the purposes of pornography, sex trafficking, and Satanic ritual sacrifice.[195][196] QAnon shares the same "us vs. them" mentality with the older "culture wars" of the Moral Majority, codifying mistrust of science, “big government” and celebrity into a black-and-white moral code that dehumanizes perceived cultural enemies with imaginary horrific crimes.[197][198] QAnon also shares elements with end times, rapture, and dispensationalism theologies in that there is a "savior" that will lead them away from what they perceive as troubled times (in the mythos of QAnon, the "savior" is of course Donald Trump), and also shares the same obsession with applying current events into an over-arching (if messy) narrative that these theologies often had.[197][199] QAnon also incorporates Christian phrases like "Great Awakening" and Bible phrases in their rhetoric.[198][199]

Because of these similarities, in 2020, the QAnon conspiracy theory started becoming popular in certain religious circles, particularly denominations that were part of the neo-charismatic movementFile:Wikipedia's W.svg.[200] The slow infusion of a political and dehumanizing conspiracy theory into religion has worried some pastors, particularly in the white evangelical churches where this movement was taking hold.[201]

QAnon protest in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Due to the nature of this conspiracy theory / moral panic, it is no surprise that one of the largest targets of these conspiracy theories is HollywoodFile:Wikipedia's W.svg actors and actresses and other entertainers. Despite it being very easy to debunk with a simple Google search, in 2020, rumors spread online from time to time that celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey,[202] Ellen DeGeneresFile:Wikipedia's W.svg,[203] Tom HanksFile:Wikipedia's W.svg,[204] and others had been arrested for sex trafficking. One QAnon believer spread a list of people who supposedly flew on flights with the financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey EpsteinFile:Wikipedia's W.svg, that included several (often misspelled) celebrities that in reality had no connection to Epstein. (Of course, the list failed to include Donald Trump, who does have a connection). [205] This led to predictable abusive behavior against some of the celebrities from QAnon followers on social media.[206]

In April 2020, a "documentary" called Out Of Shadows[207] appeared on YouTube. The video accused Hollywood of being run by Satanic pedophilia rings that also "manipulate the multitudes by spreading propaganda" through music videos, various code words, non sequitur connections to legitimate scandals such as MKULTRA and NXIVM, and "connections" to various past government media regulations and agencies, of which the film maker clearly had no idea what they were about.[208] [note 2] The documentary was created by a Hollywood stuntman named Mike Smith, who had a "spiritual awakening" while recovering from an injury suffered while filming a television show.[209] While avoiding mentioning QAnon directly by name, the film relies on many dubious sources with connections to QAnon or other conspiracy outlets, such as Pizzagate / QAnon promoter Liz Crokin and ex-CIA agent Kevin Shipp (who was originally notable in 2011 for going public with a lawsuit against the CIA for poor working conditions[210], but in 2020 was more notable for his frequent appearances in NaturalNews columns.)[211] It is also notable that Mike Smith's Twitter profile references the "#Qanon" and "#WWG1WGA" hashtags.[212][213] Bizarrely, one of the pieces of "evidence" this film presented (to prove that Hollywood was being run by Satanic pedophilia ring) was actually a portrait of right-wing media: a montage, put together by DeadspinFile:Wikipedia's W.svg,[214] that combined multiple Sinclair media newscasters reading word-for-word a transcript that insinuated that most news outlets (except their own, of course) was fake news. [208] Similar in fashion to how the baseless COVID-19 "documentary" Plandemic spread, the film spread virally via various right-wing influencers.[208]

The obsession QAnon has with pedophilia has often frustrated legitimate organizations dedicated to sex trafficking by clogging anti-trafficking hotlines with false reports, and flooding social media with anti-trafficking hashtags that were often accompanied by baseless conspiracy theories instead of useful information.[215][216]

The reality of sex trafficking is rather different than QAnon proponents would like to have one believe. While it's true that coercive child sex trafficking exists, it is quite rare.[217] First, the the legal definition of trafficking is rather different than most people think: it includes situations in which an underage teen has sex with a john in exchange for money, food, drugs, or shelter, even without a pimp being involved. In such cases, the john is considered the trafficker;[217] this is known as 'survival sex'.File:Wikipedia's W.svg Second, most of the survival sex involving children is because "the child is homeless, has run away from foster care or has been kicked out by their parents, often due to being queer or transgender. Many of these kids end up trading sex for money, drugs or a place to sleep because it’s their only way to survive."[217] The problem for these homeless teens is often that foster care and other support systems that could keep them off the streets and out of prostitution are often chronically underfunded.[217] So, the situation then is that deeply conservative parents form a pool of people who are likely to reject their LGBTQ or nonconforming kids, who hate taxes and funding social services, and who form a base for QAnon recruitment. This amounts to a form of psychological projection wherein QAnon supporters baselessly accuse liberals of the most wildly reprehensible actions for which conservatives are in reality at least partly responsible.

To underscore this point, one of the centers of QAnon on the Internet (being the place where "authorized" "Q drops" have been posted since around 2017) [218] is 8chan (and its newest incarnation, 8kun). In fact, as noted above, the founder (and current arch-nemesis) of 8chan, Fredrick Brennan, believes (with some credible evidence) that the current owner of 8kun, Jim Watkins, is one of the posters of "Q drops". [219] Ironically, in the past, 8chan has been booted off hosts and was temporarily delisted from Google for being a haven of child pornography.[220][221]. Furthermore, on October 2020, Mother JonesFile:Wikipedia's W.svg revealed that NT Technology, a hosting firm owned by Watkins,[222] hosted several domain names suggestive of child pornography, with the domain names containing terms such as "preteen" and "child" alongside graphic terms for genitalia and words like "rape".[223]

Deep state bio-engineered viruses and nefarious humanitarianism

The 2020 COVID-19 outbreak added yet another layer to the conspiracy. A prominent QAnon YouTuber named Jordan Sather[224] (apparently not realizing that multiple strains of coronavirus exist for multiple species) claimed that the coronavirus was a “new fad disease”, and conspired the virus might have been planned by the "deep state". To prove this, he referenced a "patent for the coronavirus", citing a 2015 patent[225] for a vaccine for avian IBV,File:Wikipedia's W.svg a disease that only affects chickens.[226] Sather further tweeted that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation was a significant contributor to the group investigating this vaccine (indeed the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are contributors to this research institute, Pirbright Institute,File:Wikipedia's W.svg a group that focuses on farm animal infectious disease[227]). Of course, Bill Gates is part of the "deep state" so Sather implied that "something is definitely fishy with this".[228] Naturally, misinformation that Bill Gates actually created the coronavirus spread like wildfire in the conspiracy social media, [229] crossing over even to anti-vaccination sites like NaturalNews with batshit insane intensity (NaturalNews, true to form, implied that Bill Gates owned "the patent on coronavirus", and this is part of his effort to depopulate the planet.[230]). Fortunately, Jordan Sather has the perfect bullshit cure for you to drink to wipe out this coronavirus (or in fact every disease known to man): Chlorine dioxide bleach! Miracle Mineral Supplement![231]

Other assorted insanity

Of course, the globalist cabal doesn't stop with just Soros, the Sauds, and the Clintons! No, it goes much deeper than that.

  • Donald Trump himself retweeted two posts in October 2020 claiming that SEAL Team Six actually failed to kill Osama Bin Laden, and that Obama and Biden had them all assassinated to cover it up.[232]
  • One of Q's rambling threads suggests that Angela Merkel is the daughter of German dictator Adolf Hitler[233] (because why the hell not?) Note that Merkel was born nearly TEN years after Adolf Hitler's suicide.
  • Queen Elizabeth II is part of the cabal and had Princess Diana assassinated by MI6, and somehow this is related to Angela Merkel.[234]
  • Kim Jong Un is a puppet ruler placed in charge of North Korea by the CIA in order to start a war if they need one.[235]
  • The Las Vegas Mandalay Bay shooting was an inside job.[236] (of course)
  • US Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz hired MS-13 to assassinate DNC staffer Seth Rich in retaliation for stealing documents.[237][178][238]
  • Online furniture and home goods store WayfairFile:Wikipedia's W.svg is secretly operating a child trafficking ring because... furniture prices are "extremely high" and are "all listed with girls' names"? [239][240]
  • The elite are kidnapping children, terrorizing them, bleeding their blood out, and drinking it in a Satanic torture dungeon ritual sacrifice in order to achieve immortality and get high on... adrenochrome? [241][note 3][note 4]
  • Through the miracle of crank magnetism, somewhere in 2018 (probably simultaneously with getting banned on Reddit) the QAnoners discovered the joys of New gematria.[242] Not a day goes by without a Tweet copying a string of popular Q related hashtags including #Gematria in the chain. At least one QAnon-related site has also claimed that the "deep state" is also using gematria.[243] Ironically the non-Q gematria crowd includes Trump as part of the NWO complex and source of the problem, and the two camps pretty much ignore each other's existence. For a bit of individuality and claim to fame, Q has taken a stance that Trump's penchant to Tweet in all capital letters has a special meaning and they pay extra attention to those missives.
  • Bill Gates created fake snow in order to destroy Texas.[244] This one is so easy to disprove, with the charring being generated by the lighter they use to try to melt it, and the water being absorbed by the ice in the snowball.

