View source for Social:QAnon

{{Short description|American conspiracy theory and political movement}}
{{Pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
[[File:Virginia 2nd Amendment Rally (2020 Jan) - 49416341132.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|QAnon flag featuring an American flag defaced with the Q logo alongside the slogan "Where we go one, we go all", at a Second Amendment rally in Richmond, 2020]]

'''QAnon'''{{efn|The term originally referred to the anonymous poster "'''Q'''", but the media soon used the compound "QAnon" as a collective term for either the conspiracy theory or the far-right community driving and discussing it.}} ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|j|uː|ə|n|ɒ|n}} {{respell|KYOO|ə|non}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|j|uː|æ|n|ɒ|n}} {{respell|KYOO|an|on}}) is a far-right American political conspiracy theory and [[Social:Political movement|political movement]] which originated in 2017.<ref name="nymag">{{Cite news |last=Martineau |first=Paris |date=December 19, 2017 |title=The Storm Is the New Pizzagate – Only Worse |work=New York |url=https://nymag.com/selectall/2017/12/qanon-4chan-the-storm-conspiracy-explained.html |access-date=March 26, 2018 |issn=0028-7369 |archive-date=March 25, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180325154926/http://nymag.com/selectall/2017/12/qanon-4chan-the-storm-conspiracy-explained.html |url-status=live }}</ref> QAnon centers on fabricated claims made by an anonymous individual or individuals known as "Q". Those claims have been relayed and developed by [[Virtual community|online communities]] and [[Social:Internet celebrity|influencers]]. Their core belief is that a cabal of [[Religion:Theistic Satanism|Satanic]],<ref name="far-right conspiracy theory" /><ref name="Bracewell">{{cite journal |last=Bracewell |first=Lorna |date=January 21, 2021 |title=Gender, Populism, and the QAnon Conspiracy Movement |journal=Frontiers in Sociology |publisher=Frontiers Media |location=Cardiff, England|volume=5 |pages=615727 |doi=10.3389/fsoc.2020.615727 |doi-access=free |issn=2297-7775 |pmc=8022489 |pmid=33869533 |s2cid=231654586}}</ref><ref name="Crossley">{{cite journal |last=Crossley |first=James |date=September 2021 |title=The Apocalypse and Political Discourse in an Age of COVID |journal=Journal for the Study of the New Testament |publisher=SAGE Publications |location=Thousand Oaks, California |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=93–111 |doi=10.1177/0142064X211025464 |doi-access=free |issn=1745-5294 |s2cid=237329082}}</ref> cannibalistic child molesters are operating a global child sex trafficking ring which conspired against Donald Trump.{{refn|Multiple sources:<ref name="Bracewell" /><ref name="Crossley" /><ref>{{cite news|last1=Kunzelman|first1=Michael|last2=Slevin|first2=Colleen|date=February 9, 2020|title='QAnon' conspiracy theory creeps into mainstream politics|work=Associated Press|url=https://apnews.com/article/e230131513bf3df60c76bb1151bc6b7c|access-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819200201/https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-us-news-ap-top-news-wisconsin-racine-e230131513bf3df60c76bb1151bc6b7c|archive-date=August 19, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=October 9, 2020|title=QAnon: The conspiracy theory embraced by Trump, several politicians, and some American moms.|work=Vox|url=https://www.vox.com/2020/10/9/21504910/qanon-conspiracy-theory-facebook-ban-trump|access-date=April 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014120005/https://www.vox.com/2020/10/9/21504910/qanon-conspiracy-theory-facebook-ban-trump|archive-date=October 14, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Zuckerman">{{cite journal |last1=Zuckerman |first1=Ethan |title=QAnon and the Emergence of the Unreal |journal=Journal of Design and Science |publisher=Taylor & Francis |location=London, England |date=July 2019 |issue=6 |pages=1–5 |url=https://innovation.disi.unitn.it/ibict/2019/readings/mandatory/08%20Zuckerman%20%E2%80%94%20QAnon%20and%20the%20Unreal.pdf |access-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-date=December 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209163334/https://innovation.disi.unitn.it/ibict/2019/readings/mandatory/08%20Zuckerman%20%E2%80%94%20QAnon%20and%20the%20Unreal.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}} QAnon has direct roots in [[Social:Pizzagate conspiracy theory|Pizzagate]], an Internet conspiracy theory that appeared one year earlier, but also incorporates elements of many other theories.<ref name="Bigtent">{{cite news |last1=Roose |first1=Kevin |title=What Is QAnon, the Viral Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html |access-date=February 15, 2022 |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=September 3, 2021 |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922192821/https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html |url-status=live }}</ref> QAnon has been described as a cult.<ref name="Bigtent"/><ref name="cult">Description of QAnon as a cult:
* {{cite news |last1=Stanton |first1=Gregory |title=QAnon is a Nazi Cult, Rebranded |url=https://www.justsecurity.org/72339/qanon-is-a-nazi-cult-rebranded/ |website=Just Security |date=September 9, 2020 |access-date=September 15, 2020 |archive-date=September 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917001901/https://www.justsecurity.org/72339/qanon-is-a-nazi-cult-rebranded/ |url-status=live }}
* {{cite news |last1=Polantz |first1=Katelyn |title=US takes back its assertion that Capitol rioters wanted to 'capture and assassinate' officials |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/15/politics/capitol-capture-assassinate-elected-officials/index.html |access-date=January 16, 2021 |website=CNN |date=January 15, 2021 |quote=Prosecutors accuse Chansley of being a flight risk who can quickly raise money through non-traditional means as 'one of the leaders and mascots of QAnon, a group commonly referred to as a cult (which preaches debunked and fictitious anti-government conspiracy theory)'. |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115165032/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/15/politics/capitol-capture-assassinate-elected-officials/index.html |url-status=live }}
* {{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/01/28/961507953/without-their-messiah-qanon-believers-confront-a-post-trump-world |first=Dave |last=Davies |work=Fresh Air |publisher=NPR |access-date=April 19, 2021 |date=January 28, 2021 |title=Without Their 'Messiah,' QAnon Believers Confront A Post-Trump World |quote=Washington Post national technology reporter Craig Timberg{{spaces}}... tells Fresh Air[,] 'Some researchers think it's a cult{{spaces}}...' |archive-date=January 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106234217/https://www.npr.org/2021/01/28/961507953/without-their-messiah-qanon-believers-confront-a-post-trump-world |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite news|last=Mulkerrins|first=Jane|date=January 15, 2021|title=Life inside QAnon, the cult that stormed the Capitol|work=The Times|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/life-inside-qanon-the-cult-that-stormed-the-capitol-v5q3hmbmb|access-date=February 13, 2022|issn=0140-0460|quote=To hear Rein Lively describe her experiences with QAnon, it sounds, I say, very much like a cult... "It is a decentralised online conspiracy theory cult," agrees Joseph Uscinski, professor of political science at the University of Miami and author of ''Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them''.|archive-date=February 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213071314/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/life-inside-qanon-the-cult-that-stormed-the-capitol-v5q3hmbmb|url-status=live}}</ref>

Followers believe the Trump administration secretly fought the cabal of pedophiles, and would conduct arrests and executions of thousands of cabal members on a day known as "the Storm" or "the Event".{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=9, 28, 175}} QAnon conspiracy believers have named Democratic politicians, Hollywood actors, high-ranking government officials, business tycoons, and medical experts as members of the cabal.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|p=21}} QAnon has also claimed that Trump stimulated the conspiracy of Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election to enlist Robert Mueller to join him in exposing the sex trafficking ring, and to prevent a ''coup d'état'' by [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]], Hillary Clinton, and George Soros.<ref name="heavy">{{cite web |last=Laviola |first=Erin |date=August 1, 2018 |title=QAnon Conspiracy: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know |url=https://heavy.com/news/2018/08/qanon-conspiracy-trump/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=Heavy |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210174301/https://heavy.com/news/2018/08/qanon-conspiracy-trump/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="WaPo20180801">{{cite news |last=Stanley-Becker |first=Isaac |date=August 1, 2018 |title='We are Q': A deranged conspiracy cult leaps from the Internet to the crowd at Trump's 'MAGA' tour |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/01/we-are-q-a-deranged-conspiracy-cult-leaps-from-the-internet-to-the-crowd-at-trumps-maga-tour/ |access-date=September 19, 2018 |archive-date=February 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200209171229/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/08/01/we-are-q-a-deranged-conspiracy-cult-leaps-from-the-internet-to-the-crowd-at-trumps-maga-tour/ |url-status=live }}</ref> QAnon is described as antisemitic or rooted in antisemitic tropes, due to its fixation on Jewish financier Soros and conspiracy theories about the [[Finance:Rothschild family|Rothschild family]], a frequent target of antisemites.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":7" />

Although it has its origins in older conspiracy theories, the first post by Q was in October 2017 on the website [[Social:4chan|4chan]]. Q claimed to be a high-level government official with Q clearance, with access to classified information about the Trump administration and its opponents.<ref>{{cite news|last=Griffin|first=Andrew|date=August 24, 2020|title=What is Qanon? The Origins of the Bizarre Conspiracy Theory Spreading Online|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/qanon-explained-what-trump-russia-investigation-pizzagate-a8845226.html|access-date=October 2, 2020|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107140558/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/qanon-explained-what-trump-russia-investigation-pizzagate-a8845226.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Q soon moved to [[Social:8chan|8chan]], making it QAnon's online home.<ref name="wired">{{Cite news|last=Thomas|first=Elise|date=February 17, 2020|title=Qanon Deploys 'Information Warfare' to Influence the 2020 Election|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/story/qanon-deploys-information-warfare-influence-2020-election/|access-date=January 21, 2021|issn=1059-1028|archive-date=September 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200911012844/https://www.wired.com/story/qanon-deploys-information-warfare-influence-2020-election/|url-status=live}}</ref> Q's often cryptic posts became known as "drops", and were collected by aggregator apps and websites. QAnon became a [[Viral phenomenon|viral phenomenon]] beyond [[Social:Internet culture|the internet]] and turned into a political movement. QAnon followers began to appear at Trump campaign rallies in August 2018,<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last1=Bank |first1=Justin |last2=Stack |first2=Liam |last3=Victor |first3=Daniel |date=August 1, 2018 |title=What Is QAnon: Explaining the Internet Conspiracy Theory That Showed Up at a Trump Rally |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/us/politics/what-is-qanon.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801194900/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/01/us/politics/what-is-qanon.html |archive-date=August 1, 2018 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=August 1, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and Trump amplified QAnon accounts on Twitter.<ref name="Polit20200712" /> QAnon's conspiracy theories have also been relayed by Russian and Chinese state-backed media, social media [[Internet troll|troll]] accounts,{{refn|Multiple sources:<ref name="Reuters202008242" /><ref name="russian troll" /><ref name="reuters">{{Cite news|last=Menn|first=Joseph|date=November 2, 2020|title=QAnon received earlier boost from Russian accounts on Twitter, archives show|publisher={{wipe|Reuters}}|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-qanon-cyber-idUSKBN27I18I|access-date=January 7, 2021|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115161810/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-qanon-cyber-idUSKBN27I18I|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite press release|date=October 19, 2020|title=Congressman Krishnamoorthi Requests Information From DNI Ratcliffe On Russian Use QAnon In Disinformation Efforts|url=https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-requests-information-dni-ratcliffe-russian-use-qanon|access-date=January 7, 2021|publisher=Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi|archive-date=January 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109091143/https://krishnamoorthi.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-krishnamoorthi-requests-information-dni-ratcliffe-russian-use-qanon|url-status=live}}</ref>}}<ref name="Reuters202008242">{{Cite news|last=Menn|first=Joseph|date=August 24, 2020|title=Russian-backed organizations amplifying QAnon conspiracy theories, researchers say|work={{wipe|Reuters}}|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-election-qanon-russia/russian-backed-organizations-amplifying-qanon-conspiracy-theories-researchers-say-idUKKBN25K137|access-date=October 4, 2020|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817054115/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-election-qanon-russia/russian-backed-organizations-amplifying-qanon-conspiracy-theories-researchers-say-idUKKBN25K137|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":02">{{Cite web|first=Zachary|last=Cohen|title=China and Russia 'weaponized' QAnon conspiracy around time of US Capitol attack, report says|date=April 19, 2021|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/qanon-russia-china-amplification/index.html|access-date=December 13, 2021|website=CNN|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102053503/https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/qanon-russia-china-amplification/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and the far-right [[Unsolved:Falun Gong|Falun Gong]]-associated Epoch Media Group.{{refn|Multiple sources:<ref name="Zuylen-Wood">{{Cite web|last=Zuylen-Wood|first=Simon van|date=January 13, 2021|title=MAGA-land's Favorite Newspaper|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/inside-the-epoch-times-a-mysterious-pro-trump-newspaper/617645/|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=The Atlantic|archive-date=November 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115024927/https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/inside-the-epoch-times-a-mysterious-pro-trump-newspaper/617645/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Alba">{{Cite news|last=Alba|first=Davey|date=March 9, 2021|title=Epoch Media Casts Wider Net to Spread Its Message Online|work={{wipe|The New York Times}}|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/09/technology/epoch-media-right-wing-disinformation.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211228/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/09/technology/epoch-media-right-wing-disinformation.html |archive-date=December 28, 2021 |url-access=limited|access-date=December 19, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="NBC-Epoch">{{Cite web|last1=Zadrozny|first1=Brandy|author-link1=Brandy Zadrozny|last2=Collins|first2=Ben|date=August 20, 2019|title=Trump, QAnon and an impending judgment day: Behind the Facebook-fueled rise of The Epoch Times|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-qanon-impending-judgment-day-behind-facebook-fueled-rise-epoch-n1044121|access-date=December 19, 2021|website=NBC News|archive-date=August 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823004157/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/trump-qanon-impending-judgment-day-behind-facebook-fueled-rise-epoch-n1044121|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0a">{{Cite news|last1=Callery|first1=James|last2=Goddard|first2=Jacqui|date=August 23, 2021|title=Most-clicked link on Facebook spread doubt about Covid vaccine|work=The Times|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/most-clicked-link-on-facebook-spread-doubt-about-covid-vaccine-flknpp9n5|access-date=February 13, 2022|issn=0140-0460|quote=Facebook's data on the first quarter of this year shows that one of its most popular pages was an article by ''The Epoch Times'', a far-right newspaper that has promoted QAnon conspiracy theories and misleading claims of voter fraud related to the 2020 US election.|archive-date=September 29, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220929134947/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/most-clicked-link-on-facebook-spread-doubt-about-covid-vaccine-flknpp9n5|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":21">{{Cite web |last1=Perrone |first1=Alessio |last2=Loucaides |first2=Darren |date=March 10, 2022 |title=A key source for Covid-skeptic movements, the Epoch Times yearns for a global audience |url=https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/epoch-times/ |access-date=March 13, 2022 |website=Coda Media |language=en-US |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313044144/https://www.codastory.com/disinformation/epoch-times/ |url-status=live }}</ref>|name=EpochMedia}}

Since its emergence in American politics, QAnon spawned movements around the world. The exact number of QAnon adherents is unclear.<ref name="Crossley" /><ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Shanahan |url=https://theconversation.com/support-for-qanon-is-hard-to-measure-and-polls-may-overestimate-it-156020 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |title=Support for QAnon is hard to measure – and polls may overestimate it |work=The Conversation |date=March 5, 2021 |archive-date=April 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417092957/https://theconversation.com/support-for-qanon-is-hard-to-measure-and-polls-may-overestimate-it-156020 |url-status=live }}</ref> After increased scrutiny of the movement, social media platforms such as Twitter<ref>{{cite news |last=Conger |first=Kate |date=July 21, 2020 |title=Twitter Takedown Targets QAnon Accounts |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/technology/twitter-bans-qanon-accounts.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722011120/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/21/technology/twitter-bans-qanon-accounts.html |archive-date=July 22, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=April 19, 2021}}</ref> and Facebook<ref>{{cite web |last=O'Sullivan |first=Donie |date=October 6, 2020 |title=Three years later, Facebook says it will ban QAnon |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/06/tech/facebook-qanon/index.html |access-date=October 6, 2020 |website=CNN |archive-date=January 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210106171521/https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/06/tech/facebook-qanon/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> began taking action to stop the spread of the conspiracy theory. QAnon followers have perpetrated acts of violence.<ref name="violence-timeline" /> Members of the movement took part in the 2020 United States presidential election, during which they supported Trump's campaign and waged [[Information warfare|information warfare]] to influence voters.<ref name="Nature 2021">{{cite magazine|last=Tollefson|first=Jeff|date=February 4, 2021|title=Tracking QAnon: how Trump turned conspiracy-theory research upside down|url=https://media.nature.com/original/magazine-assets/d41586-021-00257-y/d41586-021-00257-y.pdf|url-status=live|magazine=Nature|volume=590|pages=192–193|doi=10.1038/d41586-021-00257-y|issn=1476-4687|lccn=12037118|pmid=33542489|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427105931/https://media.nature.com/original/magazine-assets/d41586-021-00257-y/d41586-021-00257-y.pdf|archive-date=April 27, 2021|access-date=October 7, 2021|doi-access=free|s2cid=231818589}}</ref><ref name="WRD20200217">{{cite magazine |last=Thomas |first=Elise |date=February 17, 2020 |title=Qanon Deploys 'Information Warfare' to Influence the 2020 Election |url=https://www.wired.com/story/qanon-deploys-information-warfare-influence-2020-election/ |access-date=October 4, 2020 |magazine=Wired |archive-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200911012844/https://www.wired.com/story/qanon-deploys-information-warfare-influence-2020-election/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After Joe Biden won, they were involved in efforts to overturn the results of the election. Associates of Trump, such as Michael Flynn,{{refn|Multiple sources:<ref name="flynn slogans">{{Cite web |last=Cohen |first=Marshall |date=July 7, 2020 |title=Michael Flynn posts video featuring QAnon slogans |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/07/politics/michael-flynn-qanon-video/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-date=July 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713141746/https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/07/politics/michael-flynn-qanon-video/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="wildride">{{Cite web|last=Robins-Early|first=Nick|date=February 21, 2021|title=Michael Flynn's Wild Ride Into The Heart Of QAnon|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-flynn-qanon-trump-capitol-riot_n_6026e076c5b680717ee79b5c|access-date=February 21, 2021|website=Huffington Post|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309020640/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/michael-flynn-qanon-trump-capitol-riot_n_6026e076c5b680717ee79b5c|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="VicePatriotRoundup" />}} Lin Wood{{refn|Multiple sources:<ref name="LinWood-1" /><ref name="LinWood-2" /><ref name="LinWood-3" /><ref name="LinWood-4" /><ref name="VicePatriotRoundup" />}} and Sidney Powell,{{refn|Multiple sources:<ref name="Powell-1" /><ref name="Powell-2" /><ref name="Powell-3" /><ref name="Powell-4" /><ref name="Powell-5" />}} have promoted QAnon-derived conspiracy theories. When these tactics failed, Trump supporters – many of them QAnon followers – attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. The Capitol attack led to a further, more sustained social media crackdown on the movement and its claims.<ref name="AP-Twitter">{{Cite web|date=January 12, 2021|title=Twitter blocks 70,000 QAnon accounts after US Capitol riot|url=https://apnews.com/article/twitter-blocks-70k-qanon-accounts-171a5c9062be1c293169d764d3d0d9c8|access-date=January 13, 2021|work=Associated Press|archive-date=January 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113100926/https://apnews.com/article/twitter-blocks-70k-qanon-accounts-171a5c9062be1c293169d764d3d0d9c8|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="NYT-DigitalSoldier">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/technology/qanon-meme-queen.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210117100622/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/17/technology/qanon-meme-queen.html |archive-date=January 17, 2021 |url-access=limited |access-date=April 19, 2021 |title=A QAnon 'Digital Soldier' Marches On, Undeterred by Theory's Unraveling|first=Kevin|last=Roose|date=January 17, 2021|newspaper={{wipe|The New York Times}}}}</ref>

