The QAnon phenomenon

Photo Source: Bloomberg

In the midst of the 2020 lockdown, the right-wing movement known as QAnon has gathered momentum. In March 2020, only 23% of Americans had heard about QAnon, however this figure had doubled by September. What began as a US internet conspiracy theory has caught the attention of those in the UK who legitimately question the ability of the government to respond to the pandemic, and is now being described as a virus itself. Yet, whilst its claims are driven by misinformation, the ideology that is now propping up anti-5G and anti-lockdown propaganda has darker origins.

What is QAnon?

In 2016 the message board 4chan briefly grabbed the mainstream attention of the US Presidential election. Under what became known as the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, the posts speculated that Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party were operating a paedophile ring from a pizza restaurant basement. Despite a lack of evidence to support it, the conspiracy theory became a political weapon.

A year later, QAnon evolved through another post on 4chan, clutching onto the belief of a deep state operating around the world, supposedly evidenced by a government insider.

At its heart it alleges that a network of global Satanic elite exists to kidnap and abuse children as part of a cult ritual to extend their lives. Followers are often staunch Trump supporters as the movement believes that he will bring about a war or ‘Great Awakening’ to bring this elite cabal to justice. And notably the President has endorsed followers as ‘people who love our country' and has retweeted many of their claims. Further threads of QAnon believe that children are being sold via the furniture retailer Wayfair and that the Rothschild family caused the recent explosion in Beirut. Yet, perhaps the most concerning thing about QAnon - an internet conspiracy community - is its uncomfortable relationship with Preisdent Trump given his denouncement of Fake News.

It's Global Reach:

QAnon has managed to utilise social media to increase its global visibility drawing on social unrest during the pandemic in order to solidify its support in an alternate reality, particularly in hijacking the #SaveTheChildren campaign.

Whilst Facebook has attempted to crackdown on QAnon, the movement has simply adapted to avoid the platforms restrictions and its misinformation has continued to intensify and engage people into 'falling down a rabbit hole'.

However, the threat of QAnon goes beyond spreading hate on the internet, with followers Anthony Comello arrested for killing a Mafia boss and Edgar Welch arrested for firing an assault rifle at a pizza shop. The threat of such misinformation puts members of the so called ‘deep state’ at risk, with the FBI declaring QAnon’s conspiracy theories a domestic terrorism threat.

Equally, its effect on the political is beginning to be felt in the US with 81 congressional candidates standing for election in 2020 whilst embracing QAnon’s theories. Should this influence follow the same impact of the TEA party then QAnon's theories may become a significant part of mainstream thought and political policy.

Alarmingly in the UK, the movement has also gathered pace under the guise of the coronavirus pandemic - anti-lockdown,anti-vaxx and anti-5G movements - with the Guardian identifying 273 UK-run pages posting QAnon content.

The charity Hope not Hate noted that groups such as Freedom for the Children, which aims to “raise awareness of Child exploitation & human trafficking”, are being exploited to spread unsubstantiated QAnon theories regarding paedophile rings. From this watered-down position the movement has gained a foot-in-the-door in the UK providing fertile ground for others to fall down the rabbit hole.

Critically, as protests and campaigns grow around the conspiracy movement they are able to attract further media attention. This has the effect of making QAnon’s theories more difficult to disprove in the eyes of their supporters, who deem dismissive mainstream reporting as part of the restraints of the cabal. Evidently, the threat that QAnon presents can be distilled into the ferverent belief of their supporters and their hostility towards any evidence that disproves these beliefs.

With restrictions under the pandemic set to continue and rhetoric becoming more hostile in the run up to the US Presidential election we are likely to hear a lot more about QAnon in the next few months. As is the case with all Fake News, the more attention that is given to QAnon the more difficult it is to disprove, and those who subscribe to its beliefs are at risk of becoming the true victims of their conspiracy theories.

Consequently, the theories of a movement that is considered a terror threat should not be given mainstream recognition as its core rhetoric provides ample cannon fodder for those looking to wage a political or material attack.