International following

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, QAnon turned into a global phenomenon due to disaffected people searching for easy answers to their economic and personal problems.[245] QAnon followers can now be found in at least 71 countries, with the largest Q community in Germany.[246]

Alongside the pandemic, the movement also gained visibility due to being promoted by US President Donald Trump and other prominent Republicans and the movement's ability to tie in conspiracy beliefs that are prominent in other countries.[247]

UK

QAnon theories became increasingly popular in the UK in 2020, often linked with COVID-19 skepticism or denialism, and often foregrounding #saveourchildren/#savethechildren. It has been promoted by all-purpose conspiracy theorists such as Piers Corbyn, as well as getting interest from celebrities such as Robbie Williams.[248][249][250] As early as January 2020, John Mappin, a senior figure in Turning Point UK and a supporter of Nigel Farage, flew a QAnon flag over his castle in Cornwall, England.[251]

Analysis by The Guardian shows that much of the impetus for QAnon's rising popularity there comes from alternative medicine and spirituality websites.[252] Due to the conspiracy theory's versatile set of beliefs, it has proven able to adapt to different environments and thus spread rapidly. In the US, apparently starting in 2020, alt-med promoters also began promoting QAnon alongside their regular fare of bullshit.[253][254]

Germany

QAnon has gained a tremendous following in Germany thanks to its ability to ride on preexisting conspiracy theories tied to Angela Merkel by the German far-right. Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, German conspiracy theorists used a routine NATO exercise to claim that Donald Trump was secretly helping to "liberate" Germany from the Merkel regime.[255] In Germany, it was the far-right that first glommed on to Q and began aggressively pushing it; they were attracted not only by anti-Merkel rhetoric but also by the theory's antisemitic underpinnings. QAnon rallies in Germany tend to accompany far-right symbols like the old German Empire flag.[256] Most Germans subscribing to the theory tend to be under the age of 50, which reflects previous trends of German anti-establishment right.[257]

The theory might be ridiculous, but in Germany it threatens to be a major domestic terrorist threat. Germany is already seeing an uptick in right-wing terrorist incidents, with neo-Nazi and anti-Muslim cells being caught by police.[258] Most disturbing of all was a February 2020 mass shooting that killed 11 people in the city of Hanau, where the perpetrator left behind a manifesto claiming that an evil globalist cabal was controlling the world.[259] The assassination of Walter LübckeFile:Wikipedia's W.svg in June 2019 and the synagogue attack in Halle in October that year have also been linked to rhetoric stemming from QAnon or conspiracy theories related to it.[257]

Some notable Germans promoting the conspiracy theory have included celebrity singer/songwriter Xavier Naidoo, vegan chef and activist Attila Hildmann and former newsreader Eva Herman.[257]

France

France has one of the biggest QAnon communities outside the USA, with links to the fringes of the Yellow vests protest movement and to COVID denialism.[260]

Glossary

Much of the terminology of QAnon can be found in the dissected map, below. Here are some of the meta-terminology used by QAnoners to communicate among themselves:

  • ⭐⭐⭐ — used to show support for or to stand in for the name of General Michael Flynn
  • 17 — stands in for "Q", the 17th letter of the English alphabet
  • 187 — refers to the section of the California Penal Code section for murder; used for people alleged to have been murdered such as Seth Rich[261]
  • 5:5 — used in radio communication to mean "loud and clear", used by QAnon to allege that a special operations mission is taking place[261]
  • Anons — followers of Q who dissect breadcrumbs[261]
  • Autists — obsessive anons, a reference to "weaponized autism"[261][262]
  • Baker — QAnon forum moderator or clue interpreter,[14] possibly also a PIDOOMA expert who is generating a bullshit stream
  • Black hat — government official who opposes Trump,[14] presumably deep state
  • Booms — revelations about the alleged anti-Trump cabal[261]
  • Breadcrumb — clue
  • Clowns or C_A — CIA[261]
  • Comms — communications, usually referring to the idea that non-8chan communications are fake[261]
  • Drop — posting made by Q on 8chan[261]
  • Fireworks — a major news story is supposedly breaking about the alleged anti-Trump cabal[261]
  • Follow the white rabbit — seek the truth[263]
  • Future proves past — the idea that the future will bear out the QAnon conspiracy and drops[261]
  • GodWins — not to be confused with the law, a hashtag intended as a rallying cry, reassurance, or reinforcement of the idea that anons are on the right side of history
  • The Great Awakening — the belief that Mueller would work with Trump and bring down the cabal that was fighting Trump; no longer so popular since the Mueller report came out[261]
  • Hussein — Barack Hussein Obama[261]
  • Kraken — Indisputable evidence that the 2020 election was rigged that will supposedly be revealed at some point[60]
  • LARP — live action role-playing game, used in conflicting contexts:
    1. the idea that Q is just playing a game with credulous Trumpers.[261] This idea is supported by Travis View, a conspiracy theory researcher.[264]
    2. the idea that others (particularly on the left) who take up arms are simply doing so to look intimidating and would crumble at the first sign of actual danger or repercussions – shares a lot of context with the alt-right's usage of "soy boy"
  • Mockingbird — the alleged Operation MockingbirdFile:Wikipedia's W.svg by the CIA[261]
  • News unlocks map — the idea that actual news will explain the QAnon map (below)[261]
  • No Name — John McCain[261]
  • Pain — something bad happening to the alleged anti-Trump cabal[261]
  • Pedo-gate — an extension of the Pizzagate conspiracy theory[261]
  • Proofs — evidence that Q is real or that drops are real[261] – possibly derived from the earlier 2014 meme proofster[265]
  • Q+ — shorthand for Donald Trump.[114]
  • Q researchers — followers of QAnon who think they are doing actual research[1] rather than, say, being trolled by 'Q'
  • Red pill — exposing non-believers to QAnon; the term originated from the 1999 film The Matrix, and spread to other fringe groups, starting with the men's rights movement[261][266] and including the alt-right's red pill usage
  • Sealed indictments — the once popular (pre-Mueller Report) idea that sealed indictments would come out prior to The Great Awakening[261]
  • ShadowPrez — a conspiracy that alleges that Trump is still the president behind the scenes[267][268]
  • StopTheSteal — hashtag used as rallying cry against the results of the 2020 election
  • The Storm — there have been theories about this within QAnon, including mass arrests of Democrats, sex offenders, various enemies of Trump[261]
  • Tripcode — the code used by Q on 8chan that supposedly confirms authenticity[261]
  • White hat — government official who supports Trump[14]
  • WWG1WGA — an abbreviation for "Where we go one, we go all", alleged by conspiracists to have been said by John F. Kennedy, but is actually attributable to the 1996 action film White Squall[14] ("You told us where we go one we go all, well we believed you, we lived by it, Sir. And now you're saying where you go we can't follow.")[269]

QAnon map dissection
See the main article on this topic: QAnon map dissection

As the map shows, QAnon functions as a grand unified conspiracy theory because it lumps in just about every imaginable conspiracy theory (together with some historical reference points and almost no context). There are a number of conspiracy theories that are based on bigotry: antisemitism (e.g. concerning George Soros or the illuminati),[270][271] anti-Catholicism (e.g., concerning Jesuits),[272] anti-African American (concerning the Obamas),[273] and anti-Masonic (also, often antisemitic),[274] and these are baked into the map. In that sense, QAnon can be used both as a mirror for one's own bigotry and as a powerful crank magnet that can attract all sorts of shit from this "rabbit hole".

Notably missing from these two maps is CrowdStrike, a security company that was hired by the DNC, but is now part of the QAnon conspiracy and incredibly was part of the GOP defense of Trump in the impeachment inquiry.[275][276]

A harebrained Qanon map, beckoning you to jump down the rabbit hole. Apophenia much?