== Background ==

=== Pizzagate ===
{{main|Social:Pizzagate conspiracy theory}}

[[File:Pizzagate 02aIMG 8514.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|Protester advancing the Pizzagate conspiracy theory]]

According to QAnon researcher Mike Rothschild, "while Q has a number of precursor conspiracy theories and scams{{nbsp}}... no conspiracy theory feeds more immediately into Q than Pizzagate".{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|p=34}} The Pizzagate theory began in March 2016 with [[Organization:2016 Democratic National Committee email leak|the leak]] of Clinton campaigner John Podesta's emails, which promoters of the theory believed contained a secret code detailing [[Medicine:Child sexual abuse|child sexual abuse]].{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=34–35}} Pizzagate followers said that high-profile Democrats were sexually abusing children at a Washington, D.C. pizzeria, which led to an armed attack on the establishment by a gunman who believed the conspiracy theory.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Miller |first1=Michael E. |title=The Pizzagate gunman is out of prison. Conspiracy theories are out of control. |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/02/16/pizzagate-qanon-capitol-attack/ |access-date=February 10, 2022 |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |date=February 16, 2021 |archive-date=February 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/20210217003820/https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/02/16/pizzagate-qanon-capitol-attack/?arc404=true |url-status=live }}</ref>

The allegations of child sexual abuse and the centrality of the Clinton family to this abuse became a key part of the QAnon belief system,{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=34–35}} but in time the Clintons' centrality was de-emphasized in favor of more general conspiratorial claims of an alleged worldwide elite of child sex traffickers.<ref name="KangFrenkel">{{cite news|last1=Kang|first1=Cecilia|last2=Frenkel|first2=Sheera|date=June 27, 2020|title='PizzaGate' Conspiracy Theory Thrives Anew in the TikTok Era|work={{wipe|The New York Times}}|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/technology/pizzagate-justin-bieber-qanon-tiktok.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200627091004/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/27/technology/pizzagate-justin-bieber-qanon-tiktok.html|archive-date=June 27, 2020}}</ref> Q referred to Pizzagate claims without using the term.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=34–35}} QAnon followers often used the hashtag #SaveTheChildren to promote the Pizzagate conspiracy theory.<ref name="Funke">{{Cite web |last=Funke |first=Daniel |date=August 12, 2020 |title=QAnon, Pizzagate conspiracy theories co-opt #SaveTheChildren |url=https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/aug/12/qanon-pizzagate-conspiracy-theories-co-opt-savethe/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=PolitiFact |archive-date=August 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815040251/https://www.politifact.com/article/2020/aug/12/qanon-pizzagate-conspiracy-theories-co-opt-savethe/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This caused protest from the unrelated non-governmental organization Save the Children.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fairfield |first=Conn |date=August 7, 2020 |title=Save the Children Statement on use of its Name in Unaffiliated Campaigns |url=https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2020-press-releases/save-the-children-statement-on-use-of-its-name-in-unaffiliated-c |access-date= |website=Save the Children |language=en |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114122806/https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2020-press-releases/save-the-children-statement-on-use-of-its-name-in-unaffiliated-c |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Influence of 4chan culture ===

The investigative journalism website ''Bellingcat'' called /htg/ or "Human Trafficking General" threads on the /pol/ board of 4chan "the missing link" between Pizzagate and QAnon. Instead of focusing on a limited supply of email material to comb through, the /htg/ culture allowed users to actively participate in the imagined storylines. A key /htg/ poster was Anonymous{{spaces}}5 (also known as "Frank"), who claimed to be a [[Social:Child prostitution|child prostitution]] investigator. But the lack of a coherent narrative was a constraint on the /htg/ trend, and it never achieved Pizzagate's popularity.<ref name="bellingcat">{{cite web |date=January 7, 2021 |title=The Making of QAnon: A Crowdsourced Conspiracy |url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2021/01/07/the-making-of-qanon-a-crowdsourced-conspiracy/ |website=Bellingcat |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207183747/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2021/01/07/the-making-of-qanon-a-crowdsourced-conspiracy/ |url-status=live |archive-date=February 7, 2021 |access-date=February 7, 2021}}</ref>

The main tenets of the QAnon ideology were already present at 4chan before Q's appearance, including claims that Hillary Clinton was directly involved in a pedophile ring, that Robert Mueller was secretly working with Trump, and that large-scale military tribunals were imminent. His posts specifically targeted individuals who were hated in the community beforehand, namely Clinton, [[Biography:Barack Obama|Barack Obama]], and George Soros. Bellingcat says that the idea of the "Storm" was copied from another poster named Victory of the Light, who predicted the "Event", in which mass, televised arrests of the "Cabal" were forthcoming.<ref name="bellingcat" />

=== Previous "anons" ===

In its most basic sense, an "[[Social:Anonymous post|anon]]" is an anonymous or pseudonymous Internet poster.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 15, 2019 |title=What Are Anons? How the Term Has Gone Mainstream |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/what-are-anons/ |first=Mike |last=Rothschild |access-date=May 4, 2020 |website=[[Company:The Daily Dot|The Daily Dot]] |archive-date=March 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330140833/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/what-are-anons/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The concept of anons "doing research" and claiming to disclose otherwise classified information, while a key component of the QAnon conspiracy theory, is not exclusive to it. Q was preceded by so-called anons who also claimed to have special government access. On July 2, 2016, the anonymous poster "FBIAnon", a self-described "high-level analyst and strategist" who claimed to have "intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the Clinton case", began posting false information about the 2016 investigation into the Clinton Foundation and claimed that Hillary Clinton would be imprisoned if Trump became president. Around that time, "HLIAnon", standing for "High-Level Insider Anon", hosted long question-and-answer sessions, dispensing various conspiracy theories, including that Princess Diana was murdered after trying to stop the [[Religion:September 11 attacks|September 11 attacks]]. Soon after the 2016 United States elections, two anonymous posters, "CIAAnon" and "CIAIntern", falsely claimed to be high-ranking Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers, and in late August 2017, "WHInsiderAnon" offered a supposed preview that something that was "going to go down" regarding leaks that would affect the Democratic Party.<ref name="zadrozny">{{cite web |last1=Zadrozny |first1=Brandy |last2=Collins |first2=Ben |date=August 8, 2018 |title=How three conspiracy theorists took 'Q' and sparked Qanon |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/how-three-conspiracy-theorists-took-q-sparked-qanon-n900531 |access-date=November 11, 2019 |website=NBC News |archive-date=December 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209015757/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/how-three-conspiracy-theorists-took-q-sparked-qanon-n900531 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Origin and spread ==

A [[Social:4chan|4chan]] user named "Q Clearance Patriot" first appeared on the site's /pol/ board on October 28, 2017, posting in a thread titled "Calm Before the Storm",<ref name="nymag"/> a phrase Trump had previously used to describe a gathering of American military leaders he attended.<ref name="nymag" /> "The Storm" later became QAnon parlance for an imminent event in which thousands of alleged suspects would be arrested, imprisoned, and executed for being child-eating pedophiles.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=9, 28, 175}} The poster's username implied that they held Q clearance,<ref name="avclub">{{Cite web |last=Colburn |first=Randall |date=December 19, 2017 |title=There's a new, insane conspiracy theory tearing up 4chan |url=https://www.avclub.com/theres-a-new-insane-conspiracy-theory-tearing-up-4chan-1821432397 |access-date=April 16, 2021 |website=The A.V. Club |archive-date=January 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112071042/https://www.avclub.com/theres-a-new-insane-conspiracy-theory-tearing-up-4chan-1821432397 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="ibt">{{Cite web |last=Gander |first=Kashmira |date=January 15, 2018 |title=What is The Storm? Conspiracy theory that mysterious White House official leaks secrets |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/what-storm-conspiracy-theory-that-mysterious-white-house-official-qanon-leaking-secrets-1655194 |access-date=October 4, 2020 |website=International Business Times |archive-date=September 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200907215251/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/what-storm-conspiracy-theory-that-mysterious-white-house-official-qanon-leaking-secrets-1655194 |url-status=live }}</ref> a United States Department of Energy security clearance required to access Top Secret information on nuclear weapons and materials.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Departmental Personnel Security FAQs |url=https://www.energy.gov/ehss/security-policy-guidance-reports/departmental-personnel-security-faqs |access-date=August 2, 2018 |publisher=U.S. Department of Energy |archive-date=July 8, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140708113816/https://www.energy.gov/ehss/security-policy-guidance-reports/departmental-personnel-security-faqs |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Million MAGA March IMG 4606a.jpg|thumb|alt=Man wearing a t-shirt with a design consisting of a block letter "Q" overlaid with an American flag pattern|A pro-Trump protester wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with a common QAnon logo, at the "Stop the Steal" rally on November 14, 2020]]

Q's first post said that Hillary Clinton was about to be arrested, which would cause massive unrest and be followed by numerous other arrests. A second message was posted a few hours later, saying that Clinton was being "detained" though not arrested yet and that Trump was planning to remove "criminal rogue elements". The post also alluded cryptically to George Soros, Huma Abedin, and Operation Mockingbird.<ref name="Vox">{{Cite web|first=Jane|last=Coaston|title=QAnon, the scarily popular pro-Trump conspiracy theory, explained|url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/1/17253444/qanon-trump-conspiracy-theory-4chan-explainer|access-date=February 15, 2022|date=August 21, 2020|website=Vox|archive-date=February 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212232353/https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/1/17253444/qanon-trump-conspiracy-theory-4chan-explainer|url-status=live}}</ref>

Q's activity surged in November, with most posts expanding upon previous theories about Hillary Clinton. Other conspiracy theories were added involving Barack Obama, Saudi Arabia, and Iran.<ref name="timeline">{{Cite web|title=The QAnon Timeline: Four Years, 5,000 Drops and Countless Failed Prophecies|last=Tian|first=Edward|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2021/01/29/the-qanon-timeline/|date=January 21, 2021|access-date=February 19, 2022|website=Bellingcat|archive-date=January 3, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220103181836/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/americas/2021/01/29/the-qanon-timeline/|url-status=live}}</ref> An [[Online community|Internet community]] developed around analyzing posts attributed to Q, and several conspiracy theorists became minor celebrities in the community.<ref name="finally passed">{{Cite web |last=Rothschild |first=Mike |date=October 29, 2018 |title=One year later, had the QAnon movement finally passed? |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/qanon-anniversary-movement/ |access-date=September 20, 2020 |website=[[Company:The Daily Dot|The Daily Dot]] |archive-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926203250/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/qanon-anniversary-movement/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="WapoPB20180801">{{Cite news |last=Bump |first=Philip |date=August 1, 2018 |title=Why the QAnon conspiracy is the natural culmination of the Trump era |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/08/01/why-the-qanon-conspiracy-is-the-natural-culmination-of-the-trump-era/ |access-date=October 4, 2020 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=October 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009145800/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/08/01/why-the-qanon-conspiracy-is-the-natural-culmination-of-the-trump-era/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Followers started looking for "clues" to confirm their beliefs, including common phrases and occurrences. In November 2017, Trump sipping water from a bottle was interpreted as a secret sign that the mass arrests would soon take place.<ref name="Steroids">{{cite news|last=Le Miere|first=Jason|date=November 20, 2017|title=Hillary Clinton, Pedophilia and Ankle Bracelets; New Trump-Supporter Conspiracy Theory Is Pizzagate on Steroids|newspaper=Newsweek|url=https://www.newsweek.com/hillary-clinton-conspiracy-theory-trump-717398|access-date=February 15, 2022|archive-date=February 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215212213/https://www.newsweek.com/hillary-clinton-conspiracy-theory-trump-717398|url-status=live}}</ref>

QAnon went further than Pizzagate by implying a worldwide cabal and incorporating elements from other conspiracies. One of the earlier rumors QAnon followers spread was that such figures as Hillary Clinton, her daughter Chelsea, and Senator John McCain had already been arrested and indicted, and were wearing ankle monitoring bracelets during their public appearances.<ref name="Steroids" /> In the following months, the QAnon community helped spread other rumors such as the "[[Social:Pizzagate conspiracy theory#Frazzledrip|Frazzledrip]]" theory, which purported the existence of a [[Social:Snuff film|"snuff" video]] showing Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin murdering a child, drinking her blood and taking turns wearing the skin from her face as a mask.<ref name="frazzledrip">{{cite web |last1=Coaston |first1=Jane |title=YouTube's conspiracy theory crisis, explained |url=https://www.vox.com/technology/2018/12/12/18136132/google-youtube-congress-conspiracy-theories |work=Vox |access-date=January 27, 2021 |date=December 14, 2018 |archive-date=February 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209192241/https://www.vox.com/technology/2018/12/12/18136132/google-youtube-congress-conspiracy-theories |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="snopes-frazzle-2018">{{cite web|last1=Emery|first1=David|date=April 16, 2018|title=Is a Hillary Clinton 'Snuff Film' Circulating on the Dark Web?|url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hillary-clinton-snuff-film/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211110005050/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hillary-clinton-snuff-film/|archive-date=November 10, 2021|access-date=January 27, 2021|website=[[Philosophy:Snopes|Snopes]]}}</ref>

In November 2017, two 4chan moderators, Paul Furber (also known as "BaruchtheScribe",<ref name="zadrozny"/> a South African conspiracy theorist with an interest in U.S. politics)<ref name="NYT2-19-22">{{Cite news|last = Kirkpatrick|first = David D.|title = Who is behind QAnon? Linguistic detectives find fingerprints|newspaper = {{wipe|The New York Times}}|location = |pages = |date = February 19, 2022|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/19/technology/qanon-messages-authors.html?searchResultPosition=1|accessdate = February 19, 2022|archive-date = February 20, 2022|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220220093340/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/19/technology/qanon-messages-authors.html?searchResultPosition=1|url-status = live}}</ref> and Coleman Rogers (also known as "Pamphlet Anon"),<ref name="zadrozny"/> worked with [[Social:YouTuber|YouTuber]] Tracy Diaz to promote QAnon to a wider audience.{{r|LA}}<ref>{{Cite web |last=Evon |first=Dan |date=August 21, 2020 |title=Qurious About QAnon? Get the Facts About This Dangerous Conspiracy Theory |url=https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/08/21/qanon-2020-election/ |access-date=September 20, 2020 |website=[[Philosophy:Snopes|Snopes]] |archive-date=November 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101101815/https://www.snopes.com/news/2020/08/21/qanon-2020-election/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This involved setting up the r/CBTS_Stream subreddit, where subscribers came to talk about QAnon. The subreddit was permanently closed in March 2018 due to incitement of violence and [[Doxing|posting private information]].{{r|zadrozny}} QAnon spread to other social media, including Twitter and YouTube.{{r|finally passed}} Rogers and his wife, Christina Urso, launched Patriots' Soapbox, a YouTube livestream dedicated to QAnon, which they used to solicit donations. U.S. Representative Lauren Boebert was a guest on the channel.{{r|LA}} Posts by Q moved to [[Social:8chan|8chan]], with Q citing concerns that the 4chan board had been "infiltrated".{{r|zadrozny}} Thereafter, Q posted only on 8chan.<ref name="wired" /> In August 2019, 8chan was shut down after it was connected with the El Paso shooting and other violent incidents. Followers of QAnon then moved to Endchan, until 8chan was restored under the name 8kun.<ref name="prophecies" /><ref name="WRD20200217" />