Having trouble reading 5-point ALL CAPS? Is your mind confused by the non sequitur tornado? View the dissected map here:[note 6]

</ref> Unhelpfully, the dissection is still full of non sequitur. The dissection roughly follows the map left-to-right and top-to-bottom.

Great Awakening map

The Great Awakening Map is the quintessential red-pill navigational chart for Escaping the Matrix and Returning to Source.

The map has been spotted on 8chan in accompaniment with the Q-Map, and has served a vital role in The Great Awakening and Full Disclosure Movement across the entire globe.

Over a decade of metaphysical research was collected prior to the map's release in mid-2018.[288]

The map is actually quite similar to the QAnon map above but regurgitated with different spaghetti code.

Real world "Q" clearance

In the Department of Energy, this is a real thing.File:Wikipedia's W.svg As a DOE clearance, it presumably relates to nuclear secrets of the United States. It obviously makes sense that this publicly known and extremely important clearance level would be primarily used to hide everyone's secret pedophilia.[note 11]

gollark: <@114827439070248961>
gollark: I'm fairly sure it's against Discord rules to post NSFW things outside NSFW channels.
gollark: Also, almost certainly not in non-NSFW-marked channels, which is all of them.
gollark: Please don't.
gollark: best OS

See also
  • Fun:The truth about RationalWiki, for we are also part of the global Satanic cabal.

Notes
  1. Predictably, many QAnon supporters reacted angrily online to Carlson having the audacity to ask for actual evidence for the claims Powell was making.[62]
  2. For those who want an in depth review of the film, Reddit user lewisje gives a excellent run-down of the entire film's content in a post made on r/Documentaries.
  3. Adrenochrome is a chemical compound that is an oxidation byproduct of adrenaline. While a real compound that once was connected to schizophrenia (a viewpoint that is no longer mainstream science), this is best known as the super-powerful (fictional) psychedelic in Hunter S. Thompson's book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. In the book, the drug comes from a living donor's adrenal gland — take this, add in the Life Drinker fictional trope, and adjust for QAnon's fascination with pedo rings, and you get QAnon at its most darkly bizarre level.
  4. Also, this is highly reminiscent of the blood libel canard, and can be considered a link between QAnon and anti-Semitism.
  5. This and variant quotes have been alleged by conspiracy theorists to be from Mayer Amschel RothschildFile:Wikipedia's W.svg (1744–1812). The earliest known attribution was in 1913, a century after his death.<ref>Talk:Conspiracy Wikiquote (archived from 10 Feb 2019 22:59:37 UTC).
  7. Maria Orsic is a fictional character in the book The Morning of the Magicians that is often referenced by conspiracy theorists.[278]
  8. IG Farben was a German chemical and pharmaceutical company that committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during World War II.[279]
  9. "A term applied to energy produced by human beings and animals that other entities use to feed from."[285]
  10. "As above, so below"File:Wikipedia's W.svg is a hermetic phrase indicating that the heavens influence the Earth.
  11. The original author of this section is not-so-secretly an on-and-off DOE employee. Albeit one who specializes in climate science rather than child molestation.

References
  1. The Prophecies of Q: American conspiracy theories are entering a dangerous new phase. by Adrienne LaFrance (June 2020) The Atlantic.
  2. BSO sergeant who wore 'QAnon' patch in photo with Pence has been disciplined by Carli Teproff (December 03, 2018 07:26 PM, Updated December 04, 2018 07:24 AM) Miami Herald.
  3. A New Wave Of 'QAnon' Activists Emerge From The Cult Of MAGA by Jared Holt (July 9, 2018 12:51 pm) Right Wing Watch.
  4. The Storm Is the New Pizzagate — Only Worse. by Paris Martineau (19 December 2017) New York Magazine.
  5. The Book of Q (November 20, 2017) aim4truthblog.files.wordpress.com (archived from February 1, 2018).
  6. Qanon's "Calm Before the Storm" KnowYourMeme
  7. Conspiracy meta-theory 'The Storm' pushes the 'alternative' envelope yet again. by David Neiwert (17 January 2018) Southern Poverty Law Center.
  8. What is QAnon? Explaining the bizarre rightwing conspiracy theory by Julia Carrie Wong (30 Jul 2018) The Guardian.
  9. "Tony Norman: The Protocols of the Elders of Zion 2.0: The rise of QAnon" by Tony Norman, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2020 August 25
  10. HRC extradition already in motion effective yesterday with several countries in case of cross border run. Passport approved to be flagged effective 10/30 @ 12:01am. Expect massive riots organized in defiance and others fleeing the US to occur. US M’s will conduct the operation while NG activated. Proof check: Locate a NG member and ask if activated for duty 10/30 across most major cities. by Anonymous ID:BQ7V3bcW No.147012719 (Sat 28 Oct 2017 13:44:28) 4plebs.org /pol/ (archived from November 17, 2017).
  11. Is QAnon a game gone wrong? produced by Tom Hannen (October 15, 2020) Financial Times.
  12. THE COMING STORM imgur (archived from December 26, 2018).
  13. QAnon Conspiracy: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know by Erin Laviola (Updated Aug 1, 2018 at 11:32am) Heavy.
  14. What Is QAnon? The Craziest Theory of the Trump Era, Explained by Will Sommer (07.06.18) The Daily Beast.
  15. TO THOSE WHO 🐇#FollowTheWhiteRabbit 🐇 You wanted a sign from @realDonaldTrump You got a sign from @realDonaldTrump 👉 #FIJI is a SOURCE country for Child-Sex Trafficking 👈 by @bocavista2016 (5:24 AM - 16 Nov 2017) Twitter (archived from May 26, 2019).
  16. ‘We are Q’: A deranged conspiracy cult leaps from the Internet to the crowd at Trump's 'MAGA' tour by Isaac Stanley-Becker (August 1, 2018 at 6:43 AM) The Washington Post.
  17. Fact-checking QAnon conspiracy theories: Did J.P. Morgan sink the Titanic? by Erick Trickey (August 4, 2018 at 7:00 AM) The Washington Post.
  18. JFK Jr. didn’t die! He runs QAnon! And he’s No. 1 Trump fan, omg!!! by Avi Selk (August 5, 2018, at 1:37 PM) The Washington Post.
  19. Has POTUS *ever* made a statement that did not become proven as true/fact? #followthewhiterabbit 🐇 by @TH3WH17ERABB17 (2:48 AM - 8 Nov 2017) Twitter (archived from May 26, 2019).
  20. The First Q, Medium
  21. Wow, QANON's Identity Revealed + Donald Trump's Storm Is Underway (December 24, 2017) Fulcrum.
  22. Interviewing Liz Crokin on the Storm, Q Anon, Pedogate & Twitter Feuds (Jan 2, 2018) by Destroying the Illusion (Jan 2, 2018) YouTube.
  23. Deep State Attacks Q Anon with Nazi Smear Campaign, Fake Q Postings, And Mega Anon on Q Anon by Justin Deschamps (11/29/2017) Stillness in the Storm (archived from 27 May 2019 06:17:17 UTC).
  24. Q-Tube Updates: The Other Side of the QAnon Phenomenon with Jerome Corsi and Tracy Beanz (January 10, 2018) Starship Earth: The Big Picture (archived from 27 May 2019 06:22:16 UTC).
  25. Russian troll accounts purged by Twitter pushed Qanon and other conspiracy theories. The accounts’ tweets featured the hashtag #MAGA, usually in support of President Trump, almost 38,000 times — the most of any hashtag. by Ben Collins and Joe Murphy (Feb. 2, 2019, 6:55 AM PST) NBC News.
  26. Exposed Email Logs Show 8kun Owner in Contact With QAnon Influencers and Enthusiasts by Emmi Bevensee & Max Aliapoulios (January 7, 2021) Bellingcat.
  27. Trump Won't Say Why He Called Military Dinner 'Calm Before the Storm' by Margaret Hartmann (6 October 2017) New York Magazine.
  28. What Did President Trump Mean by 'Calm Before the Storm'? by Mark Landler (October 6, 2017) New York Times.
  29. 4CHAN BREADCRUMBS INSIDER — Was Donald Trump Recruited by U.S. Military Intelligence to be President? by party1981 (11/2/2017 10:33:00 PM) Voat (archived from 3 Nov 2017 04:57:19 UTC).
  30. Failed Prophecies Won't Stop Trump's True Believers by Michael Barkun (Nov 8, 2018) Foreign Policy.
  31. Attorney General Barr's Letter On Mueller Report by Dana Farrington (March 22, 20195:39 PM ET) NPR.
  32. The Mueller investigation is over. QAnon, the conspiracy theory that grew around it, is not. Why a conspiracy theory with an expiration date will endure. by Jane Coaston (Mar 29, 2019, 5:30pm EDT) Vox.
  33. Qanon conspiracy accounts are 'gloating' over Mueller Report, despite internal dissent by Daniel Moritz-Rabson (4/18/19 at 7:07 PM EDT) Newsweek.
  34. Conspiracy Theories Never Die: RBG Edition by Ed Brayton (March 18, 2019) Patheos.
  35. A New Wave Of 'QAnon' Activists Emerge From The Cult Of MAGA by Jared Holt (July 9, 2018, 12:51 pm) Right Wing Watch.
  36. #QAnon, the scarily popular pro-Trump conspiracy theory, explained: How a conspiracy theory that Trump and Robert Mueller are secretly working together got from Reddit to Trump rallies. by Jane Coaston (Updated Aug 2, 2018, 12:31pm EDT) Vox.
  37. Here is every QAnon prediction that’s failed to come true by Mike Rothschild (2018-08-27 06:30 am | Last updated 2018-08-27 11:19 am) Daily Dot'.'
  38. Thanks to the Trump administration, one QAnon theory is panning out by Dana Milbank (September 15, 2020, at 2:06 p.m. PDT) The Washington Post.
  39. QAnon Followers Think JFK Jr. Is Coming Back on the 4th of July: He’s an avid Trump supporter and has been hiding in Pennsylvania for two decades, according to some people on Twitter who don’t seem to realize he’s actually dead by EJ Dickson (July 3, 2019, 2:17PM ET) Rolling Stone.
  40. Man Known as BabyQ Is in Trouble for Using Synthetic Penis by Will Sommer (Updated Sep. 11, 2020 7:27AM ET; Published Sep. 11, 2020 5:05AM ET) Daily Beast.
  41. Inside the Completely Nutso Universe of QAnon by Will Sommer (Updated Aug. 21, 2020, 9:09AM ET; Published Aug. 21, 2020, 4:28AM ET) Daily Beast.
  42. 'My faith is shaken': The QAnon conspiracy theory faces a post-Trump identity crisis by Drew Harwell & Craig Timberg November 10, 2020, at 5:45 a.m. PST) The Washington Post.
  43. How Mueller & President Trump are Pulling the Biggest Sting in History by Liz Crokin (8 Nov 2017) LizCrokin.com (archived from 8 Nov 2017 22:43:24 UTC).
  44. The S.T.O.R.M by Edvard Munch (archived from 27 May 2019 07:26:32 UTC).
  45. Kyle Mantyla, Jerome Corsi Has Uncovered Irrefutable Proof Of The Authenticity Of 'QAnon'. Right Wing Watch, 11 January 2018.
  46. Meet "The Storm," the conspiracy theory taking over the pro-Trump internet by Will Sommer (Jan 12, 2018) Medium.
  47. Exclusive: The Secrets of QAnon, The Storm, and The Deep State Counterstrike by WE ARE Q. (Dec 30, 2017) YouTube.
  48. NASA Denies That It's Running a Child Slave Colony on Mars by Ben Collins (06.29.177:40 PM ET) The Daily Beast.
  49. The far right is struggling to contain Qanon after giving it life. by Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny (10 August 2018) NBC News.
    Infowars founder Alex Jones once promoted the theory, but then told his followers that it had been compromised. "Stick a fork in the avatar of Qanon," Jones declared in May, claiming to have spoken to the person behind the leaks that make up the theory. "It is now an overrun disinformation fount."
  50. Exposed – Creator of QAnon Speaks for the First Time by Jack Posobiec (UPDATED 7:52 AM PT — Wed. Sept. 5, 2018) One America News Network (archived from September 6, 2018).
  51. From Trolling To Fleecing: Co-Creator Of ‘Q’ Hoax Explains Its Scary Evolution by Georgi Boorman (29 October 2018) The Federalist.
  52. Breitbart's Curt Schilling embraces and amplifies absurd "QAnon" conspiracy theory. Schilling: "It's a group of people that are very Christian-focused group of people, who believe the deep state is real — which I don't think we can deny anymore, that the deep state exists" (June 29, 2018, 11:13 AM EDT) Media Matters for America.