=== Mainstream attention ===
{{Multiple image
| direction = vertical
| width = 225
| image1 = Pence posing with QAnon police crop.jpg
| alt1 = Two soldiers meeting Pence on a tarmac
| image2 = Pence posing with QAnon police detail.jpg
| caption1 = Vice President Mike Pence with Broward County SWAT team members, on November 30, 2018; the man on the left wears ...
| alt2 = Detail of one soldier's uniform, showing a patch with a black "Q" on a red background, and a second patch with a black field bearing an axe and scythe crossed over one another
| caption2 = ... a "Q" patch (''close-up'') used by followers of QAnon{{efn|The other circular patch is the SWAT team emblem. Regulations forbid wearing either.<ref name="patch">{{Cite news |last=Altman |first=Howard |date=December 5, 2018 |title=Double trouble for Broward deputy: One patch for QAnon conspiracy, another for his SWAT team |work=Tampa Bay Times |url=https://tampabay.com/news/military/double-trouble-for-broward-deputy-one-patch-for-qanon-conspiracy-another-for-his-swat-team-20181204/ |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=April 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424094414/https://www.tampabay.com/news/military/double-trouble-for-broward-deputy-one-patch-for-qanon-conspiracy-another-for-his-swat-team-20181204/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}—the deputy was reprimanded and removed from the SWAT team as a result.
 The photo was tweeted, removed, and then replaced in Pence's feed.<ref name="patch" />
| align =
| total_width =
}}
QAnon first received attention from the mainstream press in November 2017. ''Newsweek'' called it "Pizzagate on steroids".<ref name="Steroids" /> Gossip columnist Liz Crokin, a Pizzagate follower, was one of the first public figures to embrace QAnon and became one of the movement's most prominent influencers.<ref name="LittleVillage">{{cite news |last=McClatchey |first=Emma |date=May 4, 2021 |title=How UI grad Liz Crokin became one of QAnon's biggest influencers |newspaper=Little Village |url=https://littlevillagemag.com/qanon-influencer-ui-alum-liz-crokin/ |access-date=February 11, 2022 |archive-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212102608/https://littlevillagemag.com/qanon-influencer-ui-alum-liz-crokin/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Fox News personality [[Biography:Sean Hannity|Sean Hannity]] and comedian Roseanne Barr spread the news about it to their social media followers in early 2018,<ref>{{cite web|first1=Cristina|last1=López G.|first2=Natalie|last2=Martinez|first3=Talia|last3=Lavin|first4=Alex|last4=Kaplan|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/list-right-wing-amplifiers-qanon-conspiracy-theory|title=A list of the right-wing amplifiers of the QAnon conspiracy theory|website=Media Matters for America|date=August 2, 2018|accessdate=May 18, 2023|archive-date=May 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518104819/https://www.mediamatters.org/sean-hannity/list-right-wing-amplifiers-qanon-conspiracy-theory|url-status=live}}</ref> and the conspiracy theory gained traction on the mainstream right.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Madeline|last1=Peltz|first2=Justin|last2=Horowitz|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/definitive-guide-fox-news-treatment-qanon-conspiracy-theory|title=The definitive guide to Fox News' treatment of the QAnon conspiracy theory|website=Media Matters for America|date=August 21, 2020|accessdate=May 18, 2023|archive-date=May 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230518111707/https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/definitive-guide-fox-news-treatment-qanon-conspiracy-theory|url-status=live}}</ref> At this time, ''[[Company:InfoWars|InfoWars]]'' host and far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones claimed to be in personal contact with Q. This led to the presence of QAnon followers at a July 2018 Trump rally for the midterm elections in Tampa, Florida, the first visible presence of the QAnon movement at Trump rallies.<ref name="WaPoMS20180801">{{cite news |last=Sullivan |first=Margaret |date=August 1, 2018 |title=As the bizarre QAnon group emerges, Trump rallies go from nasty to dangerous |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/as-the-bizarre-qanon-group-emerges-trump-rallies-go-from-nasty-to-dangerous/2018/08/01/063ed6f8-9585-11e8-a679-b09212fb69c2_story.html |access-date=October 4, 2020 |issn=0190-8286 |archive-date=September 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911001029/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/as-the-bizarre-qanon-group-emerges-trump-rallies-go-from-nasty-to-dangerous/2018/08/01/063ed6f8-9585-11e8-a679-b09212fb69c2_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some Christian pastors introduced their congregations to QAnon ideas. The Indiana-based Omega Kingdom Ministry tried to combine QAnon and Christianity, with Q posts and Bible quotes both read during church services.<ref name="Burke_10/15/2020">{{cite web | last=Burke | first=Daniel | title=How QAnon uses religion to lure unsuspecting Christians | work=CNN | date=October 15, 2020 | url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/15/us/qanon-religion-churches/index.html | access-date=January 22, 2022 | archive-date=February 10, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210043816/https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/15/us/qanon-religion-churches/index.html | url-status=live }}</ref> Some Christians, such as pastor Derek Kubilus, call QAnon [[Religion:Heresy|heresy]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stahl |first1=Lesley |last2=Kubilus |first2=Derek |title=QAnon's corrosive impact on the U.S. |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/qanon-conspiracy-united-states-60-minutes-2021-02-21/ |access-date=February 20, 2022 |work=CBS News |date=February 22, 2021 |archive-date=February 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224132319/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/qanon-conspiracy-united-states-60-minutes-2021-02-21/ |url-status=live }}</ref> but most U.S. pastors have not taken a stand against it.{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|p=152|loc=Chapt. 5}} More generally, QAnon's rise coincided with increasing radicalization and violent episodes in American far-right movements.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 22, 2020 |title=QAnon's growth mirrors sharp spike in far-right extremist violence in US: Experts |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/qanons-growth-mirrors-sharp-spike-extremist-violence-us/story?id=73079916 |access-date=February 8, 2022 |work=ABC News |first=Chris |last=Francescani |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110233009/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/qanons-growth-mirrors-sharp-spike-extremist-violence-us/story?id=73079916 |url-status=live }}</ref>

QAnon-related merchandise was widely available on [[Company:Amazon|Amazon]]'s online marketplace in 2018.<ref name="Amazon">{{Cite web|last1=Zadrozny|first1=Brandy|last2=Collins|first2=Ben|date=July 18, 2018|title=Like the fringe conspiracy theory Qanon? There's plenty of merch for sale on Amazon|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/fringe-conspiracy-theory-qanon-there-s-plenty-merch-sale-amazon-n892561|access-date=July 30, 2018|website=NBC News|archive-date=February 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212045217/https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/fringe-conspiracy-theory-qanon-there-s-plenty-merch-sale-amazon-n892561|url-status=live}}</ref> ''QAnon: An Invitation to the Great Awakening'', a book said to be authored by a group of 12 QAnon followers, neared the top of Amazon's bestsellers list in 2019, possibly through [[Social:Internet manipulation|algorithmic manipulation]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |title=On Amazon, a Qanon conspiracy book climbs the charts — with an algorithmic push |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/amazon-qanon-conspiracy-book-climbs-charts-algorithmic-push-n979181 |access-date=January 25, 2022 |work=NBC News |date=March 5, 2019 |archive-date=January 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125152301/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/amazon-qanon-conspiracy-book-climbs-charts-algorithmic-push-n979181 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Tiffany |first1=Kaitlyn |title=How a conspiracy theory about Democrats drinking children's blood topped Amazon's best-sellers list |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/6/18253505/amazon-qanon-book-best-seller-algorithm-conspiracy |access-date=January 25, 2022 |work=Vox |date=March 6, 2019 |archive-date=March 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190307003928/https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/6/18253505/amazon-qanon-book-best-seller-algorithm-conspiracy |url-status=live }}</ref> Also in 2019, QAnon blogger Neon Revolt (an alias of former aspiring screenwriter Robert Cornero Jr.) self-published the book ''Revolution Q: The Story of QAnon and the 2nd American Revolution'', which became an influential text among the QAnon community and was also distributed by Amazon.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Backovic |first1=Nick |date=January 11, 2021 |title=Failed Screenwriter from New Jersey Behind One of QAnon's Most Influential Personas |work=Logically |url=https://www.logically.ai/articles/exclusive-failed-screenwriter-from-new-jersey-behind-one-of-qanons-most-influential-personas |access-date=June 10, 2022 |archive-date=May 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220530153057/https://www.logically.ai/articles/exclusive-failed-screenwriter-from-new-jersey-behind-one-of-qanons-most-influential-personas |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020, ''Politico'' noted that 100 titles associated with QAnon were available on Amazon Marketplace, in many different languages and with generally positive reviews.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Mark |title=Conspiracy theories run wild on Amazon |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/amazon-qanon-covid19-coronavirus-disinformation-conspiracy-theories/ |access-date=January 25, 2022 |work=Politico |date=December 22, 2020 |archive-date=January 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127201121/https://www.politico.eu/article/amazon-qanon-covid19-coronavirus-disinformation-conspiracy-theories/ |url-status=live }}</ref> QAnon-related merchandise was also available on Etsy and Teespring, and pages relating to the conspiracy theory were on Patreon and GoFundMe.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=70–72}}

Sites dedicated to aggregating the Q posts, also called "drops"<ref name="morethanone">{{cite news |last1=Stokel-Walker |first1=Chris |title=QAnon posts by figurehead Q may be written by more than one person |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2285563-qanon-posts-by-figurehead-q-may-be-written-by-more-than-one-person/ |access-date=February 11, 2022 |work=New Scientist |date=July 29, 2021 |archive-date=August 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210804062758/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2285563-qanon-posts-by-figurehead-q-may-be-written-by-more-than-one-person/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or "Q drops",<ref name="breadcrumbs">{{cite news |last1= Schwartz|first1= Mattathias|title=A Trail of 'Bread Crumbs,' Leading Conspiracy Theorists Into the Wilderness |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/magazine/a-trail-of-bread-crumbs-leading-conspiracy-theorists-into-the-wilderness.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911120356/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/magazine/a-trail-of-bread-crumbs-leading-conspiracy-theorists-into-the-wilderness.html |archive-date=September 11, 2018 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=February 11, 2022 |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=September 11, 2018}}</ref><ref name="prophecies" /> became essential for their dissemination and spread. QMap was the most popular and famous aggregator, run by a pseudonymous developer and overall key QAnon figure known as "QAPPANON".<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 10, 2020 |title=QAnon Key Figure Revealed as Financial Information Security Analyst from New Jersey |url=https://www.logically.ai/articles/qanon-key-figure-man-from-new-jersey |access-date=April 19, 2021 |first1=Joe |last1=Ondrak |first2=Nick |last2=Backovic |website=Logically |archive-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200911001809/https://www.logically.ai/articles/qanon-key-figure-man-from-new-jersey |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="bloomberg">{{Cite news |title=QAnon Website Shuts Down After N.J. Man Identified as Operator |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-11/qanon-website-shuts-down-after-n-j-man-identified-as-operator |access-date=April 19, 2021 |date=September 11, 2020 |first=William |last=Turton |work=[[Company:Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |url-access=subscription |archive-date=October 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012160301/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-09-11/qanon-website-shuts-down-after-n-j-man-identified-as-operator |url-status=live }}</ref> QMap shut down shortly after the British fact-checking organization Logically published a September 2020 report<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Ondrak |first1=Joe |last2=Backovic |first2=Nick |date=September 10, 2020 |title=QAnon Key Figure Revealed as Financial Information Security Analyst from New Jersey |url=https://www.logically.ai/articles/qanon-key-figure-man-from-new-jersey |access-date=2023-03-09 |website=Logically |language=en |archive-date=September 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200911001809/https://www.logically.ai/articles/qanon-key-figure-man-from-new-jersey |url-status=live }}</ref> that identified QAPPANON as a New Jersey-based security analyst named Jason Gelinas.<ref name="bloomberg" /><ref name="DailyDot-Rothschild">{{Cite web|last=Rothschild|first=Mike|date=August 28, 2020|title=Did an IP address accidentally reveal QAnon's identity? |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/who-is-qanon-jim-watkins-rumors/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829003100/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/who-is-qanon-jim-watkins-rumors/|archive-date=August 29, 2020|access-date=August 29, 2020|website=[[Company:The Daily Dot|The Daily Dot]]}}</ref> Multiple online communities were created around QAnon: in 2020, Facebook conducted an internal investigation that revealed that the social network hosted thousands of QAnon-themed groups and pages, with millions of members and followers.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 10, 2020|first1=Ari|last1=Sen|first2=Brandy|last2=Zadrozny|title=QAnon groups have millions of members on Facebook, documents show|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/qanon-groups-have-millions-members-facebook-documents-show-n1236317|access-date=February 11, 2022|website=NBC News|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112191526/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/qanon-groups-have-millions-members-facebook-documents-show-n1236317|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to {{wipe|Reuters}}, Russian-backed social media accounts promoted QAnon claims as early as November or December 2017.<ref name="reuters" /> Russian government-funded state media such as RT and Sputnik have amplified the conspiracy theory since 2019, citing QAnon as evidence that the United States is divided by internal strife.<ref name="Reuters202008242" /> In 2021, a report from the Soufan Center, a research group focused on national security, found that one-fifth of 166,820 QAnon posts in the United States between January 2020 and February 2021 originated in foreign countries, primarily Russia and China, and that China was the "primary foreign actor touting QAnon-narratives online".<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Quantifying The Q Conspiracy: A Data-Driven Approach to Understanding the Threat Posed by QAnon|url=https://thesoufancenter.org/research/quantifying-the-q-conspiracy-a-data-driven-approach-to-understanding-the-threat-posed-by-qanon/|access-date=December 13, 2021|website=The Soufan Center|date=April 19, 2021|archive-date=November 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122062449/https://thesoufancenter.org/research/quantifying-the-q-conspiracy-a-data-driven-approach-to-understanding-the-threat-posed-by-qanon/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Zachary |last=Cohen |title=China and Russia 'weaponized' QAnon conspiracy around time of US Capitol attack, report says |date=April 19, 2021 |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/qanon-russia-china-amplification/index.html |access-date=April 28, 2021 |work=CNN |archive-date=November 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102053503/https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/qanon-russia-china-amplification/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The far-right [[Unsolved:Falun Gong|Falun Gong]]-associated Epoch Media Group, including ''[[Social:The Epoch Times|The Epoch Times]]'', has also been a major promoter of the conspiracy theory.{{refn|name=EpochMedia}}

[[Organization:University of Southern California|University of Southern California]] professor and data scientist Emilio Ferrara found that about 25% of accounts that use QAnon hashtags, retweet ''[[Company:InfoWars|InfoWars]]'' or had retweeted One America News Network were bots.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Guglielmi |first1=Giorgia |title=The next-generation bots interfering with the US election |journal=Nature |date=October 28, 2020 |volume=587 |issue=7832 |page=21 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-03034-5 |pmid=33116324 |bibcode=2020Natur.587...21G |doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== International following ===

Marc-André Argentino, a researcher of the movement, noted in August 2020 that QAnon-dedicated Facebook pages existed in 71 countries worldwide.{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|p=157|loc=Table 5.1}} In January 2021, researcher Joel Finkelstein told ''{{wipe|The Washington Post}}'' that the German and Japanese QAnon movements were "strong and growing",<ref>{{cite news |first1=Drew |last1=Harwell |first2=Craig |last2=Timberg |title=QAnon believers grapple with doubt, spin new theories as Trump era ends |url=https://www.chron.com/news/article/QAnon-believers-grapple-with-doubt-spin-new-15884779.php |work=Houston Chronicle |agency={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |date=January 20, 2021 |access-date=January 21, 2021 |quote=He and other researchers have also chronicled an increasingly global QAnon movement that could outlast its potential weakening in the United States as events and an aggressive crackdown by social media platforms limit the ideology's reach among Americans. The QAnon followings in Germany and Japan are particularly strong and growing, said Finkelstein, whose research group tracked a surge in QAnon terms the morning of the January{{spaces}}6 Capitol attack, including one that said "qarmyjapanflynn". |archive-date=January 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120180018/https://www.chron.com/news/article/QAnon-believers-grapple-with-doubt-spin-new-15884779.php |url-status=live }}</ref> though according to a later ''{{wipe|The New York Times}}'' report, the Japanese version (also known as "JAnon" &#91;{{lang-ja|Jアノン}}&#93;)<ref>{{Cite news |author=藤倉善郎 (Yoshirō Fujikura) |title=日本で繰り返されるトランプ応援デモの主催者・参加者はどんな人々なのか |work=Harbour Business Online |date=December 30, 2020 |url=https://hbol.jp/235650 |language=ja |access-date=April 19, 2021 |trans-title=What kind of people are the organizers and participants of the repeated pro-Trump demonstrations in Japan? |archive-date=February 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214150133/https://hbol.jp/235650 |url-status=live }}</ref> remains a [[Philosophy:Fringe theory|fringe belief]] even among conspiracy theorists.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Alt |first1=Matt |title=Why QAnon Flopped in Japan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/opinion/qanon-japan-janon.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210326052217/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/26/opinion/qanon-japan-janon.html |archive-date=March 26, 2021 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=February 15, 2022 |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=March 26, 2021 |quote=But it flopped in Japan, a country that's no stranger to conspiracy theories. Even as Western media has portrayed otherwise, there are hardly any Q followers among the Japanese and it has failed the test for the nation's conspiracy connoisseurs. "It's too naïve for our readership," Takeharu Mikami, the editor of Mu since 2005, told the Asahi Shimbun newspaper last month.}}</ref> Three pro-QAnon groups in Japan are known to exist as of 2022: J-Anon, QArmyJapanFlynn and YamatoQ.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/23/tech/qanon-consipiracy-theory-japan-trump-hnk-intl-dst/index.html|title=Japan's QAnon disciples aren't letting Trump's loss quash their mission|website=CNN|date=April 27, 2022|first1=Emiko|last1=Jozuka|first2=Selina|last2=Wang|first3=Junko|last3=Ogura|access-date=April 28, 2022|archive-date=April 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428041951/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/23/tech/qanon-consipiracy-theory-japan-trump-hnk-intl-dst/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgdjxq/japan-qanon-arrest-covid-anti-vax|title =Japanese QAnon Leader Arrested for Entering COVID-19 Vaccination Site to 'Save Kids'|work=Vice|first1=Hanako|last1=Montgomery|date=April 22, 2022 }}</ref> In April 2022, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested several members of YamatoQ for breaking into a health clinic which provided COVID-19 vaccinations.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14592759 |access-date=September 11, 2022 |title=Members tied to QAnon arrested over break-in at vaccine center |newspaper=The Asahi Shimbun |date=April 7, 2022 }}</ref>

Between March and June 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, QAnon activity nearly tripled on Facebook and nearly doubled on [[Software:Instagram|Instagram]] and Twitter.<ref>{{Cite news|date=October 6, 2020|title=QAnon conspiracies go global in pandemic 'perfect storm'|url=https://www.france24.com/en/20201006-qanon-conspiracies-go-global-in-pandemic-perfect-storm|access-date=October 15, 2020|website=France 24|agency=Agence France Presse|archive-date=October 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015081325/https://www.france24.com/en/20201006-qanon-conspiracies-go-global-in-pandemic-perfect-storm|url-status=live}}</ref> By that time, QAnon had spread to Europe, from the Netherlands to the Balkan Peninsula.<ref name=":0" />

In Germany, far-right activists and influencers have created a German audience for QAnon on YouTube, Facebook, and Telegram, estimated at 200,000 in 2020. German Reichsbürger groups adopted QAnon to promote its belief that modern Germany is not a sovereign republic but rather a corporation created by Allied nations after [[Social:World War II|World War II]], and expressed hope that Trump would lead an army to restore the ''Reich''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last1=Bennhold |first1=Katrin |title=QAnon Is Thriving in Germany. The Extreme Right Is Delighted. |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=October 11, 2020 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/11/world/europe/qanon-is-thriving-in-germany-the-extreme-right-is-delighted.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011045003/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/11/world/europe/qanon-is-thriving-in-germany-the-extreme-right-is-delighted.html |archive-date=October 11, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=April 19, 2021 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> <!--more to paraphrase in source--> A March 2022 study by the Center for Monitoring, Analysis and Strategy, a German think tank, found that more than one in ten people in Germany agreed with QAnon's theories and that [[Earth:Alternative for Germany|Alternative for Germany]] (AfD) and Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ) voters were more likely to believe in QAnon.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 31, 2022 |title=CeMAS study: QAnon movement gains popularity in the German-speaking world |url=https://www.alfredlandecker.org/en/article/cemas-study-quanon-movement-gains-popularity |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=Alfred Landecker Foundation |language=en |archive-date=December 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221215150721/https://www.alfredlandecker.org/en/article/cemas-study-quanon-movement-gains-popularity |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Holnburger |first1=Josef |last2=Tort |first2=Maheba Goedeke |last3=Lamberty |first3=Pia |date=March 31, 2022 |title=Q Vadis? The spread of QAnon in the German-speaking world |url=https://cemas.io/en/publikationen/q-vadis-the-spread-of-qanon-in-the-german-speaking-world/ |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=CeMAS |language=en |archive-date=December 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207142438/https://cemas.io/en/publikationen/q-vadis-the-spread-of-qanon-in-the-german-speaking-world/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In Russia, a similar conspiracy theory, the "[[Unsolved:Union of Slavic Forces of Russia|Soviet Citizens]]"—which claims the Russian Federation is a Delaware-based LLC that occupies the legal territory of the Soviet Union—also became susceptible to QAnon beliefs.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Light|first=Felix|date=November 30, 2020|title=QAnon Gains Traction in Russia|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/11/30/qanon-gains-traction-in-russia-a72180|access-date=July 6, 2021|website=The Moscow Times|archive-date=June 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606170114/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/11/30/qanon-gains-traction-in-russia-a72180|url-status=live}}</ref>

One in four {{wipe|United Kingdom}} believe in QAnon-related theories, though only 6% support QAnon.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Quinn |first1=Ben |title=One in four Britons believe in QAnon-linked theories – survey |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/22/one-in-four-britons-believe-in-qanon-linked-theories-survey |access-date=November 11, 2020 |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |date=October 21, 2020 |archive-date=November 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105051451/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/22/one-in-four-britons-believe-in-qanon-linked-theories-survey |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2020, anti-racist advocacy group Hope not Hate said that British influencer Martin Geddes ran "one of the most popular QAnon Twitter accounts in the world".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lawrence |first1=David |last2=Davis |first2=Gregory |title=QAnon in the UK: The Growth of a Movement |journal=Hope not Hate |date=October 2020 |pages=24–26 |url=https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/qanon-report-2020-10-FINAL.pdf |access-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-date=December 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201230121203/https://www.hopenothate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/qanon-report-2020-10-FINAL.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2021, Rémy Daillet-Wiedemann, a French QAnon-associated conspiracy theorist,<ref name="BRMTV">{{cite news | first1=Esther | last1=Paolini | title=Affaire Mia: ce que contiennent les vidéos du complotiste Rémy Daillet-Wiedemann | website=BFM TV | date=April 20, 2021 | url=https://www.bfmtv.com/police-justice/affaire-mia-ce-que-contiennent-les-videos-du-complotiste-remy-daillet-wiedemann_AN-202104200407.html | access-date=February 14, 2022 | archive-date=November 2, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102091505/https://www.bfmtv.com/police-justice/affaire-mia-ce-que-contiennent-les-videos-du-complotiste-remy-daillet-wiedemann_AN-202104200407.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first1=Samuel | last1=Laurent | title=Rémy Daillet, l'homme au cœur de la " mouvance " conspirationniste impliquée dans l'enlèvement de Mia | website=Le Monde | date=April 20, 2021 | url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2021/04/20/ce-que-l-on-sait-de-remy-daillet-et-de-sa-nebuleuse-conspirationniste-a-l-origine-de-l-enlevement-de-mia_6077448_3224.html | access-date=February 14, 2022 | archive-date=April 11, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411160308/https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2021/04/20/ce-que-l-on-sait-de-remy-daillet-et-de-sa-nebuleuse-conspirationniste-a-l-origine-de-l-enlevement-de-mia_6077448_3224.html | url-status=live }}</ref> was charged with terrorism for having planned a coup against the French government. Various associates of Daillet-Wiedemann were also arrested and charged in late 2021<ref>{{cite news | first1=Lucie | last1=Soullier | title=Rémy Daillet, figure du complotisme, mis en examen pour " association de malfaiteurs terroriste criminelle " | website=Le Monde | date=October 22, 2021 | url=https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2021/10/22/remy-daillet-figure-du-complotisme-mis-en-examen-pour-association-de-malfaiteurs-terroriste-criminelle_6099595_3224.html | access-date=February 14, 2022 | archive-date=April 11, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411160204/https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2021/10/22/remy-daillet-figure-du-complotisme-mis-en-examen-pour-association-de-malfaiteurs-terroriste-criminelle_6099595_3224.html | url-status=live }}</ref> and early 2022.<ref>{{cite news| title=Sept personnes interpellées dans un dossier lié au complotiste Rémy Daillet, figure de l'ultra-droite| website=France Info| date=March 23, 2022| url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/faits-divers/enlevements/enlevement-de-mia/sept-personnes-interpellees-dans-un-dossier-lie-au-complotiste-remy-daillet-figure-de-l-ultra-droite_5039301.html| access-date=February 14, 2022| archive-date=April 13, 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220413184943/https://www.francetvinfo.fr/faits-divers/enlevements/enlevement-de-mia/sept-personnes-interpellees-dans-un-dossier-lie-au-complotiste-remy-daillet-figure-de-l-ultra-droite_5039301.html| url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:QAnon graffiti in Paris.jpg|thumb|left|QAnon graffiti in Paris]]
Many {{wipe|Canada}} have also promoted QAnon.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Dryden |first1=Joel |title=How conspiracies like QAnon are slowly creeping into some Canadian churches |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/marc-andre-argentino-qanon-john-van-sloten-ambrose-1.5766756 |access-date=November 11, 2020 |work=CBC News |date=October 25, 2020 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111040711/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/marc-andre-argentino-qanon-john-van-sloten-ambrose-1.5766756 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McIntosh |first1=Emma |title=America's QAnon problem is infecting Canada. What should we do about it? |url=https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/10/15/news/americas-qanon-problem-infecting-canada-what-should-we-do-about-it |access-date=November 11, 2020 |work=National Observer |date=October 15, 2020 |archive-date=October 31, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031235243/https://www.nationalobserver.com/2020/10/15/news/americas-qanon-problem-infecting-canada-what-should-we-do-about-it |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kovac |first1=Adam |title=How Canada became one of the world's biggest hubs for QAnon conspiracy theories |url=https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/how-canada-became-one-of-the-world-s-biggest-hubs-for-qanon-conspiracy-theories-1.5172097 |access-date=November 11, 2020 |work=CTV News |date=November 3, 2020 |location=Montreal |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109193848/https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/how-canada-became-one-of-the-world-s-biggest-hubs-for-qanon-conspiracy-theories-1.5172097 |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2020, a gunman and QAnon follower drove a vehicle into the grounds of Rideau Hall, the temporary residence of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, to "arrest" Trudeau over COVID-19 restrictions and firearm regulations.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cecco |first1=Leyland |title=Armed man roamed Justin Trudeau's grounds for 13 minutes after ramming gates |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/03/armed-man-roamed-justin-trudeaus-grounds-for-13-minutes-after-ramming-gates |access-date=February 21, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=July 3, 2020 |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221001900/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/03/armed-man-roamed-justin-trudeaus-grounds-for-13-minutes-after-ramming-gates |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ling |first1=Justin |title=QAnon's Madness Is Turning Canadians Into Potential Assassins |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/13/qanon-canada-trudeau-conspiracy-theory/ |access-date=February 21, 2022 |work=Foreign Policy |date=July 13, 2020 |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221001904/https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/07/13/qanon-canada-trudeau-conspiracy-theory/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="cbchurren">{{cite news |last1=Tunney |first1=Catharine |title=Corey Hurren sentenced to 6 years in prison for breaching Rideau Hall gates while armed |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/corey-hurren-rideau-hall-sentencing-decision-1.5943612 |access-date=February 22, 2022 |work=CBC News |date=March 10, 2021 |archive-date=February 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220221082325/https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/corey-hurren-rideau-hall-sentencing-decision-1.5943612 |url-status=live }}</ref> A February 8 article in ''{{wipe|The Guardian}}'' described the 2022 convoy protests in Canada as the result of coordination between QAnon, conspiracy theorists, anti-vaccine and anti-government organizations.<ref name="Ling_20220208">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/08/canada-ottawa-trucker-protest-extremist-qanon-neo-nazi |title=5G and QAnon: how conspiracy theorists steered Canada's anti-vaccine trucker protest |first=Justin |last=Ling |date=February 8, 2022 |website={{wipe|The Guardian}} |access-date=February 8, 2022 |archive-date=August 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807122126/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/08/canada-ottawa-trucker-protest-extremist-qanon-neo-nazi |url-status=live }}</ref> Romana Didulo, a Philippines-born Canadian woman claiming to be Canada's rightful "Queen", built an online following in the course of 2021, creating a cultlike organization using QAnon and [[Social:Sovereign citizen movement|sovereign citizen]] concepts. Because of Didulo's network of followers and calls for violence, researchers identified her in 2022 as one of the most dangerous QAnon influencers in Canada.<ref name="Lamourex 20212">{{Cite web |last=Lamoureux |first=Mack |date=June 17, 2021 |title=QAnons Are Harassing People at the Whim of a Woman They Say Is Canada's Queen |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/3aqvkw/qanons-are-harassing-people-at-the-whim-of-a-woman-they-say-is-canadas-queen-romana-didulo |access-date=August 15, 2022 |website=[[Company:Vice News|Vice News]]|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220730135956/https://www.vice.com/en/article/3aqvkw/qanons-are-harassing-people-at-the-whim-of-a-woman-they-say-is-canadas-queen-romana-didulo|archive-date=July 30, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Guar>{{Cite news |last=Cecco |first=Leyland |date=August 23, 2022 |title='Queen of Canada': the rapid rise of a fringe QAnon figure sounds alarm |work={{wipe|The Guardian}}|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/23/queen-of-canada-qanon-rise-conspiracy-alarm |url-status=live |access-date=August 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824104857/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/23/queen-of-canada-qanon-rise-conspiracy-alarm|archive-date=August 24, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Lamoureux 20222">{{cite web |last=Lamoureux |first=Mack |date=August 23, 2022 |title=Inside the QAnon Queen's Cult: 'The Abuse Was Non-Stop' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7ze5w/qanon-queen-romana-didulo-cult-convoy-canada |access-date=August 23, 2022 |website=Vice|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220824090420/https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7ze5w/qanon-queen-romana-didulo-cult-convoy-canada|archive-date=August 24, 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

Cam Smith, an Australian researcher tracking far-right activity online, noticed mentions of QAnon in Australia's local communities as early as 2018.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Badham |first=Van |date=2021-11-13 |title=QAnon: how the far-right cult took Australians down a 'rabbit hole' of extremism |language=en-GB |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/14/qanon-how-the-far-right-cult-took-australians-down-a-rabbit-hole-of-extremism |access-date=2023-07-08 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=December 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216125011/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/nov/14/qanon-how-the-far-right-cult-took-australians-down-a-rabbit-hole-of-extremism |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020, when lockdown measures were imposed in [[Place:Melbourne|Melbourne]] to contain an outbreak of COVID-19, a group of QAnon adherents from Queensland traveled there to protest, promoting QAnon as they went.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Gunia |first=Amy |date=2020-10-01 |title=The U.S. Exported QAnon to Australia and New Zealand. Now It's Creeping Into COVID-19 Lockdown Protests |url=https://time.com/5894139/qanon-australia-new-zealand-conspiracy-theory/ |access-date=2023-07-08 |magazine={{wipe|Time (magazine)}} |language=en |archive-date=July 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708002921/https://time.com/5894139/qanon-australia-new-zealand-conspiracy-theory/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":3" /> A 2020 paper by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue revealed that Australia was the fourth largest producer of QAnon content, after the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.<ref name=":3" />

The movement has spread to Spain and Latin America,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wallace |first1=Arturo |title=QAnon en América Latina: cómo y por qué grupos asociados a esta polémica teoría conspirativa se han multiplicado en la región |language=es |trans-title=QAnon in Latin America: how and why groups associated with this controversial conspiracy theory have multiplied in the region |url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-53936695 |access-date=December 14, 2020 |work=BBC |date=August 28, 2020 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112225606/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-53936695 |url-status=live }}</ref> with countries like Costa Rica, Colombia, {{wipe|Argentina}}, Mexico, Paraguay and Brazil having an online presence.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zimbrón |first1=Andrés |title=Por qué se ha propagado más el movimiento QAnon en Latinoamérica |language=es |trans-title=Why the QAnon movement has spread more in Latin America |url=https://notipress.mx/internacional/por-que-se-ha-propagado-mas-el-movimiento-qanon-en-latinoamerica-4915 |access-date=December 14, 2020 |work=Notipress |date=August 31, 2020 |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115162209/https://notipress.mx/internacional/por-que-se-ha-propagado-mas-el-movimiento-qanon-en-latinoamerica-4915 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''La Nación'' reported in 2020 that the Facebook page "QAnon Costa Rica" was spreading misinformation and fake news, called to depose President Carlos Alvarado and praised right-wing figures such as far-right presidential candidate Juan Diego Castro Fernández, and controversial deputies Dragos Dolanescu Valenciano and Erick Rodríguez Steller.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chinchilla |first1=Sofía |title=QAnon, la teoría conspirativa, recluta seguidores en Costa Rica |language=es |trans-title=QAnon, the conspiracy theory, recruits followers in Costa Rica |url=https://www.nacion.com/no-coma-cuento/qanon-la-teoria-conspirativa-recluta-seguidores/QUM7F7EBABETBAUWSPVQYUR5GA/story/ |access-date=December 14, 2020 |work=La Nación |date=August 24, 2020 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107223140/https://www.nacion.com/no-coma-cuento/qanon-la-teoria-conspirativa-recluta-seguidores/QUM7F7EBABETBAUWSPVQYUR5GA/story/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In Spain, the far-right Vox party was accused of endorsing anti-Biden conspiracy theories linked to QAnon in its Twitter account by claiming that Biden was the candidate "preferred by pedophiles".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Labrados |first1=Fernando |title=¿Qué es QAnon? |language=es |trans-title=What is QAnon? |url=https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/efeverifica/que-es-qanon/50001435-4405484 |access-date=December 14, 2020 |work=EFE |date=November 23, 2020 |quote=Biden es el{{spaces}}... preferido de los pederastas. |archive-date=December 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201209233701/https://www.efe.com/efe/espana/efeverifica/que-es-qanon/50001435-4405484 |url-status=live }}</ref> An RTVE news report found that most Spanish QAnon supporters identified Vox as their preferred political party.<ref>{{cite news |author=Verifica RTVE |title=Qanon: este movimiento conspirativo también te desinforma sobre la pandemia |language=es |trans-title=Qanon: This conspiratorial movement also misinforms you about the pandemic |url=https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20200923/qanon-espana-desinformacion-sobre-politica-salud/2042822.shtml |access-date=December 14, 2020 |work=RTVE |date=September 23, 2019 |quote=No están aparentemente ligados, al menos de modo formal, a ningún partido político español, aunque cuando manifiestan preferencia abierta por uno, es por Vox. |archive-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213224432/https://www.rtve.es/noticias/20200923/qanon-espana-desinformacion-sobre-politica-salud/2042822.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Pastel QAnon ===
{{main|Social:Pastel QAnon}}

Pastel QAnon, identified by Concordia University researcher Marc-André Argentino,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Argentino|first=Marc-André|title=QAnon and the storm of the U.S. Capitol: The offline effect of online conspiracy theories|url=http://theconversation.com/qanon-and-the-storm-of-the-u-s-capitol-the-offline-effect-of-online-conspiracy-theories-152815|access-date=March 17, 2021|website=The Conversation|date=January 7, 2021|archive-date=January 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220106193716/https://theconversation.com/qanon-and-the-storm-of-the-u-s-capitol-the-offline-effect-of-online-conspiracy-theories-152815|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|last=Haubursin|first=Christophe|date=October 28, 2020|title=The Instagram aesthetic that made QAnon mainstream|url=https://www.vox.com/videos/2020/10/28/21538763/save-the-children-qanon-instagram|access-date=March 14, 2021|website=Vox|archive-date=February 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203222743/https://www.vox.com/videos/2020/10/28/21538763/save-the-children-qanon-instagram|url-status=live}}</ref> is a collection of techniques aimed predominantly at indoctrinating women into the conspiracy theory, mainly on social media sites like Instagram, Facebook, Telegram and YouTube.<ref name=":6">{{cite news|date=February 24, 2021|title=How the wellness and influencer crowd serve conspiracies to the masses|url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/25/how-the-wellness-and-influencer-crowd-served-conspiracies-to-the-masses|first=Michael|last=McGowan|access-date=March 14, 2021|website={{wipe|The Guardian}}|archive-date=June 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609014828/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/feb/25/how-the-wellness-and-influencer-crowd-served-conspiracies-to-the-masses|url-status=live}}</ref> It co-opts the aesthetics and language of social media influencers, often using personal anecdotes and gateway issues (i.e. child sex-trafficking) to frame QAnon beliefs as reasonable.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=125–130}}

== Claims ==

=== Q's posts ===

[[File:NC Rally to Protect Our Votes with Team Democracy (2020 Nov) (50578173401).jpg|thumb|A QAnon logo based on a white silhouette of a rabbit, which signifies Q telling followers to "Follow the White Rabbit", i.e. discover the hidden truth by doing their own research about the theory]]