  53. QAnon is US Military Intelligence that recruited Trump for President to prevent Coup D'etat by Michael Salla (April 12, 2018) Expolitics (archived from 17 Apr 2018 17:07:36 UTC).
  54. QAnon on the Rothschild, Saudi & Soros Puppet Masters behind the Deep State by Michael Salla (April 21, 2018) Exopolitics (archived from 27 May 2019 02:24:27 UTC).
  55. QAnon on the Rothschilds & Satanism – Trump’s Secret Alliance with Putin by Michael Salla (April 21, 2018) Expolitics (archived from 23 Apr 2018 17:49:49 UTC).
  56. Roseanne Barr is tweeting about QAnon, a new Pizzagate-style conspiracy theory by Will Sommer (Mar 30, 2018) Medium.
  57. To boost voter-fraud claims, Trump advocate Sidney Powell turns to unusual source: The longtime operator of QAnon's Internet home by Drew Harwell (Dec. 1, 2020 at 5:44 p.m. EST) The Washington Post.
  58. "Trump campaign cuts Sidney Powell from president’s legal team" by Kyle Cheney, Politico, 2020 November 22
  59. "Ex-Trump Lawyer Sidney Powell Mocked For Typo-Laden Lawsuits" by Ja'han Jones, Huffington Post, 2020 November 26
  60. "The Kraken: What is it and why has Trump's ex-lawyer released it?" by Reality Check Team and BBC Monitoring, BBC News, 2020 November 28
  61. "Tucker Carlson Dared Question a Trump Lawyer. The Backlash Was Quick." by Jeremy W. Peters, New York Times, 2020 November 20
  62. "QAnon Believers React With Anger as Tucker Carlson Says Trump Lawyer Provided No Evidence of Voter Fraud" by Darragh Roche, Newsweek, 2020 November 20
  63. "Trump's Lawyer Sidney Powell Is Hardcore QAnon" by David Gilbert, Vice News, 2020 November 20
  64. "An attorney leading Trump's attempt to subvert the election results is a longtime QAnon supporter" by Tom Porter, Business Insider, 2020 November 20
  65. "Sidney Powell is a beacon of hope to sad Qanon supporters" by Donie O'Sullivan, CNN Business, 2020 November 24
  66. "SIDNEY POWELL LIVE /// THE DEEP STATE HOAX", Youtube, War Drummer, streamed live on November 19 2019
  67. "Q – The Plan & Textual Time Travel", thewardrummer.com, archived on 2020 December 1
  68. "Pense (sic) lost to Kamala the witch.", thewardrummer.com, archived on 2020 December 1
  69. War Drummer videos, Youtube, archived on 2020 December 1
  70. About Matthew Mathew Lusk, Republican, for U.S. Representative from Florida District 5 (archived from April 9, 2019).
  71. Republican QAnon follower mounts 2020 challenge to Al Lawson by A.G. Gancarski (April 8, 2019) Florida Politics.
  72. Just For the Record (March 29, 2019 6:04 PM) Mathew Lusk, Republican, for U.S. Representative from Florida District 5 (archived from April 9, 2019).
  73. Issues Mathew Lusk, Republican, for U.S. Representative from Florida District 5 (archived from April 9, 2019).
  74. https://ballotpedia.org/Matthew_Lusk Matthew Lusk - Ballotpedia
  75. Operation Rescue Hypes QAnon ‘Blockbuster Intel Drop’ About Planned Parenthood by Miranda Blue (March 15, 2018 12:44 pm) Right Wing Watch.
  76. Blockbuster Intel Drop Reveals Trump is Trying to "End" Planned Parenthood – Twitter Attempts Censorship by Cheryl Sullenger (March 13, 2018) Operation Rescue (archived from March 14, 2018).
  77. Q is legit. Don't trust the media. by @notch (2:40 AM - 2 Mar 2019) Twitter (archived from 12 Mar 2019 18:03:38 UTC).
  78. Qanon Conspiracy Endorsed By 'Minecraft' Creator Markus 'notch' Persson by Andrew Whalen (3/4/19 at 4:46 PM EST) Newsweek.
  79. I might be the most serious I've ever been. by @notch (2:41 AM - 2 Mar 2019) Twitter (March 31, 2019).
  80. Microsoft excludes Minecraft’s creator from anniversary event over his ‘comments and opinions’ by Jacob Kastrenakes (Apr 29, 2019, 11:55am EDT) The Verge.
  81. Here are the QAnon supporters running for Congress in 2020: The QAnon conspiracy theory is rooted in the chan message boards. Here are 40 current or former congressional candidates who embrace it. by Alex Kaplan (01/07/20 11:42 AM EST; Updated 05/06/20 11:30 AM EDT) Media Matters for America.
  82. QAnon Now Has Its Very Own Super PAC: "Disarm the Deep State" was established by the operator of 8chan to "mobilize a community of patriots.” bu David Gilbert (Mar 2 2020, 5:39am) Vice.
  83. QAnon goes to Washington: two supporters win seats in Congress: Believers in Deep State conspiracy enter halls of power by Katherine Tully-McManus (November 5, 2020 at 11:21am) Roll Call.
  84. KW Miller For Congress Fighting The Globalist by Karl Miller and Michael Willis (June 14, 2020) GoFundMe (archived from 5 Jul 2020 19:11:28 UTC).
  85. Primary Election: Unofficial (May 19, 2020) Oregon Secretary of State.
  86. See the Wikipedia article on 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Ohio § District 11.
  87. Lindsey Graham says QAnon is 'bats--- crazy' after Trump defended the conspiracy theory's followers. Insider. Aug 27, 2020.
  88. How three conspiracy theorists took 'Q' and sparked Qanon by Brandy Zadrozny & Ben Collins (Aug. 14, 2018, 4:25 PM GMT) NBC News.
  89. DPS: Man who blocked Hoover Dam bridge held sign calling for release of Comey report by Nathan J. Fish (Published 1:55 p.m. MT June 15, 2018 | Updated 9:33 p.m. MT June 15, 2018) AZ Central.
  90. 2 Arizona arrests have ties to QAnon conspiracy theory movement by Richard Ruelas (Published 12:04 p.m. MT Aug. 7, 2018 | Updated 3:00 p.m. MT Aug. 7, 2018) AZ Central.
  91. QAnon Referenced by Man Arrested for Threatening to Kill Trump: Jeffrey Boyd told a Pennsylvania woman he had come from Oklahoma with a gun because of CIA mind-control and other Q-related clues. Police say he threatened the first family. by Will Sommer (08.10.18 10:35 PM ET) Daily Beast.
  92. California Wildfire Suspect Posted About QAnon, Other Conspiracies: "This place is going to burn," Forrest Clark allegedly texted a volunteer fire chief two weeks before the fire. by Sebastian Murdock (08/10/2018 03:44 pm ET) HuffPost.
  93. #QANON Conspiracy Theorists Are Hunting for 'Child Sex Camps' in the Arizona Desert: A veteran’s charity in Arizona is hunting pedophiles in Tucson and asking the internet for help. by Matthew Gault (Jun 7, 2018, 9:54am) Vice.
  94. QAnon conspiracy theory on James Comey shuts school festival (10 May 2019) BBC News.
  95. The inside story of how QAnon derailed a charter school’s annual fundraiser by Mike Rothschild (2019-05-10 08:35 am) Daily Dot.
  96. A mother teamed up with QAnon followers to kidnap her son from protective custody, police say. Washington Post. 8 January, 2020.
  97. Colorado mom accused of conspiring with QAnon group to kidnap child. The Hill.
  98. FBI document warns conspiracy theories are a new domestic terrorism threat by Jana Winter (August 1, 2019) Yahoo News.
  99. (U//LES) Anti-Government, Identity Based, and Fringe Political Conspiracy Theories Very Likely Motivate Some Domestic Extremists to Commit Crminal, Sometimes Violent Activity (30 May 2019) FBI Phoenix Field Office via Scribd.
  100. "Armed Man Who Allegedly Stormed Trudeau's Residence Appears to Have Posted QAnon Content" by Mack Lamoreux, Vice, 2020 July 3
  101. "Armed man who broke into Trudeau residence charged with threatening to kill or injure PM" by Leyland Cecco, Guardian, 2020 Jul 6
  102. We’ve been clear that we will take strong enforcement action on behavior that has the potential to lead to offline harm. In line with this approach, this week we are taking further action on so-called ‘QAnon’ activity across the service. by Twitter Safety (5:00 PM - 21 Jul 2020) Twitter (archived from 22 Jul 2020 00:47:57 UTC).
  103. Alleged QAnon Goons With AR-15 Arrested Near Vote Center. The Daily Beast. Nov. 06, 2020
  104. Melby, Cody Levi MCSO Inmate Data.
  105. "Man charged with shooting Portland federal courthouse attended Salem ‘Stop the Steal’ protest" by Conrad Wilson, OPB, 2021 January 11
  106. Trump again refuses to denounce QAnon. Associated Press.
  107. Trump Team Gives VIP Rally Access To ‘QAnon’ Truther by Jared Holt (June 21, 2018) Right Wing Watch.
  108. Trump retweeted a QAnon supporter during his Twitter bender by David Covucci (2019-03-18 01:24 pm) The Daily Dot.
  109. Trump's Mar-a-Lago Pastry Chef Is a QAnon Believer by Peter Wade (February 23, 2019) Rolling Stone.
  110. "GOP leaders silent on QAnon-believing candidate now distancing themselves" by Colby Itkowitz, The Washington Post, 2020 June 17
  111. "Trump isn't secretly winking at QAnon. He's retweeting its followers" by Tina Nguyen, Politico, 2020 July 12