Q made thousands of posts on 4chan and 8chan/8kun.<ref name="morethanone" /> These "drops" were often allusive, cryptic, and impossible to verify;{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|p=17}} some included strings of characters that are allegedly coded messages.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zhou |first1=Marrian |title=QAnon's coded conspiracy messages look like random typing, says analyst |url=https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/qanons-coded-conspiracy-messages-look-like-random-typing-says-analyst/ |access-date=February 11, 2022 |publisher=CNET |date=August 14, 2018 |archive-date=February 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220211230832/https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/qanons-coded-conspiracy-messages-look-like-random-typing-says-analyst/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Q used a conspiratorial tone, with phrases like "I've said too much" or "Some things must remain classified to the very end". To sustain faith in a final victory over the "cabal", Q used recurring phrases such as "Trust the plan", "Enjoy the show", and "Nothing can stop what is coming".<ref name="prophecies">{{Cite news |last1=LaFrance |first1=Adrienne |title=The Prophecies of Q |newspaper=The Atlantic |date=June 2020 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/qanon-nothing-can-stop-what-is-coming/610567/ |access-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-date=August 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200829011612/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/qanon-nothing-can-stop-what-is-coming/610567/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Q's messages typically claimed that everything was going as planned, that Trump was in control, and that all his adversaries would end up in prison.<ref name="Vox" /> Q also encouraged followers to do their own research by telling them to "Follow the White Rabbit".{{efn|After a line of dialogue from the film ''The Matrix'', which in turn referenced ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''.}} QAnon followers used the "White Rabbit" reference both as a [[Hashtag|hashtag]]<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Kelly |first1=Tiffany |title='Follow the White Rabbit' is the most bonkers conspiracy theory you will ever read |newspaper=The Daily Dot |date=November 21, 2017 |url=https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/follow-the-white-rabbit-conspiracy-theory/ |access-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-date=September 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925123023/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/follow-the-white-rabbit-conspiracy-theory/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Steroids" /> and as the name of a Facebook group that had around 90,000 members in 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Julie Carrie |first1=Wong |author-link=Julia Carrie Wong |title=Down the rabbit hole: how QAnon conspiracies thrive on Facebook |newspaper=The Guardian |date=June 25, 2020 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/25/qanon-facebook-conspiracy-theories-algorithm |access-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215145302/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/jun/25/qanon-facebook-conspiracy-theories-algorithm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Many early posts advanced claims about "deep state" collusion with foreign powers. In 2018, Q mentioned [[Earth:Geopolitics|geopolitical]] conspiracies such as the Obama administration having planned to send technology to Iran and North Korea. Later, Q found new targets such as Planned Parenthood, which they accused of harvesting fetuses for profit, or Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who they said was a member of the cabal. Over the years, other topics of interest included Russian interference, [[Social:Trafficking of children|child trafficking]], Jeffrey Epstein, Antifa and Hunter Biden.<ref name="timeline" /> Becoming increasingly vague over time, Q's posts allowed followers to map their own beliefs onto them and develop new variations of the theory.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Selk |first1=Avi |last2=Ohlheiser |first2=Abby |title=How QAnon, the conspiracy theory spawned by a Trump quip, got so big and scary |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2018/08/01/how-qanon-the-conspiracy-theory-spawned-by-a-trump-quip-got-so-big-and-scary/ |access-date=August 7, 2018 |archive-date=December 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222202720/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2018/08/01/how-qanon-the-conspiracy-theory-spawned-by-a-trump-quip-got-so-big-and-scary/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The author Walter Kirn has described Q as an innovator among conspiracy theorists by enthralling readers with "clues" rather than presenting claims directly: "The audience for internet narratives doesn't want to read, it wants to write. It doesn't want answers provided, it wants to search for them."<ref name="The Wizard of Q2">{{Cite magazine|last=Kirn|first=Walter|date=June 2018|title=The Wizard of Q|url=https://harpers.org/archive/2018/06/the-wizard-of-q/|magazine=Harper's Magazine|access-date=December 27, 2018|archive-date=June 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190607153152/https://harpers.org/archive/2018/06/the-wizard-of-q/|url-status=live}}</ref> But Q often made specific predictions that did not prove correct:<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reed|first=Jason|date=April 21, 2020|title=Here is every QAnon prediction that's failed to come true|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/qanon-failed-predictions/|access-date=October 17, 2020|website=The Daily Dot|archive-date=September 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927030419/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/qanon-failed-predictions/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{columns-list|colwidth=50em|
* Hillary Clinton was about to be arrested and would attempt to flee the country{{efn|"{{abbr|HRC|Hillary Rodham Clinton}} extradition already in motion effective yesterday with several countries in case of cross border run. Passport approved to be flagged effective 10/30 @ 12:01{{spaces}}am. Expect massive riots organized in defiance and others fleeing the US to occur. {{abbr|US M|United States Marshals}}'s will conduct the operation while {{abbr|NG|National Guard}} activated. Proof check: Locate an NG member and ask if activated for duty 10/30 across most major cities." —QAnon's first post on the /pol/ message board of [[Social:4chan|4chan]], on October 28, 2017<ref name="vox" />}}
* John Podesta would be arrested on November 3, 2017, and public riots would be organized to try and prevent the arrest of other public officials<ref name="Vox" />
* A major event involving the Department of Defense would take place on February 1, 2018
* People targeted by Trump would commit suicide ''en masse'' on February 10, 2018
* There would be a car bombing in London around February 16, 2018
* A "smoking gun" video of Hillary Clinton would emerge in March 2018
* Something major would happen in [[Place:Chongqing|Chongqing]] on April 10, 2018
* There would be a "bombshell" revelation about North Korea in May 2018
* The Trump military parade would "never be forgotten"{{efn|The parade was canceled.}}
* The Five Eyes "won't be around much longer"
* Mark Zuckerberg was going to leave Facebook and flee the United States{{efn|A claim made in April 2018.}}
* Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey would be forced to resign "next" (in the context of the prediction of Zuckerberg's resignation){{efn|Dorsey remained CEO of Twitter until November 2021, when he was replaced by Parag Agrawal.}}
* Pope Francis would have a "terrible May" in 2018
}}

On multiple occasions, Q has dismissed these incorrect predictions as deliberate, claiming that "disinformation is necessary".<ref>{{cite web|title=QAnon, once a fringe conspiracy theory, edges into the mainstream: 'Things could get much, much worse'|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/qanon-fringe-conspiracy-theory-edges-mainstream-things-worse/story?id=72751829|access-date=May 17, 2021|work=ABC News|archive-date=May 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517003738/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/qanon-fringe-conspiracy-theory-edges-mainstream-things-worse/story?id=72751829|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|date=March 4, 2021|title=US Capitol police warn of possible militia plot to breach Congress|newspaper=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56275335|access-date=May 17, 2021|archive-date=May 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503204207/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56275335|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Holt|first=Jared|date=July 9, 2018|title=A New Wave Of 'QAnon' Activists Emerge From The Cult Of MAGA|url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/a-new-wave-of-qanon-activists-emerge-from-the-cult-of-maga/|access-date=September 21, 2018|website=Right Wing Watch|publisher=People for the American Way|archive-date=September 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180912230458/http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/a-new-wave-of-qanon-activists-emerge-from-the-cult-of-maga/|url-status=live}}</ref> This has led Australian psychologist Stephan Lewandowsky to emphasize the "self-sealing" quality of the conspiracy theory, highlighting its anonymous purveyor's use of [[Social:Plausible deniability|plausible deniability]] and noting that evidence against it "can become evidence of [its] validity in the minds of believers".<ref name="vox">{{Cite web|last=Coaston|first=Jane|date=August 2, 2018|title=#QAnon, the scarily popular pro-Trump conspiracy theory, explained|url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/1/17253444/qanon-trump-conspiracy-theory-4chan-explainer|access-date=September 19, 2018|website=Vox|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821023025/https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/8/1/17253444/qanon-trump-conspiracy-theory-4chan-explainer|url-status=live}}</ref> The numerous false, unsubstantiated claims Q has posted include:
* That the CIA installed [[Social:List of leaders of North Korea|North Korean leader]] [[Biography:Kim Jong-un|Kim Jong-un]] as a puppet ruler<ref>{{Cite web|last=Caffier|first=Justin|date=June 12, 2018|title=A Guide to QAnon, the New King of Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywex8v/what-is-qanon-conspiracy-theory|access-date=July 15, 2018|website=Vice|issn=1077-6788|archive-date=September 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200926053717/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/ywex8v/what-is-qanon-conspiracy-theory|url-status=live}}</ref>
* That U.S. Representative and former Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz hired Salvadoran gang MS-13 to murder DNC staffer [[Biography:Seth Rich|Seth Rich]]<ref name="newsweek">{{Cite news|last=Hayden|first=Michael Edison|date=February 1, 2018|title=How 'the Storm' Became the Biggest Fake News Story of 2018|work=Newsweek|url=https://www.newsweek.com/how-storm-biggest-fake-news-story-796725|access-date=April 5, 2018|issn=0028-9604|archive-date=October 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015075342/https://www.newsweek.com/how-storm-biggest-fake-news-story-796725|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rothschild|first=Mike|date=March 19, 2018|title=The QAnon Conspiracy Is the Oldest Scam Out There|url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/qanon-the-storm/|access-date=July 14, 2018|website=The Daily Dot|archive-date=July 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714193415/https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/qanon-the-storm/|url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|This is a version of the [[Social:Murder of Seth Rich#Conspiracy theories|Seth Rich murder conspiracy theory]], which is connected to the broader [[Unsolved:Clinton body count conspiracy theory|Clinton body count conspiracy theory]], that had developed in the 1990s.<ref name="bonkers">{{cite web |url=https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/24/15685560/seth-rich-conspiracy-theory-explained-fox-news-hannity |website=Vox.com |title=The bonkers Seth Rich conspiracy theory, explained |date=May 24, 2017 |first=Jeff |last=Guo |access-date=May 29, 2017 |archive-date=June 12, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170612231945/https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/5/24/15685560/seth-rich-conspiracy-theory-explained-fox-news-hannity |url-status=live}}</ref> The claims of this conspiracy theory were propagated from the same venues as Pizzagate,<ref name="shalby">{{cite news |work={{wipe|Los Angeles Times}} |date=May 24, 2017 |title=How Seth Rich's death became an Internet conspiracy theory |url=http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-seth-rich-conspiracy-20170523-htmlstory.html |first=Colleen |last=Shalby |quote=Despite police statements and Rich's family concluding that his death was the result of an attempted robbery, the rumor spread within the same circles that churned out the bogus 'PizzaGate' story |access-date=May 24, 2017 |archive-date=May 29, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529184553/http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywood/la-fi-ct-seth-rich-conspiracy-20170523-htmlstory.html |url-status=live}}</ref> and both shared common attributes.<ref name="farhi2017">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-conspiratorial-tale-of-murder-with-fox-news-at-the-center/2017/05/17/6a4d1f5a-3b14-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html |title=A conspiratorial tale of murder, with Fox News at the center |last=Farhi |first=Paul |date=May 17, 2017 |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |access-date=May 18, 2017 |quote=The Rich story has taken on elements of the Comet Ping Pong conspiracy, a false and preposterous tale involving Hillary Clinton and her supposed operation of a child-abuse ring at a District pizza restaurant. |archive-date=May 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170518001825/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-conspiratorial-tale-of-murder-with-fox-news-at-the-center/2017/05/17/6a4d1f5a-3b14-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="boehlert">{{citation |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fox-vulgar-coverage-of-murdered-dnc-staffer-is-nothing_us_591f02f5e4b0e8f558bb25b6 |work=The Huffington Post |title=Fox's Vulgar Coverage Of A Murdered DNC Staffer Is Nothing New |date=May 19, 2017 |first=Eric |last=Boehlert |quote=Basically, it was the 'alt-right' idiocy of Pizzagate all over again. |access-date=June 1, 2017 |archive-date=June 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601152322/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fox-vulgar-coverage-of-murdered-dnc-staffer-is-nothing_us_591f02f5e4b0e8f558bb25b6 |url-status=live}}</ref>}}
* An apparent suggestion that German chancellor [[Biography:Angela Merkel|Angela Merkel]] is Adolf Hitler's granddaughter<ref>{{Cite web|last=Király|first=Attila|date=August 7, 2018|title=Trump támogatói között elkezdett terjedni, hogy az elnök az Egyesült Államokat irányító sátánista pedofilok ellen harcol|trans-title=Trump supporters have started to spread their belief that the President fights against Satanist pedophiles who govern the United States|url=https://444.hu/2018/08/07/trump-tamogatoi-kozott-elkezdett-terjedni-hogy-az-elnok-az-egyesult-allamokat-iranyito-satanista-pedofilok-ellen-harcol|access-date=September 19, 2018|website=444|language=hu-HU|archive-date=October 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011104019/https://444.hu/2018/08/07/trump-tamogatoi-kozott-elkezdett-terjedni-hogy-az-elnok-az-egyesult-allamokat-iranyito-satanista-pedofilok-ellen-harcol|url-status=live}}</ref>
* That Obama, Hillary Clinton, George Soros, and others are planning a coup against Trump and are involved in an international child sex-trafficking ring<ref>{{cite news|last=Muncaster|first=Phil|date=May 7, 2020|title=Facebook Removes Far-Right Conspiracy Theory Content|website=Infosecurity Magazine|publisher=Infosecurity Group|url=https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/facebook-takes-down-far-right/|access-date=January 25, 2021|archive-date=January 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131105308/https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/facebook-takes-down-far-right/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Goldberg|first1=Michelle|date=September 21, 2018|title=Conspiracy theory claims Trump is a 'secret genius who pretended to collude with Russia to defeat child sex traffickers'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/conspiracy-theory-donald-trump-genius-hilary-clinton-roseanne-barr-barack-obama-george-soros-america-politics-latest-a8293806.html|access-date=January 25, 2021|website=The Independent|archive-date=January 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130223609/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/conspiracy-theory-donald-trump-genius-hilary-clinton-roseanne-barr-barack-obama-george-soros-america-politics-latest-a8293806.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* That the Mueller investigation was a counter-coup led by Trump, who pretended to conspire with Russia to hire Mueller to secretly investigate the Democrats<ref name="WaPo20180801" /> and expose the child sex-trafficking ring<ref name="SPLC20180117">{{cite news|last=Neiwert|first=David|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/17/conspiracy-meta-theory-storm-pushes-alternative-envelope-yet-again|title=Conspiracy meta-theory 'The Storm' pushes the 'alternative' envelope yet again|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|date=January 17, 2018|access-date=September 28, 2020|archive-date=February 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222090824/https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2018/01/17/conspiracy-meta-theory-storm-pushes-alternative-envelope-yet-again|url-status=live}}</ref>
* That the [[Finance:Rothschild family|Rothschild family]] leads a satanic cult,<ref name="heavy" /> a centuries-old antisemitic trope against the family<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/08/04/how-j-p-morgan-didnt-sink-the-titanic-and-other-qanon-conspiracy-theories-debunked/ |title=Fact-checking QAnon conspiracy theories: Did J.P. Morgan sink the Titanic? |last=Trickey |first=Erick |date=August 4, 2018 |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |access-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205002246/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/08/04/how-j-p-morgan-didnt-sink-the-titanic-and-other-qanon-conspiracy-theories-debunked/ |archive-date=December 5, 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

After Trump lost the 2020 election, the rate of Q's posts sharply declined<ref name="timeline" /> and Q stopped posting altogether one month later. The last "drop" for 18 months was on December 8, 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|date=March 4, 2021|title=Why are QAnon believers obsessed with 4 March?|website=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-56260345|access-date=October 3, 2021|archive-date=June 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210614002317/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-56260345|url-status=live}}</ref> Mike Rothschild, author of a book on QAnon, said that he doubted Q would ever come back, as the movement had "outgrown the need for new drops" and Trump's election loss had invalidated the core QAnon prophecy. But he added that Q might resume posting if "the community really needed new drops to keep it moving forward".<ref name="evaporating" />

On June 24, 2022, Q, or someone who possesses their details, posted on [[Social:8chan|8kun]] after an 18-month hiatus.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Sheila |last=Flynn |date=June 25, 2022 |title='Q' returns with first new post in 18 months for far-right QAnon conspiracy theorists |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/qanon-conspiracy-theory-trump-right-b2109369.html |access-date=June 25, 2022 |website=The Independent |language=en |archive-date=June 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220629022834/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/qanon-conspiracy-theory-trump-right-b2109369.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sommer |first=Will |date=June 25, 2022 |title=QAnon Creator 'Q' Returns After Nearly Two-Year Hiatus |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-creator-q-returns-after-nearly-two-year-hiatus |access-date=June 25, 2022 |archive-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628010230/https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-creator-q-returns-after-nearly-two-year-hiatus |url-status=live }}</ref> The post claimed that Cassidy Hutchinson, who testified at the sixth public hearing on the January 6 Attack, was involved in a plot to disparage Trump.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/07/01/qanon-targets-cassidy-hutchinson-osullivan-sot-ac360-vpx.cnn|title=New post from QAnon targets Cassidy Hutchinson|website=CNN|first=John|last=Anderson|date=July 1, 2022|accessdate=July 2, 2022|archive-date=July 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702005855/https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2022/07/01/qanon-targets-cassidy-hutchinson-osullivan-sot-ac360-vpx.cnn|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=June 29, 2022 |title=After 18-Month Hiatus, New QAnon Posts Surface |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/after-18-month-hiatus-new-qanon-posts-surface |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630145439/https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/after-18-month-hiatus-new-qanon-posts-surface |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |access-date=July 4, 2022 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |quote=Several QAnon adherents have tried to question 8kun owner Jim Watkins, who had confirmed the new drops were 'real' within hours of them being posted ... Watkins has largely avoided these questions and has attacked some users who've expressed skepticism about the new posts ... Q stopped posting on 8kun in December 2020, shortly after former president Trump's defeat in the 2020 election. Q's unexpected return has reinvigorated the QAnon community ... [But] why would Q return after so many months of silence? Researchers have put forth a range of theories: Perhaps the Watkinses thought new drops would revive 8kun's declining user base, or maybe they felt threatened by an imitator Q account on Trump's new Truth Social platform ...}}</ref>

=== The cabal and "the Storm" ===

[[File:QAnon-MAGA-Jesus.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Outside the US. Capitol during the January 6, 2021 riot, a Trump supporter carries a placard depicting Jesus in a MAGA hat with the QAnon hashtag "#WWG1WGA" visible in the lower right]]

QAnon's core beliefs are that the world is controlled by a secret cabal of [[Biography:Satan|Satan]]-worshipping child molesters, Trump is secretly battling to stop them, and Q reveals details about the battle online. The cabal is thought to cover up its existence by controlling politicians, mainstream media, and Hollywood.<ref name="salon0819">{{Cite web|last=Rozsa|first=Matthew|date=August 18, 2019|title=QAnon is the conspiracy theory that won't die|url=https://www.salon.com/2019/08/18/qanon-is-the-conspiracy-theory-that-wont-die-heres-what-they-believe-and-why-theyre-wrong/|access-date=April 17, 2020|website=Salon|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107024532/https://www.salon.com/2019/08/18/qanon-is-the-conspiracy-theory-that-wont-die-heres-what-they-believe-and-why-theyre-wrong/|url-status=live}}</ref> Q's revelations imply that the cabal's destruction is imminent but also that it will be accomplished only with the support of the "patriots" of the QAnon community.<ref name="prophecies" /> This will happen at a time known as "the Event" or "the Storm", when thousands of people will be arrested and possibly sent to Guantanamo Bay prison or face military tribunals. The U.S. military will then take over the country,{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=9, 16, 32, 105–117}} and the result will be salvation and utopia.<ref name="haaretz">{{Cite news|last=Ross|first=Alexander Reid|date=January 8, 2019|title=Apocalypse in America: The Smell of Fascism in the pro-Trump QAnon Conspiracy|work=[[Social:Haaretz|Haaretz]]|url=https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-apocalypse-in-america-the-smell-of-fascism-in-the-pro-trump-qanon-conspiracy-1.6809655|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=February 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211132831/https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-apocalypse-in-america-the-smell-of-fascism-in-the-pro-trump-qanon-conspiracy-1.6809655|url-status=live}}</ref>

Figures QAnon followers believe are part of the cabal include Democratic Party politicians like Joe Biden, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, businesspeople like George Soros<ref name="Bigtent"/> and [[Biography:Bill Gates|Bill Gates]],<ref name="GuardianWong">{{Cite web|last=Wong|first=Julie Carrie|date=August 25, 2020|title=QAnon explained: the antisemitic conspiracy theory gaining traction around the world|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/25/qanon-conspiracy-theory-explained-trump-what-is|access-date=April 17, 2020|newspaper=The Guardian|archive-date=November 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211124203207/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/aug/25/qanon-conspiracy-theory-explained-trump-what-is|url-status=live}}</ref> religious leaders like Pope Francis and the [[Biography:14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]],<ref name="Bigtent"/> [[Biography:Anthony Fauci|Anthony Fauci]],<ref name="prophecies" /> and entertainers like Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres,<ref name="Bigtent"/> Lady Gaga<ref name="Tom Hanks">{{cite news|last1=Dowd|first1=Katie|title=How QAnon believers became obsessed with Tom Hanks|url=https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/how-QAnon-became-obsessed-with-Tom-Hanks-16913144.php|access-date=February 23, 2022|newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle|date=February 12, 2022|archive-date=February 24, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220224081856/https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/how-QAnon-became-obsessed-with-Tom-Hanks-16913144.php|url-status=live}}</ref> and Chrissy Teigen.<ref name="GuardianWong"/><ref>{{cite news|last1=Elfrink|first1=Tim|title='You don't have a "right" to coordinate attacks': Chrissy Teigen backs Twitter's QAnon crackdown|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/22/twitter-qanon-ban-chrissy-teigen/|access-date=February 24, 2022|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 22, 2020|archive-date=January 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104233942/https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/22/twitter-qanon-ban-chrissy-teigen/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Biography:Tom Hanks|Tom Hanks]] is a special target for QAnon believers. When Hanks went into quarantine at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, they spread a rumor that he had been arrested on child abuse charges. Other similar allegations followed and in July 2021, some QAnon adherents took seriously an article from Real Raw News, a [[Fake news website|fake news website]], that claimed the U.S. military had executed Hanks.<ref>{{cite news |title=Fact Check-False news article about Tom Hanks |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-tom-executed-idUSL1N2PC2NK |access-date=February 23, 2022 |work=Reuters |date=August 5, 2021 |archive-date=February 23, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223091102/https://www.reuters.com/article/factcheck-tom-executed-idUSL1N2PC2NK |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Tom Hanks"/>

One key tenet in QAnon's narrative until the 2020 election was the recurring prediction that Trump would be reelected in a landslide and spend his second term bringing about "the Storm" by undoing the deep state, disbanding the cabal and arresting its leaders.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roose|first=Kevin|date=November 10, 2020|title=Shocked by Trump's Loss, QAnon Struggles to Keep the Faith|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/technology/qanon-election-trump.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110185655/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/10/technology/qanon-election-trump.html |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=February 15, 2022|work=The New York Times}}</ref> After Trump lost and Q stopped posting, QAnon followers continued to search for previously unseen clues in old posts or creating new spin-offs of the theory.<ref name="evaporating">{{cite news |last1=Brewster |first1=Jack |title='Q' Hasn't Posted In Six Months—But Some QAnon Followers Still Keep The Faith |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/06/08/q-hasnt-posted-in-6-months-but-some-qanon-followers-still-keep-the-faith/?sh=2e3843e96071 |access-date=February 11, 2022 |work=Forbes |date=June 8, 2021 |archive-date=February 12, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220212182329/https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/06/08/q-hasnt-posted-in-6-months-but-some-qanon-followers-still-keep-the-faith/?sh=2e3843e96071 |url-status=live }}</ref> They subsequently made predictions about Trump remaining president or returning to power, such as:
* Joe Biden's inauguration on January 20, 2021, would be an elaborate trap set for the Democrats, who would be arrested ''en masse'' and executed while Trump retained power.<ref name="losehope">{{Cite news|last1=Collins|first1=Ben|last2=Zadrozny|first2=Brandy|date=January 20, 2021|title=Some QAnon followers lose hope after inauguration|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/some-qanon-followers-struggle-inauguration-day-n1255002|access-date=February 15, 2022|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106181132/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/some-qanon-followers-struggle-inauguration-day-n1255002|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Trump would be inaugurated on March 4, 2021, as the 19th president.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Rouner|first=Jeff|date=February 10, 2021|title=Why QAnon Thinks Trump Will Be Inaugurated on March 4|magazine=Houston Press|url=https://www.houstonpress.com/news/is-march-4-the-real-inauguration-date-11534814|access-date=February 15, 2022|archive-date=February 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215123850/https://www.houstonpress.com/news/is-march-4-the-real-inauguration-date-11534814|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Trump would be inaugurated again on March 20, 2021. After this did not happen, QAnon adherents predicted it would happen on August 13, 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Silverman|first=Jacob|date=August 13, 2021|title=Was Donald Trump Reinstated as President Today?|magazine=The New Republic|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/163272/trump-resinstated-president-maga-qanon-mike-lindell|access-date=August 14, 2021|issn=0028-6583|archive-date=August 17, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817135155/https://newrepublic.com/article/163272/trump-resinstated-president-maga-qanon-mike-lindell|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The Arizona audit would prove election fraud, handing the state to Trump, and other states would follow suit in a "[[Philosophy:Domino effect|domino effect]]", resulting in Trump being reinstated as president.<ref name="evaporating" />
* The 2021 California gubernatorial recall election result would be proven fraudulent, which would catalyze a national fraud audit, resulting in Trump returning to power.<ref name="arewethesheep">{{Cite news|last1=Dowd|first1=Katie|date=September 13, 2021|title='Are we the sheep?': QAnon believers struggle to process Gavin Newsom recall election in California|newspaper=SFGate|url=https://www.sfgate.com/gavin-newsom-recall/article/QAnon-conspiracies-california-governor-recall-16455748.php|access-date=February 16, 2022|archive-date=February 16, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216105517/https://www.sfgate.com/gavin-newsom-recall/article/QAnon-conspiracies-california-governor-recall-16455748.php|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Biography:John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy]] (the 35th president of the United States, who was [[Social:Assassination of John F. Kennedy|assassinated in 1963]]) or his son John F. Kennedy Jr. (who died in a plane crash in 1999) would appear alive in front of a crowd in Dallas on November 2, 2021, and announce Trump's reinstatement as president and the installation of Kennedy Jr. as vice president.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Pitofsky|first=Marina|date=November 2, 2021|title=QAnon supporters gather over theory that JFK Jr. will emerge, announce Trump to be reinstated|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/11/02/texas-qanon-believers-back-theory-trump-reinstated/6255234001/|access-date=November 20, 2021|work=USA Today|archive-date=November 6, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106081927/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/11/02/texas-qanon-believers-back-theory-trump-reinstated/6255234001/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Child sex trafficking and satanic sacrifice ===

QAnon effectively [[Social:Pizzagate conspiracy theory#Merger with QAnon|merged with Pizzagate]] by incorporating its beliefs, namely that children are being abducted in a child trafficking ring, which followers equate with the cabal. They also see Trump as the only person fighting this criminal network.{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|pp=90–91}} Added to this is the belief that politicians and Hollywood elites engage in "[[Chemistry:Adrenochrome|adrenochrome]] harvesting", in which [[Biology:Adrenaline|adrenalin]] is extracted from children's blood to produce the psychoactive drug adrenochrome.<ref name="Friedberg">{{Cite news |last=Friedberg |first=Brian |date=July 31, 2020 |title=The Dark Virality of a Hollywood Blood-Harvesting Conspiracy |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-the-dark-virality-of-a-hollywood-blood-harvesting-conspiracy/ |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=August 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815072721/https://www.wired.com/story/opinion-the-dark-virality-of-a-hollywood-blood-harvesting-conspiracy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|Adrenochrome has become the subject of a number of myths since Hunter S. Thompson mentioned it in his 1971 book ''Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas''.<ref name="adrenochrome" /><ref name=adams>{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Josie |name-list-style=vanc |title=The truth about adrenochrome |url=https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/07-04-2020/explainer-adrenochrome-the-drug-that-doesnt-exist/ |access-date=June 28, 2020 |work=The Spinoff |date=April 7, 2020 |archive-date=January 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220104191842/https://thespinoff.co.nz/society/07-04-2020/explainer-adrenochrome-the-drug-that-doesnt-exist |url-status=live }}</ref>}} This comprises claims that children are tortured, or sacrificed in [[Religion:Satanism|Satanic]] rituals, to harvest the adrenaline that comes from fear.<ref name="adrenochrome">{{cite news |last1=Hitt |first1=Tarpley |title=How QAnon Became Obsessed With 'Adrenochrome,' an Imaginary Drug Hollywood Is 'Harvesting' from Kids |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-qanon-became-obsessed-with-adrenochrome-an-imaginary-drug-hollywood-is-harvesting-from-kids |newspaper=The Daily Beast |access-date=January 27, 2021 |date=August 14, 2020 |archive-date=October 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201011093008/https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-qanon-became-obsessed-with-adrenochrome-an-imaginary-drug-hollywood-is-harvesting-from-kids |url-status=live }}</ref> The aforementioned "Frazzledrip" video in which Hillary Clinton and Huma Abedin allegedly murdered a child was said to depict an "adrenochrome harvest".<ref name="snopes-frazzle-2018" /> One version of the QAnon theory posits that the child abusers use adrenochrome as an [[Unsolved:Elixir of life|elixir to remain young]].<ref name="glossary">{{cite news |date=January 21, 2021 |title=QAnon: A Glossary |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |url=https://www.adl.org/blog/qanon-a-glossary |access-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205033603/https://www.adl.org/blog/qanon-a-glossary |url-status=live }}</ref> In reality, adrenochrome is synthesized solely for research purposes and has no medical uses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://science.howstuffworks.com/adrenochrome.htm|title=Untangling the Medical Misinformation Around Adrenochrome|author=Walker-Journey, Jennifer|publisher=HowStuffWorks|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=April 14, 2021|access-date=October 25, 2022|archivedate=April 14, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414211128/https://science.howstuffworks.com/adrenochrome.htm}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja01129a531|title=Synthesis of dl-Adrenalin-β-C14 and dl-Adrenochrome-β-C14|publisher=ACS Publications|author=Schayer, Richard W.|journal=Journal of the American Chemical Society |language=en-US|url-status=live|date=1952|volume=74 |issue=9 |page=2441 |doi=10.1021/ja01129a531 |access-date=October 25, 2022|archivedate=October 25, 2022|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20221025141335/https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja01129a531}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/US3445478A/en|title=Method of synthesizing adrenochrome monoaminoguanidine|publisher=Google Patents|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=1965|access-date=October 25, 2022|archivedate=October 16, 2021|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016150832/https://patents.google.com/patent/US3445478A/en}}</ref>

[[File:Save our children hashtag (cropped) (cropped).png|thumb|#SaveOurChildren graffiti on a bridge in Lufkin, Texas]]

In June 2020, a group led by QAnon promoter Timothy Charles Holmseth, which called itself the Pentagon Pedophile Task Force despite having no connection with the Pentagon or any U.S. governmental agency, attracted attention by spreading false claims about tens of thousands of children being held hostage and tortured in New York City.<ref name="Reuters2">{{cite news |title=Fact check: 35,000 "malnourished" and "caged" children were not recently rescued from tunnels by U.S. military |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-children-rescued-tunnels-idUSKBN23M2EL |access-date=February 6, 2022 |publisher={{wipe|Reuters}} |date=June 15, 2020 |archive-date=February 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206180139/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-children-rescued-tunnels-idUSKBN23M2EL |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="DailyBeastPPTaskForce">{{cite news|last1=Sommer|first1=Will|title=QAnon Promotes Pedo-Ring Conspiracy Theories. Now They're Stealing Kids.|publisher=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-promotes-pedo-ring-conspiracy-theories-now-theyre-stealing-kids|date=August 16, 2020|access-date=February 7, 2022|archive-date=February 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220206180139/https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanon-promotes-pedo-ring-conspiracy-theories-now-theyre-stealing-kids|url-status=live}}</ref> Also by 2020, some followers began using the Twitter hashtag #SaveTheChildren (#SaveOurChildren was also used),<ref name="2020-11-01 CNN">{{cite news |last1=Iyengar |first1=Rishi |date=November 1, 2020 |title=Facebook cracks down on QAnon hashtag #SaveOurChildren |url=https://www.cnn.com/tech/live-news/social-media-misinformation-october/h_1d30dc1859947caeb2797638918ffb26 |url-status=live |publisher=CNN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126160006/https://www.cnn.com/tech/live-news/social-media-misinformation-october/h_1d30dc1859947caeb2797638918ffb26 |archive-date=November 26, 2020 |access-date=February 6, 2021}}</ref> coopting a trademarked name for the child welfare organization Save the Children.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Roose |first1=Kevin |title=QAnon Followers Are Hijacking the #SaveTheChildren Movement |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/technology/qanon-save-the-children-trafficking.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812091409/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/technology/qanon-save-the-children-trafficking.html |archive-date=August 12, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=February 4, 2022 |work={{wipe|The New York Times}} |date=August 12, 2020}}</ref> This led to an August 7 statement by Save the Children on the unauthorized use of its name in campaigns.<ref>{{cite web |title=Save the Children Statement on use of its Name in Unaffiliated Campaigns |url=https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2020-press-releases/save-the-children-statement-on-use-of-its-name-in-unaffiliated-c |publisher=Save the Children |access-date=February 4, 2022 |date=August 7, 2020 |archive-date=January 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220114122806/https://www.savethechildren.org/us/about-us/media-and-news/2020-press-releases/save-the-children-statement-on-use-of-its-name-in-unaffiliated-c |url-status=live }}</ref> In September, Facebook and Instagram tried to prevent #SaveTheChildren from being associated with QAnon by redirecting users who searched for the hashtag to the child welfare group.<ref>{{cite news |title=QAnon's 'Save the Children' morphs into popular slogan |url=https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-child-trafficking-illinois-morris-aab978bb7e9b89cd2cea151ca13421a0 |first=Amanda |last=Seitz |access-date=November 11, 2020 |publisher=Associated Press |date=October 28, 2020 |archive-date=November 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112221947/https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-child-trafficking-illinois-morris-aab978bb7e9b89cd2cea151ca13421a0 |url-status=live }}</ref> In October, Facebook announced it would try to limit the hashtag's reach.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Heater |first1=Brian |last2=Hatmaker |first2=Taylor |title=Facebook is limiting distribution of 'save our children' hashtag over QAnon ties |url=https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/30/facebook-is-limiting-distribution-of-save-our-children-hashtag-over-qanon-ties/ |access-date=November 11, 2020 |work=TechCrunch |date=October 30, 2020 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111182843/https://techcrunch.com/2020/10/30/facebook-is-limiting-distribution-of-save-our-children-hashtag-over-qanon-ties/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the same period, QAnon followers also created a conspiracy theory that falsely accused furniture company [[Company:Wayfair|Wayfair]], a competitor of Overstock in which QAnon promoter Patrick Byrne had been the CEO, of selling expensive furniture to launder money gained from child sex trafficking.<ref name="BBC-Wayfair">{{cite news |last1=Spring |first1=Marianna |title=Wayfair: The false conspiracy about a furniture firm and child trafficking |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-53416247 |access-date=January 8, 2021 |publisher=BBC News |date=July 15, 2020 |archive-date=January 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108091633/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-53416247 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="USAToday-Wayfair">{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Matthew |title=Fact check: Home goods retailer Wayfair is not involved in child sex trafficking |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/22/fact-check-wayfair-not-involved-child-sex-trafficking/5460739002/ |access-date=January 8, 2021 |website=USA Today |date=July 22, 2020 |archive-date=January 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210109172900/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/07/22/fact-check-wayfair-not-involved-child-sex-trafficking/5460739002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Similar groups in both the U.S. and the U.K. helped organize street protests that they say raise awareness of child sexual abuse and human trafficking.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zadrozny |first1=Brandy |last2=Collins |first2=Ben |title=A new phenomenon as QAnon conspiracy spreads: Nationwide #SavetheChildren rallies |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/qanon-looms-behind-nationwide-rallies-viral-hashtags-n1237722 |access-date=November 11, 2020 |publisher=NBC News |date=August 21, 2020 |archive-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110213204/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/qanon-looms-behind-nationwide-rallies-viral-hashtags-n1237722 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dias |first1=Shanti |title=Far-right US cult QAnon finds a ready ear in Britain |url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/far-right-us-cult-qanon-finds-a-ready-ear-in-britain-n7kjr3xrv |access-date=November 11, 2020 |work=The Sunday Times |date=September 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200920112331/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/far-right-us-cult-qanon-finds-a-ready-ear-in-britain-n7kjr3xrv |archive-date=September 20, 2020}}</ref> These protests and hashtags have often avoided social media restrictions<ref>{{cite news |last1=Hern |first1=Alex |title=Facebook, QAnon and the world's slackening grip on reality |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/nov/11/how-2020-transformed-big-tech-the-story-of-facebook-qanon-and-the-worlds-slackening-grip-on-reality |access-date=November 11, 2020 |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |date=November 11, 2020 |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111060255/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/nov/11/how-2020-transformed-big-tech-the-story-of-facebook-qanon-and-the-worlds-slackening-grip-on-reality |url-status=live }}</ref> and tend to attract more women and a more politically diverse and younger crowd than typical QAnon groups, including people opposed to Trump and his leadership. These groups are considered to be linked to the [[Social:Pastel QAnon|Pastel QAnon]] community.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=127–132}}