  112. "How the Trump campaign came to court QAnon, the online conspiracy movement identified by the FBI as a violent threat" by Isaac Stanley-Becker, The Washington Post, 2020 August 2
  113. qanon.pub, an archive of QAnon-related posts (archived from January 2, 2019).
  114. QAnon Conspiracy Increasingly Popular with Antigovernment Extremists by Brendan Joel Kelley (April 23, 2019) Southern Poverty Law Center.
  115. QAnon believers link small-town arrest to deep state conspiracy without evidence by Mike Rothschild (2019-05-24 01:58 pm) Daily Dot.
  116. How a conspiracy theory about Democrats drinking children's blood topped Amazon’s best-sellers list by Kaitlyn Tiffany (Mar 6, 2019) Vox.
  117. QAnon: An Invitation to the Great Awakening by WWG1WGA (2019) Relentlessly Creative Books. ISBN 1942790139.
  118. 'QAnon' book claiming Democrats eat children is climbing the Amazon charts by Shawn Langlois (Mar 5, 2019, 12:32 p.m. ET) MarketWatch.
  119. Pizzagate was created to discredit #OpDeathEaters, QAnon was created to discredit #Anonymous. Both were creations of prominent Trump supporters / state-backed, familiar with us and our operations. That's how we know that what we are telling you is credible. by Anonymous (12:58 PM · Jul 10, 2019) Twitter (8 Jun 2020 15:38:52 UTC).
  120. "QAnon: The online cult that is a danger in the real world" by David Aaronovitch, The Australian Times, 2020 July 30
  121. "People Tell Us How QAnon Destroyed Their Relationships" by Mack Lamoureux, Vice, 2019 July 11
  122. "'We Are Your Family Now': What It's Like to Lose a Loved One to QAnon" by Quinn Myers, Mel, July 2020
  123. "QAnon Destroys Lives. Now It’s Coming for Congress." by Justin Ling, Foreign Policy, 2020 August 12
  124. "It’s too late to stop QAnon with fact checks and account bans" by Abby Ohlheiser, MIT Technology Review, 2020 July 26
  125. r/QAnonCasualties, Reddit group
  126. "Reddit community QAnon Casualties share stories of conspiracy cult" by Jack Gramenz, News.Com.Au, 2020 August 11
  127. Jo Rae Perkins for Senate (Oregon) - WWG1WGA. Dustin Nemos. YouTube.
  128. "Marjorie Taylor Greene, a QAnon Supporter, Wins House Primary in Georgia" by Matthew Rosenberg, Astead W. Herndon and Nick Corasaniti, The New York Times, 2020 August 11
  129. "Marjorie Taylor Greene, who backs QAnon and has made racist remarks, wins congressional seat" by Andrea Salcedo, Washington Post, 2020 November 4
  130. "Marjorie Taylor Green - Qanon - The Vid She Wants To Forget.. Nov 26 2017", posted by "Glow 4", YouTube, 2020 June 4
  131. "House Republican leaders condemn GOP candidate who made racist videos"by Ally Mutnick and Melanie Zanona, Politico, 2020 June 17
  132. "Republicans called her videos ‘appalling’ and ‘disgusting.’ But they’re doing little to stop her." by Melanie Zanona and Ally Mutnick, Politico, 2020 August 09
  133. "Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican congressional candidate endorsed by Trump, claimed there's 'no evidence' a plane crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11" by Eliza Relman, Business Insider, 2020 August 13
  134. "Trump and top House Republican embrace candidate who promoted QAnon conspiracy theory" by Clare Foran, Manu Raju, and Haley Byrd, CNN, 2020 August 12
  135. "Who is Marjorie Taylor Greene? Trump called QAnon supporter a ‘future Republican star’" by Summer Lin, Miami Herald, 2020 August 12
  136. "Georgia candidates embrace group with extremist ties" by Chris Joyner and Tia Mitchell, The Atlanta Journal–Constitution, 2020 May 19
  137. QAnon-Linked Congresswoman to File Impeachment Articles Against Biden on January 21 Newsweek 13 January 2021
  138. "QAnon’s Fox News Cameo: The Conspiracy Theory’s Latest Breakout Moment" by Jack Brewster, Forbes, 2020 July 18
  139. "Fox News host says far-right conspiracy movement QAnon uncovers 'great stuff'" by Ellen Cranley, The Insider, 2020 July 26
  140. "Former Trump Adviser Roger Stone Says He Hopes QAnon Source is 'Real'" by Jeffery Martin, Newsweek, 2020 July 2
  141. "‘A Gray Marble And A Den Of Vipers.’ In 1773, A Wealthy Goldsmith And Coin Dealer Named Mayer Amschel Bauer Summoned Twelve Wealthy And Influential Men To His Place Of Business In Frankfurt, Germany.", @WarNuse, Twitter, 2020 May 22, archived on 26 Aug 2020
  142. @WarNuse Gab account. Front page. Archived on 26 Aug 2020
  143. 👇👇 "These are the violent types of people that SOROS, the ROTHCHILDS and the UNITED NATIONS have NO problem using as pawns and uprooting them and bringing them to the USA to accomplish their ONE WORLD GOVT! 🇺🇸 TODAY...RIGHT NOW..WE HAVE TO FIGHT", Tweet, @mamendoza480, 2019 June 6, archived on 2020 August 26
  144. "RNC Speaker Cancelled After Boosting QAnon Conspiracy Theory About Jewish Plot to Enslave the World" by Will Sommer, Daily Beast, 2020 August 25
  145. "'Angel Mom' Mary Ann Mendoza posts antisemitic QAnon conspiracy ahead of RNC speech" by Alex Woodward, Independent, 2020 August 25
  146. Capitol riot defendants facing jail have regrets. Judges aren’t buying it. by Rachel Weiner & Spencer S. Hsu (Feb. 26, 2021 at 9:04 a.m. PST) The Washington Post.
  147. "FBI Labels Fringe Conspiracy Theories as Domestic Terrorism Threat" by Marianne Dodson, Daily Beast, 2019 August 1
  148. "Twitter unveils plan to limit QAnon activity in new crackdown" by Li Cohen, CBSNews, 2020 July 22
  149. "Facebook completely bans QAnon and labels it a ‘militarized social movement’" by Nick Statt, Verge, 2020 October 6
  150. "YouTube joins Silicon Valley peers in preelection QAnon clampdown" by Elizabeth Dwoskin and Isaac Stanley-Becker, Washington Post, 2020 October 15
  151. "Etsy Latest To Crackdown On QAnon Conspiracy Theory" by Elana Lyn Gross, Forbes, 2020 October 7
  152. "Facebook and Twitter said they would crack down on QAnon, but the delusion seems unstoppable" by Shirin Ghaffary, Vox, 2020 Oct 6
  153. "Facebook Tried to Limit QAnon. It Failed." by Sheera Frenkel and Tiffany Hsu, New York Times, 2020 September 18
  154. "This is what Trump told supporters before many stormed Capitol Hill" by Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 2021 January 7
  155. "Rudy Giuliani Speech Transcript at Trump’s Washington, D.C. Rally: Wants ‘Trial by Combat’", Rev.Com, 2021 January 6
  156. "QAnon reshaped Trump’s party and radicalized believers. The Capitol siege may just be the start." by Drew Harwell, Isaac Stanley-Becker, Razzan Nakhlawi and Craig Timberg, Washington Post, 2021 January 13
  157. "Nothing can stop what’s coming: Far-right forums that fomented Capitol riots voice glee in aftermath" by Craig Timberg, Drew Harwell, Razzan Nakhlawi and Harrison Smith, Washington Post, 2021 January 7
  158. "The Journey of Ashli Babbitt", Bellingcat Investigation Team, Bellingcat.com
  159. "Video shows fatal shooting of Ashli Babbitt in the Capitol" by Jon Swaine, Jon Swaine, Dalton Bennett, Joyce Sohyun Lee and Meg Kelly, Washington Post, 2021 January 8
  160. "Woman Killed in Capitol Embraced Trump and QAnon" by Ellen Barry, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Dave Philipps, New York Times, 2021 January 7
  161. "QAnon backer from Iowa was among first to breach Capitol" by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press (posted on The Gazette), 2021 January 12
  162. "The Georgia Dad who Said That He Wanted to Kill Nancy Pelosi" by Charles Bethea, New Yorker, 2021 January 15
  163. "A well-known QAnon influencer dubbed the 'Q Shaman' played a highly visible role in the Capitol siege" by Rachel E. Greenspan, Yahoo News, 2021 January 6
  164. "Longtime Arizona QAnon supporter in horned helmet joins storming of U.S. Capitol" by Richard Ruelas, Arizona Republic, 2021 January 6
  165. "QAnon posts evade Facebook ban before Inauguration Day" by Daniel Funke, Politifact, 2021 January 13
  166. "Twitter suspends 70,000 QAnon accounts in massive purge fter deadly Capitol siege, Trump ban" by Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 2021 January 11
  167. "Amazon says it will remove QAnon products from its store." by Karen Weise, New York Times, 2021 Jan 11
  168. "Intelligence report: Capitol riot has emboldened domestic extremists who now pose 'greatest domestic terrorism threats in 2021'" by Crystal Hill, Yahoo News, 2021 January 13
  169. Here's How QAnon Reacted as They Realized 'The Storm' Isn't Happening Gizmodo 20 January 2021
  170. Checked by reality, some QAnon supporters seek a way out Associated Press News 29 January 2021
  171. QAnon Thinks Trump Will Become President Again on March 4 VICE News 25 January 2021