QAnon's child abuse allegations against popular entertainers are based on the unproven claims of the actor Isaac Kappy, who in 2018 accused multiple Hollywood stars of pedophilia.<ref name="Tom Hanks"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Holmes |first=Helen |url=https://observer.com/2018/08/isaac-kappy-infowars-guest-qanon-supporter/ |title=Isaac Kappy, Who Appeared on 'Vanderpump Rules,' Is a Conspiracy Theory Shill |work=The New York Observer |date=August 6, 2018 |access-date=January 4, 2021 |archive-date=March 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220327154419/https://observer.com/2018/08/isaac-kappy-infowars-guest-qanon-supporter/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Sommer |first=Will |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanons-newest-hero-is-a-d-list-vanderpump-rules-star |title=QAnon's Newest Hero Is D-List 'Vanderpump Rules' Star Isaac Kappy |work=The Daily Beast |date=August 7, 2018 |access-date=February 23, 2022 |archive-date=March 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220329175240/https://www.thedailybeast.com/qanons-newest-hero-is-a-d-list-vanderpump-rules-star |url-status=live }}</ref>

Travis View wrote in a ''Washington Post'' column that QAnon and Pizzagate conspiracy theorists harm the credibility of the fight against child sexual abuse, as their baseless claims are a distraction from actual crimes. Followers of these theories have also credited themselves for arrests of criminals in which they had no part: QAnon promoter Jordan Sather credited Jeffrey Epstein's arrest to 4chan and 8chan, while none of the investigative reporting nor the indictment referenced these forums.<ref>{{cite news |last1=View |first1=Travis |title=How conspiracy theorists taint the justice they seek |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/07/10/how-conspiracy-theorists-taint-justice-they-seek/ |access-date=February 20, 2022 |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |date=July 10, 2019 |archive-date=November 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211116201648/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/07/10/how-conspiracy-theorists-taint-justice-they-seek/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Some of [[Unsolved:Epstein didn't kill himself|the conspiracy theories]] about [[Unsolved:Death of Jeffrey Epstein|Epstein's death]] have also brought people to QAnon.{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|pp=90–91}}

In May 2022, ''The New York Times'' reported that QAnon supporters were intercepting child migrants at the Mexico–United States border and collecting information about their families on the premise that they were falling prey to sex-trafficking schemes.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jordan |first=Miriam |date=May 9, 2022 |title=QAnon Joins Vigilantes at the Southern Border |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/us/border-qanon-arizona.html |access-date=May 10, 2022 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=May 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513175112/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/09/us/border-qanon-arizona.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Other QAnon beliefs ===
{{hatnote|See also: Syncretism (merging of belief systems as a general notion)}}

[[File:QAnon Dealey Plaza4.jpg|thumb|QAnon supporters awaiting the return of John F. Kennedy Jr. in Dealey Plaza, on November 22, 2021]]

QAnon Anonymous, a podcast dedicated to analyzing and debunking the QAnon movement, calls it a "[[Social:Big tent|big tent]] conspiracy theory" due to its ability to evolve and add new claims. QAnon has incorporated elements from many other preexisting conspiracy theories, such as those about [[Unsolved:John F. Kennedy assassination conspiracy theories|the Kennedy assassination]], [[Unsolved:UFO conspiracy theories|U.F.O.s]] and 9/11.<ref name="Bigtent"/> In 2018, Liz Crokin said that John F. Kennedy Jr. faked his death and that he is Q.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mantyla|first=Kyle|date=August 1, 2018|title=Liz Crokin: John F. Kennedy Jr. Faked His Death And Is Now QAnon|url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/liz-crokin-john-f-kennedy-jr-faked-his-death-and-is-now-qanon/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180801151538/https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/liz-crokin-john-f-kennedy-jr-faked-his-death-and-is-now-qanon|archive-date=August 1, 2018|access-date=April 17, 2020|website=Right Wing Watch}}</ref><ref name="vallejo2022">{{cite news |last1=Vallejo |first1=Justin |last2=Thomas |first2=Phil |title=Why some QAnon believers think JFK Jr is still alive – and about to be vice president |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/qanon-jfk-jr-alive-trump-b1995594.html |access-date=February 9, 2022 |work=The Independent |date=January 18, 2022 |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209121747/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/qanon-jfk-jr-alive-trump-b1995594.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Other followers adopted variations of the Kennedy conspiracy theory, asserting that a Pittsburgh Trump supporter named Vincent Fusca is Kennedy Jr. in disguise and would be Trump's 2020 running mate.<ref name="vallejo2022" /> In November 2021, hundreds gathered in Dealey Plaza in Dallas, the site of [[Social:Assassination of John F. Kennedy|President Kennedy's assassination]], believing they would witness the return of Kennedy Jr., or both Kennedys. Attendees expected the event would herald Trump's reinstatement as president, that Trump would step down to allow Kennedy Jr. to become president, and that Kennedy Jr. would then name Michael Flynn as his vice president.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/02/qanon-supporters-gather-in-downtown-dallas-expecting-jfk-jr-to-reappear/|title=QAnon supporters gather in downtown Dallas expecting JFK Jr. to reappear|date=November 2, 2021|website=Dallas News|access-date=November 2, 2021|archive-date=November 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103112527/https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/11/02/qanon-supporters-gather-in-downtown-dallas-expecting-jfk-jr-to-reappear/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dasgupta |first1=Sravasti |title=Qanon supporters gather at JFK assassination site in belief JFK Jr will return |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/qanon-supporters-jfk-jr-dallas-b1962575.html |access-date=February 9, 2022 |work=The Independent |date=November 23, 2021 |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209135427/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/qanon-supporters-jfk-jr-dallas-b1962575.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Reimann |first1=Nicholas |title=QAnon Supporters Pack Site Of JFK Assassination In Hopes JFK Jr. (And Maybe His Dad) Will Return |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/11/22/qanon-supporters-pack-site-of-jfk-assassination-in-hopes-jfk-jr-and-maybe-his-dad-will-return/ |access-date=February 9, 2022 |work=Forbes |date=November 22, 2021 |archive-date=December 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204130015/https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2021/11/22/qanon-supporters-pack-site-of-jfk-assassination-in-hopes-jfk-jr-and-maybe-his-dad-will-return/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to QAnon researcher Will Sommer, about 20% of QAnon followers believe the JFK Jr. theory, while the majority finds it too "farcical on its face".<ref name="vallejo2022" />

[[File:E-Clause logo.jpg|thumb|left|Logo of E-Clause, a sovereign citizen pseudolaw firm associated with QAnon<ref name="DailyBeastPPTaskForce"/><ref name="wsj">{{cite news|date=April 2, 2021|title=How a Custody Fight Plus QAnon Turned Deadly|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-online-conspiracies-turn-deadly-a-custody-battle-and-a-killing-11617376764|access-date=January 21, 2022|archive-date=January 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120205926/https://www.wsj.com/articles/when-online-conspiracies-turn-deadly-a-custody-battle-and-a-killing-11617376764|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

Due to the overlap between the two movements, some QAnon followers have joined the [[Social:Sovereign citizen movement|sovereign citizens]], a loose grouping of [[Social:Vexatious litigation|vexatious litigants]] and tax protesters whose set of [[Unsolved:Pseudolaw|pseudolegal]] beliefs implies that most laws and taxes are illegitimate and can be safely ignored if one uses the correct procedures.<ref name="SPLC2022">{{Citation|title=Sovereign Citizens Movement|url=https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/sovereign-citizens-movement|publisher=Southern Poverty Law Center|access-date=January 6, 2022|archive-date=January 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220107035319/https://www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/sovereign-citizens-movement|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 6, 2021 |title=How the far-right group 'Oath Enforcers' plans to harass political enemies |url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/06/far-right-group-oath-enforcers |access-date=April 6, 2021 |website=The Guardian |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204221208/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/06/far-right-group-oath-enforcers |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2022, the Anti-Defamation League reported that sovereign citizen ideology was attracting a growing number of QAnon adherents, as their belief in the [[History:Presidency of Joe Biden|Biden administration]]'s illegitimacy meshed well with sovereign citizens' broader [[Social:Anti-statism|anti-government]] views.<ref>{{cite web|date=January 19, 2022|title=Sovereign Citizen Ideology Increasingly Seeping into QAnon|publisher=Anti-Defamation League|url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/sovereign-citizen-ideology-increasingly-seeping-qanon|access-date=July 13, 2022|archive-date=July 13, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220713073446/https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/sovereign-citizen-ideology-increasingly-seeping-qanon|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, Q said that "vaccines [not all]" were part of the [[Unsolved:Big Pharma conspiracy theory|Big Pharma conspiracy theory]].{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=122–123}} But as anxiety and isolation linked to the COVID-19 pandemic fostered a [[Social:COVID-19 misinformation|rise of conspiracy theories]] and anti-vaccine discourse, many in the movement used the pandemic to promote QAnon.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=122–123}} Very little of this was directed by Q posts, and Q did not mention the pandemic until March 23, 2020 (when they called COVID-19 the "China virus"),{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|p=122}} not using the name "COVID-19" until April 8.<ref name="timeline" /> But influencers in the QAnon community were openly anti-mask<ref name="Vox" /> and anti-[[Medicine:COVID-19 vaccine|vaccine]],<ref name="bbc_misinfo">{{Cite news|date=January 30, 2020|title=China coronavirus: Misinformation spreads online about origin and scale|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-51271037|url-status=live|access-date=February 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200204163412/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-51271037|archive-date=February 4, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Elliott |first=Josh K. |date=September 13, 2021 |title=Anti-vax activist dies of COVID-19 amid QAnon demands for ivermectin |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8186493/veronica-wolski-anti-vax-qanon-ivermectin-covid-19/ |access-date=February 9, 2022 |website=Global News |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209205938/https://globalnews.ca/news/8186493/veronica-wolski-anti-vax-qanon-ivermectin-covid-19/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dowd |first1=Katie |title=Popular QAnon promoter dies of COVID in California |url=https://www.sfgate.com/coronavirus/article/Popular-QAnon-promoter-dies-of-COVID-in-California-16760824.php |access-date=February 10, 2022 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=January 9, 2022 |archive-date=February 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209130419/https://www.sfgate.com/coronavirus/article/Popular-QAnon-promoter-dies-of-COVID-in-California-16760824.php |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Andrew |last1=Russell |first2=Stewart |last2=Bell |title=Self-declared 'Queen of Canada' detained by RCMP after alleged threats to health-care workers |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8417379/queen-of-canada-covid-online-threats/ |access-date=February 3, 2022 |work=Global News |date=December 1, 2021 |location=Toronto ON |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214083642/https://globalnews.ca/news/8417379/queen-of-canada-covid-online-threats/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and helped spread [[Social:Denialism|denialism]]<ref name="LittleVillage" /> as well as other misinformation about the pandemic.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goodman |first1=Jack |title=Coronavirus: How a false rumour led to hate online |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/53061563 |access-date=February 10, 2022 |publisher=BBC News |date=June 18, 2020 |archive-date=February 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210217000326/https://www.bbc.com/news/53061563 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Spring |first1=Marianna |last2=Wendling |first2=Mike |title=How Covid-19 myths are merging with the QAnon conspiracy theory |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-53997203 |access-date=February 10, 2022 |publisher=BBC News |date=September 3, 2020 |archive-date=January 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220115202842/https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-53997203 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ross|first1=James|title='It's almost like grooming': how anti-vaxxers, conspiracy theorists, and the far-right came together over COVID|url=https://theconversation.com/its-almost-like-grooming-how-anti-vaxxers-conspiracy-theorists-and-the-far-right-came-together-over-covid-168383|access-date=February 10, 2022|work=The Conversation|date=September 21, 2021|archive-date=February 10, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210142534/http://theconversation.com/its-almost-like-grooming-how-anti-vaxxers-conspiracy-theorists-and-the-far-right-came-together-over-covid-168383|url-status=live}}</ref> QAnon conspiracy theorists touted drinking an industrial [[Chemistry:Bleach|bleach]] (known as MMS, or Miracle Mineral Solution) as a "miracle cure" for [[Medicine:COVID-19|COVID-19]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Putterman |first=Samantha |date=January 30, 2020 |title=No, drinking bleach will not ward off coronavirus |url=https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jan/30/tweets/no-drinking-bleach-will-not-ward-coronavirus/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=PolitiFact |archive-date=October 6, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006061353/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/jan/30/tweets/no-drinking-bleach-will-not-ward-coronavirus/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Porter |first=Tom |date=January 29, 2020 |title=QAnon conspiracy theorists are telling people to drink bleach as a cure against the deadly Wuhan coronavirus |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/china-coronavirus-wuhan-cure-qanon-mms-bleach-conspiracy-2020-1 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=Business Insider |archive-date=October 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012144042/https://www.businessinsider.com/china-coronavirus-wuhan-cure-qanon-mms-bleach-conspiracy-2020-1 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stieb |first=Matt |date=January 28, 2020 |title=QAnon Influencers Are Encouraging Followers to Drink Bleach to Avoid Coronavirus |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/01/qanon-supporters-are-drinking-bleach-to-fend-off-coronavirus.html |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=Intelligencer, New York |archive-date=October 10, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010223435/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/01/qanon-supporters-are-drinking-bleach-to-fend-off-coronavirus.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Q suggested that [[Chemistry:Hydroxychloroquine|hydroxychloroquine]], endorsed by Trump at the time, was a cure for the disease, and accused Democrats of forcing infected patients into nursing homes, deliberately causing most COVID-related deaths in the U.S.<ref name="timeline" /> Some QAnon followers have said that the pandemic is fake; others have claimed that the "deep state" created it.<ref name="prophecies" /> QAnon adherents also helped promote the conspiratorial video ''[[Unsolved:Plandemic|Plandemic]]''.<ref name="Vox" />

In March 2022, CNN, France 24, and Foreign Policy reported that QAnon promoters were echoing Russian disinformation that created conspiracy theories about United States-funded laboratories in Ukraine.<ref name="cnnosullivan">{{Cite web |last=O'Sullivan |first=Donie |title=Analysis: Russia and QAnon have the same false conspiracy theory about Ukraine |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/09/media/biolab-ukraine-russia-qanon-false-conspiracy-theory/index.html |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=CNN |date=March 10, 2022 |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313134502/https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/09/media/biolab-ukraine-russia-qanon-false-conspiracy-theory/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=March 12, 2022 |title=China and QAnon embrace Russian disinformation justifying war in Ukraine |url=https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220312-china-and-qanon-embrace-russian-disinformation-justifying-war-in-ukraine |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=France 24 |language=en |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313192414/https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220312-china-and-qanon-embrace-russian-disinformation-justifying-war-in-ukraine |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ling |first=Justin |title=False Claims of U.S. Biowarfare Labs in Ukraine Grip QAnon |url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/02/ukraine-biolabs-conspiracy-theory-qanon/ |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=Foreign Policy |date=March 2, 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313083753/https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/03/02/ukraine-biolabs-conspiracy-theory-qanon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Russian state media falsely claimed that "secret United States biolabs" were creating weapons, a claim refuted by the U.S., Ukraine, and the United Nations.<ref name=":2" /> In reality, the laboratories were first established to secure and dismantle the remnants of the Soviet biological weapons program, and since then have been used to monitor and prevent new epidemics. The laboratories are publicly listed, not secret, and owned and operated by host countries such as Ukraine, not the U.S.<ref name="cnnosullivan" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Ukraine, US Biolabs, and an Ongoing Russian Disinformation Campaign |url=https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/02/24/us-biolabs-ukraine-russia/ |access-date=March 14, 2022 |website=Snopes.com |date=February 24, 2022 |language=en-US |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313212956/https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/02/24/us-biolabs-ukraine-russia/ |url-status=live }}</ref> QAnon followers have claimed to justify the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an effort by Putin and Trump to destroy "military" laboratories in Ukraine.<ref name="cnnosullivan" /><ref name=":2" />