  172. Fact check: No evidence to support QAnon claims of mass arrests, military takeover, illegitimacy of Biden’s presidency or Trump’s return to power Reuters 22 January 2021
  173. Nearly 5,000 National Guard troops to remain in Washington through mid-March due to concerns about QAnon chatter CNN 17 February 2021
  174. Trump’s DC Hotel Is Jacking Up Rates For QAnon’s Next Special Date Forbes 6 February 2021
  175. "QAnon predicted Trump’s re-inauguration on 4 March. Congress braced for an assault. Neither happened" by Alex Woodward, Independent, 2021 March 5
  176. "QAnon Theorists Switch Date to March 20 After No Trump Inauguration, Call the 4th 'False Flag'" by Emily Czachor, Newsweek, 2021 March 4
  177. Q Anon - Alex Jones, the NSA and You! pt.1 - In Pursuit of Truth Presents - 8.15.18 (Aug 15, 2018) YouTube.
  178. Why Thousands Are Obsessed With A Nest Of Conspiracy Theories Called QAnon: QAnon is a conspiracy theory so comprehensive, there is virtually no other conspiracy theory it leaves untouched, from the government hiding the UFOs to JFK Jr. surviving his plane crash. by Georgi Boorman (August 21, 2018) The Federalist.
  179. JP Morgan Sunk the Titanic to Form Federal Reserve, Undeniable Proof by Jeremy E. McDonald (11/07/2017) Stillness in the Storm (archived from 27 May 2019 17:38:52 UTC).
  180. There's a crazy conspiracy theory that the Rothschilds sank the Titanic to set up the Federal Reserve by Mike Bird (Oct. 12, 2015, 6:55 AM) Business Insider.
  181. A Common Sense Look At The Most Popular Titanic Conspiracy Theories — Tax Day And The Federal Reserve In The Spotlight (April 14, 2012) Common Sense Conspiracy.
  182. John F. Kennedy Jr. Biography. Biography.
  183. QAnon, the Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theorists, Now Believe JFK Jr. Faked His Death to Become Their Leader. The Daily Beast. Aug. 02, 2018
  184. Liz Crokin: John F. Kennedy Jr. Faked His Death And Is Now QAnon. Right Wing Watch. August 1, 2018.
  185. No, John F. Kennedy Jr. didn't tout a Donald Trump presidency in George magazine. Politifact. April 8, 2019.
  186. QAnon Disappointed to Find JFK Jr. Is, in Fact, Dead—Not Trump’s New Running Mate. The Mary Sue.
  187. Meme way off in claim that the Rothschild family holds '80 percent of the world's wealth'. Politifact.
  188. George Lucas Net Worth. Celebrity Net Worth.
  189. The House of Trump and the House of Saud: The blossoming relationship with Riyadh symbolizes the decay of the US-led order by Edward Luce (8 November, 2017) Financial Times.
  190. Bypassing Congress, Trump Sells Weapons to Saudi Arabia, Orders Troops to Middle East: Democratic and Republican representatives criticized the move, and one prominent Democrat said the president may have violated the law by Peter Wade (May 25, 2019, 4:40PM ET) Rolling Stone.
  191. A Guide to QAnon, the New King of Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories: George Soros, the Illuminati, and Snow White are all controlling the world according to a 4channer who has spawned a legion of supersleuths. by Justin Caffier (Jun 12, 2018, 2:23pm) Vice.
  192. Operation Mockingbird QAnon Wiki (archived from May 27, 2017).
  193. Operation Mockingbird 2.0 — A Social-Engineered Reality (August 7, 2018 8:16 am) Centipede Nation (archived from may 16, 2019).
  194. QAnon’s Obsession With #SaveTheChildren Is Making It Harder To Save Kids From Traffickers. FiveThirtyEight.
  195. "Why Are Right-Wing Conspiracies so Obsessed With Pedophilia?" by Ali Breland, Mother Jones, 2019 July
  196. "The FAQs: What Christians Should Know About QAnon" by Joe Carter, The Gospel Coalition, 2020 May 20
  197. "Why Are So Many Christians Falling for QAnon?" by Tyler Huckabee, Relevant, 2020 August 3
  198. "QAnon: The alternative religion that’s coming to your church" by Katelyn Beaty, Religious News Service, 2020 August 17
  199. "When the news becomes religion" by Sam Thielman, Columbia Journal Review, 2020 August 11
  200. "The Church of QAnon: Will conspiracy theories form the basis of a new religious movement?" by Beth Daley, Conversation, 2020 May 18
  201. "How QAnon Conspiracy Is Spreading In Christian Communities Across The U.S.", NPR, All Things Considered, Ari Shapiro, transcript
  202. "‘NOT TRUE’: Oprah Winfrey debunks bizarre QAnon conspiracy theory spreading across the Internet" by Antonia Noori Farzan, Washington Post, 2020 March 18
  203. "Fact check: Ellen, Oprah, many others are not under house arrest for child sex trafficking" by McKenzie Sadeghi, USA Today
  204. "Fact check: Tom Hanks is not wearing an ankle monitor, post stems from conspiracy claims", Reuters fact check, 2020 July 28
  205. "Fake Jeffrey Epstein Flight Logs Lead QAnon Crazies to Target Chrissy Teigen and Beyoncé" by Tarpley Hitt, Daily Beast, 2020 August 11
  206. "'Trump haters are paedophiles': inside QAnon, the conspiracy aiming to put Hollywood behind bars" by Maria Pope, The Telegraph, 2020 July 22
  207. "Out of Shadows", IMDB listing, 2020 Apr 11
  208. "Inside ‘Out of Shadows’: The Bonkers Hollywood-Pedophilia ‘Documentary’ QAnon Loves" by Tarpley Hitt, Daily Beast, 2020 Aug 6
  209. "Mike Smith, the Stuntman, QAnon Follower & Trump Fan Behind ‘Out of Shadows’ Documentary" by Paul Farrell, Heavy.com, 2020 April 17
  210. "Ex-C.I.A. Agent Goes Public With Story of Mistreatment on the Job" by Charlie Savage, New York Times, 2011 February 10
  211. NaturalNews.com search for "Kevin Shipp", performed and archived on 2020 August 13
  212. Mike Smith's Twitter feed (@Crux41507251), archived on 2020 July 15
  213. "Tomorrow 4/14/20 @ 1PM East! Join Mike Smith (@Crux41507251), Brad Martin (@actiondirector1) and a Surprise! #OutOfShadows Documentary!! 4+M Views!", Tweet from @Crux41507251, 2020 April 13, archived on 2020 Aug 13
  214. "Sinclair's Soldiers in Trump's War on Media", Youtube, posted by Deadspin, 2018 April 2
  215. "QAnon Followers Are Hijacking the #SaveTheChildren Movement" by Kevin Roose, New York Times, 2020 August 12
  216. "QAnon, Pizzagate conspiracy theories co-opt #SaveTheChildren" by Daniel Funke, Politifact, 2020 August 12
  217. No, The Government Did Not Break Up A Child Sex Trafficking Ring In Georgia: Simple headlines obscure the complex realities of abuse, sex work and the real threats to American children. by Michael Hobbes (09/07/2020 05:45 am ET Updated Sep 10, 2020) Huffington Post.
  218. "New study on QAnon concludes two different people wrote Q's posts" by Matt Binder, Mashable, 2020 December 16
  219. "The men behind QAnon: Experts and researchers said the key to "Q" is hiding in plain sight." by Chris Francescani, ABC News, 2020 September 22
  220. "This is what happens when you create an online community without any rules" by Caitlin Dewey, Washington Post, 2015 Jan 13
  221. "8chan-hosted content disappears from Google searches [Updated"] by Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 2015 August 17
  222. "The Now-Defunct Firms Behind 8chan, QAnon" by Brian Krebs, KrebsOnSecurity, 2020 Oct 22
  223. "QAnon Is Supposed to Be All About Protecting Kids. Its Primary Enabler Appears to Have Hosted Child Porn Domains." by AJ Vicens and Ali Breland, Mother Jones, 2020 October 29
  224. QAnon-ers’ Magic Cure for Coronavirus: Just Drink Bleach! by Will Sommer (Updated Jan. 28, 2020 12:32PM ET; Published Jan. 28, 2020 4:57AM ET) Daily Beast.
  225. "US Patent for Coronavirus Patent (Patent # 10,130,701)", Patents.Justia.com, 2015 Jul 23
  226. The new fad disease called the "coronavirus" is sweeping headlines. Funny enough, there was a patent for the coronavirus was filed in 2015 and granted in 2018. https://patents.justia.com/patent/10130701 by Jordan Sather (5:35 PM - 21 Jan 2020) Twitter (archived from 24 Jan 2020 04:11:46 UTC).
  227. "Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation funds development of Pirbright's Livestock Antibody Hub supporting animal and human health" (2019 November 15) Pirbright Institute.
  228. I'm not saying, nor have said Pirbright or Gates "made the disease", but something is definitely fishy with this, no? Have bioengineered diseases been made and released in the past? Are vaccines planned for these scenarios? Problem, reaction, solution? by Jordan Sather (11:52 PM · Jan 23, 2020) Twitter (archived from 28 Jan 2020 19:23:32 UTC).
  229. "QAnon Supporters And Anti-Vaxxers Are Spreading A Hoax That Bill Gates Created The Coronavirus", Ryan Broderick, Buzzfeed, 2020 January 23
  230. Bill Gates funded the PIRBRIGHT institute, which owns the patent on coronavirus by Ethan Huff (27 January 2020) NaturalNews (archived from 28 Jan 2020 19:23:32 UTC).
  231. Would you look at that. Not only is chlorine dioxide (aka "MMS") an effective cancer cell killer, it can wipe out coronavirus too. No wonder YouTube has been censoring basically every single video where I discuss it over the last year. Big Pharma wants you ignorant. by Jordan Sather (22 Jan 2020) Twitter (archived from 28 Jan 2020 19:29:14 UTC).
  232. QAnon conspiracy about SEAL Team Six raid on Osama bin Laden picks up steam. Military Times.
  233. Q's Latest Posts by Q; Tripcode: !UW.yye1fxo (3.10.18) 8chan (archived from 10 Mar 2018 22:04:27 UTC).
  234. CBTS #68: It's Raining Princes Edition by Anonymous ID:LA/ywYmB (05 Nov 2017) 4chan /pol// archive (archived from 14 Feb 2019 06:24:01 UTC).
  235. Latest Q Posts by Q; Tripcode: !UW.yye1fxo (11.2.18) 8chan (archived from 27 May 2019 17:57:33 UTC).
  236. #54: Get some rest, we have a big day tomorrow by Anonymous ID:+U7U2VOE (05 Nov 2017) 4chan /pol/ archive (archived from 1 Aug 2018 01:40:38 UT).
  237. Qanon Claims Debbie Wasserman Schultz Put Out A Contract To MS-13 Gang Members To Murder Seth Rich by Alex Christoforou (December 31, 2017) Aladins Miracle Lamp[sic] (archived from 27 May 2019 18:03:08 UTC).
  238. QAnon Exposes Dem Conspiracy To Frame Trump, Claims Google’s Schmidt Played Pivotal Role: QAnon also claims Debbie Wasserman Schultz contracted MS-13 gang to kill Seth Rich by Jerome Corsi (December 27, 2017) Infowars (archived from 27 Dec 2017 17:33:46 UTC).
  239. "Wayfair: The false conspiracy about a furniture firm and child trafficking" by Marianna Spring, BBC News, 2020 July 15
  240. "My spidey senses are tingling. What's with these storage cabinets? Extremely high prices, all listed with girls' names & identical units selling for different amounts.", tweet by "Amazing Polly" (@99freemind), 2020 June 15, archived on 2020 August 13
  241. "Slender Man for Boomers: The offshoots of the QAnon conspiracy theory have gone to even darker places.", Alex Nichols, The Outline, 2019-26-Jun
  242. Qanon Q Drops Decoded In Gematria How To DO Gematria And How It Works by Jay Pilon (Jan 11, 2019) YouTube.
  243. How the Elite Code Everything on TV with Gematria (January 30, 2019) Op Deep State (archived from June 25, 2019).
  244. Joe Sommerlad, Fake snow? Conspiracy theory claims Texas weather ‘government-generated’, The Independent 22 Feb. 2021
  245. 'It's like a parasite': How a dangerous virtual cult is going global. CNN. October 7, 2020.
  246. How the QAnon Conspiracy Theory Went Global. Voice of America. August 15, 2020.
  247. The dangerous global spread of the QAnon conspiracy theory. The Guardian. 29 Sep 2020.
  248. How QAnon took hold in the UK, Wired UK, Sep 21, 2020
  249. How British grannies are spreading QAnon conspiracy theory memes on Facebook, The Conversation, Sep 25, 2020
  250. 'Quite frankly terrifying': How the QAnon conspiracy theory is taking root in the UK, The Observer, Sep 20, 2020
  251. Fan of Trump and Farage raises far-right ‘Q’ flag at his Cornish castle, The Guardian, Jan 11, 2020
  252. QAnon conspiracy theory gaining ground in UK, analysis shows. The Guardians.
  253. The yoga world is riddled with anti-vaxxers and QAnon believers: In my day job, I monitor the spread of online disinformation and conspiracy theories. I never expected to find them at my yoga class by Cécile Guerin (28 January 2021) Wired.
  254. Redpilled Conspirituality.
  255. QAnon Is Thriving in Germany. The Extreme Right Is Delighted. New York Times.
  256. Like a Virus, QAnon Spreads From the U.S. to Germany. Bloomberg.
  257. Germany is Germany Is Losing the Fight Against QAnon, Tyson Barker, Foreign Policy, 2 September 2020
  258. Germany and right-wing extremism: The new dimension of terrorism. Deutsche Welle.
  259. Why the QAnon conspiracy theory is gaining popularity. Deutsche Welle.
  260. How QAnon Went Global, Joshua Keating, Slate, Sep 2020
  261. Q Anon jargon, explained: Here’s everything you need to know to understand it. by Mike Rothschild (2018-07-04 06:30 am) Daily Dot.
  262. The Rise of 'Weaponized Autism': What happens when trolls invoke disability in the name of alt-right politics? by Miles Klee (2018) Mel Magazine.
  263. QAnon is terrifying. This is why. by Molly Roberts (August 2, 2018) The Washington Post.
  264. I understand the temptation to dismiss QAnon. Here's why we can't. by Alyssa Rosenberg (August 7, 2019 at 5:32 PM) The Washington Post.
  265. Proofster, Know Your Meme
  266. The Matrix (1999): Quotes IMDb. "You take the red pill - you stay in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit-hole goes."
  267. Some QAnons Think Donald Trump Is Still In Control, Others Cry As Conspiracy Theory Implodes by Bobins Abraham (Updated on Jan 21, 2021, 14:00 IST) India Times.
  268. Shadowprez anyone? r/insanepeoplefacebook (January 2021) Reddit (archived from 26 Jan 2021 08:07:25 UTC).
  269. White Squall (1996): Quotes IMDb.
  270. Is QAnon, the Latest pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory, anti-Semitic? Many say QAnon, which centers around a mysterious online figure, is an ominous sign of an emerging lunatic fringe by JTA and Charles Dunst (Aug 03, 2018 9:01 PM) Haaretz.
  271. 1000% correct, since the illumnati hijacked the US gov in 1945 there has never been an election in the US, thats why they cant understand how Trump won, the jew maffia going to lose the Fed & the Irs. They see it coming!👌📯🎺💣🌲🌲🌲🌲 #GodBlessAmerica #QAnon #DrainingTheSwamp by Steven19141301 (11:41 PM - 11 Jan 2020) Twitter (archived from 18 Jan 2020 18:36:05 UTC).
  272. @chrisurquhart Have You heard of Q - QAnon or the WWG1WGA Movement? Have you heard of The Great Awakening? Do You know Trump is fighting against the Illuminati - a Cabal of 13 Bloodlines who with the Vatican, the CIA, the Jesuits have controlled Earth for Lucifer. Don't be FAKE by GrantWi89314261 (3:49 PM - 17 Jan 2020) Twitter (archived from 18 Jan 2020 18:41:37 UTC).
  273. Red pilled both my boomer parents and now they’re talking about how Obama is a stupid nigger who should be hanged and ranting about #qanon. Merry Christmas! by Apex_Dexter (1:25 PM - 25 Dec 2017) Twitter (archived from 18 Jan 2020 18:56:17 UTC).
  274. #QAnon loves #5G #MAGA is Israeli PR #jews killed Jesus #zionists are Freemasons are satanic Microwaved goyim on deck. WATCH OUT. by bourdainmurderd (12:53 PM - 13 Apr 2019) Twitter (archived from 18 Jan 2020 18:50:44 UTC).
  275. Here's How Donald Trump Ended Up Referencing A Russian-Promoted 4chan Conspiracy Theory In His Call To The Ukrainian President: From the depths of 4chan, to the president's mouth, and then back to the depths of 4chan. by Ryan Broderick (September 26, 2019, at 4:59 p.m. ET) BuzzFeed News.
  276. This is the pathetic defense Republicans are going with? by Jennifer Rubin (November 12, 2019 at 8:45 a.m. PST) The Washington Post.
  277. See the Wikipedia article on St. Peter's Square § Obelisk.
  278. See the Wikipedia article on The Morning of the Magicians.
  279. See the Wikipedia article on IG Farben.
  280. Fascist Spectacle: the Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy by Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi (2000) University of California Press. ISBN 0520226771.
  281. Move over, Roswell. Dulce is home to true UFO believers by Daniel J. Chacón (May 7, 2016) Santa Fe New Mexican.
  282. National Security Study Memorandum: NSSM 200, Implications of Worldwide Population Growth For U.S. Security and Overseas Interests (The Kissinger Report) (December 10, 1974) USAID.
  283. When AIDS Was a Cancer by Matthew Tontonoz (August 08, 2014) Cancer Research Institute.
  284. Alien-Human Battle of 1979 in New Mexico: Alleged Eye-Witness Report: Looking back on the story of Phil Schneider by Tara MacIsaac (April 7, 2014 6:45 pm; Last Updated: May 8, 2016 1:50 pm) Epoch Times (archived from January 6, 2018).
  285. Loosh Ascension Glossary (archived from 22 Mar 2018 18:37:58 UTC).
  286. #1930: Barbara Marciniak (November 28, 2017) Encyclopedia of American Loons.
  287. Fractal Time: The Secret of 2012 and a New World Age by Gregg Braden (2010) Hay House. ISBN 1401920659.
  288. Great Awakening Map (archived from August 19, 2019).
This article is issued from Rationalwiki. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.