Until the invasion of Ukraine, QAnon-adjacent groups were hostile to China. In March 2022, analyst Elise Thomas wrote in a report for the Institute for Strategic Dialogue: "The dynamics of the invasion are shifting their views. In an astoundingly short space of time, [[Biography:Xi Jinping|Xi Jinping]] appears to have been recast from a villain to a hero in the QAnon conspiracy pantheon."<ref>{{cite web |first1=Isobel |last1=Cockerell |date=March 25, 2022 |title=British homegrown conspiracies get Beijing's stamp of approval |url=https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/beijing-british-conspiracies/ |website=Coda Media |access-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-date=June 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605000103/https://www.codastory.com/newsletters/beijing-british-conspiracies/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first1=Elise |last1=Thomas |publisher=Institute for Strategic Dialogue |date=March 23, 2022 |title=QAnon goes to China – via Russia |url=https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/qanon-goes-to-china-via-russia/ |access-date=June 19, 2022 |archive-date=June 3, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220603085807/https://www.isdglobal.org/digital_dispatches/qanon-goes-to-china-via-russia/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Supporters have also become invested in the [[Finance:NESARA|NESARA]] economic conspiracy theory. In 2022, ''Bellingcat'' reported that many QAnon-related [[Software:Telegram|Telegram]] channels were becoming increasingly devoted to NESARA content.<ref name="gesarabellingcat">{{cite news |title=As QAnon Falters, European Followers Flock to a Financial Conspiracy |url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2022/12/21/as-qanon-falters-european-followers-flock-to-a-financial-conspiracy/ |access-date=26 December 2022 |publisher=Bellingcat |date=21 December 2022 |archive-date=December 26, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221226111238/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2022/12/21/as-qanon-falters-european-followers-flock-to-a-financial-conspiracy/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some adherents expressed belief in the [[Unsolved:Reptilian conspiracy theory|reptilian conspiracy theory]], asserting that the Satanic cabal alleged to be in power consists of shapeshifting reptilian humanoids. According to multiple news reports, this led some to kill suspected "lizard people". A California father attempted to kill his children for fear that they had inherited "serpent DNA" from their mother, while a Seattle-based member of the far-right [[Organization:Proud Boys|Proud Boys]] who frequently alluded to and promoted QAnon-linked material on Facebook, sought to murder his brother on suspicion of reptilian ancestry.<ref name="SerpentDNA">Multiple sources:
*{{cite news |last1=Madani |first1=Doha |last2=Blankstein |first2=Andrew |last3=Collins |first3=Ben |title=California dad killed his kids over QAnon and 'serpent DNA' conspiracy theories, feds claim |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-dad-killed-his-kids-over-qanon-serpent-dna-conspiracy-n1276611 |access-date=December 25, 2021 |publisher=NBC News |date=August 12, 2021 |archive-date=December 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211215091852/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-dad-killed-his-kids-over-qanon-serpent-dna-conspiracy-n1276611 |url-status=live }}
*{{cite news|last=Parramore|first=Lynn Stuart|title=Like QAnon's Capitol rioters, the Nashville bomber's lizard people theory is deadly serious|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/qanon-s-capitol-rioters-nashville-bomber-s-lizard-people-theory-ncna1253819|accessdate=6 January 2022|publisher=NBC News|date=January 12, 2021|archive-date=January 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112095817/https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/qanon-s-capitol-rioters-nashville-bomber-s-lizard-people-theory-ncna1253819|url-status=live}}
**{{cite news|last=Sommer|first=Will|title=Qanon-Believing Proud Boy Accused of Murdering 'Lizard' Brother With Sword|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/proud-boy-member-accused-of-murdering-his-brother-with-a-sword-4|accessdate=6 January 2022|publisher=The Daily Beast|date=January 9, 2019|archive-date=January 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230106150710/https://www.thedailybeast.com/proud-boy-member-accused-of-murdering-his-brother-with-a-sword-4|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Analysis==
===Identity of Q===
The Q persona is claimed to be that of a well-connected individual with access to highly sensitive government information, who put themself at risk by disclosing the information online. Q used a calm, authoritative tone, rarely interacted with other posters, and never argued with those who disagreed with their claims. In 2021, ''Bellingcat'' analyzed several little-known posts published by Q during the days that followed the first "drops". While containing text identical to later messages unambiguously authored by Q, these also showed Q being "out of character" and behaving in a manner similar to 4chan's other anonymous posters. ''Bellingcat'''s theory is that the author of these messages{{efn|that author being the "Original Q" under the multiple individuals hypothesis}} had not yet perfected the Q persona and was still settling into the voice of their [[Online identity|online alter ego]], which implies that Q was originally one 4chan poster among many instead of a powerful government insider.<ref name="lostdrops">{{cite news|date=April 22, 2021|title=How Q's 'Lost Drops' Undermine the QAnon Myth|website=Bellingcat|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of-world/2021/04/22/how-qs-lost-drops-undermine-the-qanon-myth/|access-date=February 17, 2022|archive-date=December 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203032327/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of-world/2021/04/22/how-qs-lost-drops-undermine-the-qanon-myth/|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Multiple people====

By 2020, it became accepted among researchers that the pseudonymous entity known as Q has been controlled by multiple people in cooperation.{{r|LA}} A stylometric analysis has suggested that two people likely wrote Q's posts, and that their "distinct signatures clearly correspond to separate periods in time and different online forums".<ref name="vice">{{Cite web|last=Gilbert|first=David|title=QAnon's Mysterious Leader 'Q' Is Actually Multiple People|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgqj7x/qanons-mysterious-leader-q-is-actually-multiple-people|date=December 16, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020|archive-date=December 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203050254/https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgqj7x/qanons-mysterious-leader-q-is-actually-multiple-people|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="orphanalytics">{{Cite web|title=Style analysis by machine learning reveals that two authors likely shared the writing of QAnon's messages at two different periods in time.|url=https://www.orphanalytics.com/en/news/whitepaper202012|date=December 15, 2020|access-date=December 16, 2020|website=OrphAnalytics|archive-date=November 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211101183757/https://www.orphanalytics.com/en/news/whitepaper202012|url-status=live}}</ref> An analysis of [[Metadata|metadata]] of images posted by Q found that they were likely posted by someone in the [[Pacific Time Zone]].<ref>{{Cite web|first1=Abigail W.|last1=Xavier|first2=Robert|last2=Amour|author3=Q Origins Project|date=May 10, 2021|title=Where in the World is Q? Clues from Image Metadata|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of-world/2021/05/10/where-in-the-world-is-q-clues-from-image-metadata/|access-date=July 25, 2021|website=bellingcat|archive-date=July 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210725041845/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/rest-of-world/2021/05/10/where-in-the-world-is-q-clues-from-image-metadata/|url-status=live}}</ref><!--haven't found a source that goes into more explicit detail-->

<!--imageboards and continuity of identity-->By design, anonymous [[Social:Imageboard|imageboard]]s such as 4chan and 8chan obscure their posters' identities.<ref name="LA">{{Cite news |last=Stuart |first=Gwynedd |date=August 17, 2020 |title=Inside QAnon, the Conspiracy Cult that's Devouring America |url=https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/qanon-gop/ |access-date=September 20, 2020 |website=Los Angeles |archive-date=August 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821123418/https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/qanon-gop/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 16, 2020 |title=A parent's guide to the secret language of internet extremists |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incels-radicalization-glossary-parents-cbsn-orginals-extremists-next-door/ |access-date=September 20, 2020 |work=CBS News |archive-date=March 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/20200316155513/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/incels-radicalization-glossary-parents-cbsn-orginals-extremists-next-door/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Those who wish to prove a consistent identity between posts while remaining anonymous can use a [[Social:Imageboard#Tripcodes|tripcode]], which associates a post with a unique digital signature for any poster who knows the password.<ref name="prophecies" /><ref name="nytimes">{{cite web|last=Roose|first=Kevin|date=August 28, 2020|title=What Is QAnon, the Viral Pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory?|url=https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html|access-date=October 4, 2020|work=The New York Times|archive-date=September 22, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922192821/https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html|url-status=live}}</ref> There have been thousands of posts associated with a Q tripcode.<ref name="prophecies" /> The tripcode associated with Q has changed several times, creating uncertainty about the poster's continuous identity.<ref name="prophecies" /> Passwords on 8chan are also easy to [[Password cracking|crack]], and the Q tripcode has been repeatedly compromised and used by people pretending to be Q.<ref>{{Cite podcast |url=https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/llhe5nm |title=Country of Liars |website=Reply All |publisher=Gimlet Media |last=Vogt |first=PJ |date=September 18, 2020 |time=24:20 |access-date=October 4, 2020 |archive-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003121038/https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/llhe5nm |url-status=live }}</ref> When 8chan returned as 8kun in November 2019 after several months of downtime, the Q posting on 8kun posted photos of a pen and notebook that had been pictured in earlier 8chan posts to show the continuation of the Q identity, and continued to use Q's 8chan tripcode.<ref name="prophecies" />

====Paul Furber and the Watkins family====

[[File:Ronald Watkins.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Ron Watkins, administrator on the site 8chan]]
Before Q's 2021 reappearance, 8kun changed its [[Salt (cryptography)|salt]], meaning it would have been impossible for a user to have the same tripcode as before. Yet Q's tripcode remained the same as it was in 2020. Soon after, 8kun changed its salt back to the original. Jim Watkins also confirmed the new Q drops' authenticity within hours of their publication.<ref>{{cite web |title=After 18-Month Hiatus, New QAnon Posts Surface {{!}} ADL |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/after-18-month-hiatus-new-qanon-posts-surface |website=Anti-Defamation League |access-date=30 April 2023 |language=en |archive-date=June 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630145439/https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/after-18-month-hiatus-new-qanon-posts-surface |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Biography:Fredrick Brennan|Fredrick Brennan]], the original owner of 8chan, said in June 2020 that "Q either knows Jim or Ron Watkins or was hired by Jim or Ron Watkins".<ref name="prophecies" /><ref name="Stieb">{{cite news |last1=Stieb |first1=Matt |title=Who Is Ron Watkins, the QAnon Celebrity Running for Congress? |url=https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ron-watkins-qanon-congress.html |work=Intelligencer |date=October 28, 2021 |access-date=February 11, 2022 |archive-date=November 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211107031001/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ron-watkins-qanon-congress.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He later said that "If [Jim Watkins is] not 'Q' himself, he can find out who 'Q' is at any time. And he's pretty much the only person in the world that can have private contact with 'Q'."<ref name="ABC-Fancescani">{{Cite web |last=Fancescani |first=Chris |date=September 22, 2020 |title=The men behind QAnon |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/men-qanon/story?id=73046374 |access-date=September 22, 2020 |publisher=ABC News |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922204523/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/men-qanon/story?id=73046374 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In September 2020, Brennan speculated that the Q account was initially run by another person, with Jim and Ron Watkins taking over in late 2017<ref name="Stieb" /> or early 2018. Brennan's theory is that the original 'Q' poster was [[Place:Johannesburg|Johannesburg]] resident Paul Furber,<ref name="justrevealed">{{Cite web|last=Mak|first=Aaron|date=September 25, 2020|title=Was the Identity of Q Really Just Revealed? Here's Everything We Know.|url=https://slate.com/technology/2020/09/qanon-identity-revealed-explained.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102204807/https://slate.com/technology/2020/09/qanon-identity-revealed-explained.html|archive-date=November 2, 2020|access-date=November 9, 2020|website=Slate}}</ref> a 4chan and 8chan moderator and one of the first online commentators to promote QAnon.{{r|LA}}<ref name="NYT2-19-22"/> Evidence for this theory includes that Q's first password ("Matlock")<ref name="ReplyAll_Sep2020">{{cite news |last1=Vogt |first1=P.J. |last2=Goldman |first2=Alex |title=#166 Country of Liars |url=https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/llhe5nm |access-date=November 15, 2022 |work=Reply All |publisher=Gimlet Media |date=September 18, 2020 |language=en |archive-date=October 3, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003121038/https://gimletmedia.com/shows/reply-all/llhe5nm |url-status=live }}</ref> was cracked on New Year's Day 2018<ref name="Petersen2022Book">{{cite book |last1=Petersen |first1=Line Nybro |title=Mediatized fan play : moods, modes and dark play in networked communities |date=2022 |location=Abingdon, Oxon |isbn=9781351001823}}</ref> and, due to the nature of [[Social:Imageboard#Tripcodes|tripcodes]],<ref name="ReplyAll_Sep2020"/> Furber was asked to verify that the new Q (with a new password/tripcode)<ref name="Mak2020Slate">{{cite news |last1=Mak |first1=Aaron |title=Was the Identity of Q Really Just Revealed? Here's Everything We Know. |url=https://slate.com/technology/2020/09/qanon-identity-revealed-explained.html |access-date=November 15, 2022 |work=Slate Magazine |date=September 25, 2020 |language=en |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102204807/https://slate.com/technology/2020/09/qanon-identity-revealed-explained.html |url-status=live }}</ref> was the same IP address as the old Q. Furber described this as "a lot of work", but something he'd been "called to do".<ref name="ReplyAll_Sep2020"/> Brennan further suspects that Ron Watkins seized control of the account from Furber by using his [[Login|login]] privileges as 8chan's administrator.<ref name="Mak2020Slate"/> Furber has denied ever being Q.<ref name="justrevealed" /> Both Jim and Ron Watkins have said they do not know Q's identity and have denied being Q.<ref name="prophecies" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Farley |first=Donovan |date=May 17, 2020 |title=The True Threat |url=https://www.playboy.com/read/8chan-hate-speech |access-date=June 1, 2020 |website=Playboy |archive-date=June 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200619084437/https://www.playboy.com/read/8chan-hate-speech |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Stieb" />

The documentary filmmaker Cullen Hoback spent three years investigating the origins of QAnon and its connection to 8chan, conducting extensive interviews with Jim and Ron Watkins and Brennan. In the last episode of ''Q: Into the Storm'', the 2021 HBO docuseries he produced from this research, Hoback showed his final conversation with Ron Watkins, who stated on camera:
<blockquote>I've spent the past{{spaces}}... almost ten years, every day, doing this kind of research anonymously. Now I'm doing it publicly, that's the only difference.{{spaces}}... It was basically{{spaces}}... three years of intelligence training teaching {{Wikt-lang|en|normie|normies|i=-}} how to do intelligence work. It was basically what I was doing anonymously before but never as Q. [Watkins then laughed and added:] Never as Q. I promise. Because I am not Q, and I never was.<ref>{{cite interview|last=Hoback|first=Cullen|subject-link=Cullen Hoback|interviewer=Anderson Cooper|title=Filmmaker says he potentially uncovered man behind QAnon|type=Video|url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/media/2021/04/06/qanon-identity-hbo-filmmaker-ac360-vpx.cnn|access-date=April 19, 2021|publisher=CNN|date=April 6, 2021|archive-date=April 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419103014/https://edition.cnn.com/videos/media/2021/04/06/qanon-identity-hbo-filmmaker-ac360-vpx.cnn|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Gonzalez|first=Oscar|title=QAnon docuseries Q: Into the Storm has an answer on who is Q|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/qanon-docuseries-q-into-the-storm-has-an-answer-on-who-is-q/|date=April 5, 2021|access-date=April 5, 2021|website=CNET|archive-date=April 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405223758/https://www.cnet.com/news/qanon-docuseries-q-into-the-storm-has-an-answer-on-who-is-q/|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>
Hoback viewed this as an inadvertent admission by Watkins, and concluded from this interview and his other research that Watkins is Q.<ref name=":5">{{cite news|last1=Harwell|first1=Drew|last2=Timberg|first2=Craig|date=April 5, 2021|title=A QAnon revelation suggests the truth of Q's identity was right there all along|newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}}|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/05/ron-watkins-qanon-hbo/|access-date=April 6, 2021|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=April 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405233815/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/04/05/ron-watkins-qanon-hbo/|url-status=live}}</ref> Watkins again denied being Q shortly before the series premiered.<ref>{{Cite news|first=Ewan|last=Palmer|date=March 19, 2021|title=Ron Watkins denies he is QAnon leader ahead of "Into the Storm" HBO show|url=https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-ron-watkins-q-hbo-storm-1577318|access-date=April 5, 2021|website=Newsweek|archive-date=April 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210405100907/https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-ron-watkins-q-hbo-storm-1577318|url-status=live}}</ref>

On February 19, 2022, ''{{wipe|The New York Times}}'' reported that analysis of the Q posts by two independent [[Social:Forensic linguistics|forensic linguistics]] teams using [[Stylometry|stylometry]] techniques indicated that Paul Furber was the main author of the initial Q posts, and Ron Watkins took over in 2018. Furber said Q's writing style had influenced his own, not the other way around.<ref name="NYT2-19-22"/>

===Slogans and vocabulary===

[[File:Qanon SUV, Burbank, California, USA.jpg|alt=QAnon slogan "WWG1WGA" painted on an SUV|thumb|The popular QAnon slogan "WWG1WGA" ("Where we go one, we go all"), with a reference to ''The Matrix'', painted on an SUV]]
The spread of QAnon has been accompanied by a series of slogans, [[Social:Catchphrase|catchphrase]]s, buzzwords and [[Hashtag|hashtag]]s that helped boost its popularity and online presence. Terms like the "cabal" or the "Storm", and Q's recurring phrases like "Trust the plan" or "Enjoy the show" are among the most popular.<ref name="prophecies" /><ref name="glossary" /> Q's "drops" are also known as "crumbs" (Q has used the term)<ref name="breadcrumbs" /> or "breadcrumbs".<ref name="whatis"/> In turn, followers of the conspiracy who analyze these posts have called themselves "bakers" who assemble the "crumbs" to make "dough", or "bread", as they weave the clues into a better understanding of the narrative.<ref name="breadcrumbs" />

One early rallying cry among QAnon followers was "Follow the White Rabbit".<ref name="Steroids" /> A popular QAnon slogan is "Where we go one, we go all" (frequently abbreviated as "WWG1WGA"),{{efn|Derived from the 1996 film ''White Squall'' and sometimes misattributed to [[Biography:John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy]].<ref name="whatis" />}} first used by Q in April 2018.<ref name="timeline" /> The phrase "Do your own research" (or "Do the research") encourages people to look for "clues" that will confirm QAnon narratives. "Q sent me" has been a declaration of "allegiance" to Q.<ref name="glossary" />

Other common phrases in QAnon parlance include "white hat" (a Trump supporter), "black hat" (someone in league with the "deep state"),<ref name="whatis">{{cite news |date=September 29, 2020 |title=What is the QAnon conspiracy theory? |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-the-qanon-conspiracy-theory/ |first1=Will |last1=Rahn |first2=Dan |last2=Patterson |access-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002182647/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-the-qanon-conspiracy-theory/ |url-status=live }}</ref> "Great Awakening" (the point at which the public "wakes up" to the truth), "[[Philosophy:Red pill and blue pill|red pill]]"{{efn|A reference to ''The Matrix'', like the "Follow the White rabbit" slogan.}} ("taking the red pill" means achieving QAnon "awareness"), or "[[Biology:Herd behavior#Sheeple|sheeple]]" (a disparaging term for people who believe the mainstream media narrative and not QAnon).<ref name="language">{{cite news |date=January 13, 2021 |title=Q-Speak: The Language of QAnon |work=ASIS International |url=https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/online-exclusives/2021/q-speak-the-language-of-qanon/ |first1=Steven |last1=Crimando |access-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-date=February 16, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220216095313/https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/online-exclusives/2021/q-speak-the-language-of-qanon/ |url-status=live }}</ref> "17anon" has sometimes been used as an alternative spelling of QAnon (Q being the 17th letter of the alphabet) and a way of circumventing social media algorithms.<ref name="glossary" />

Use of the term "groomers" was adopted by Christopher Rufo in constructing the [[Social:LGBT grooming conspiracy theory|LGBT grooming conspiracy theory]], and started to influence mainstream Republican political positions and rhetoric.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/04/05/qanon-groomer-hawley-desantis-jackson/ |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |author=Donald Moynihan |date=April 7, 2022 |title=The QAnon catchphrases that took over the Jackson hearings |access-date=April 28, 2023 |archive-date=April 10, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230410145445/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/04/05/qanon-groomer-hawley-desantis-jackson/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Derivative elements===

As it incorporates elements from many other conspiracy theories, QAnon displays similarities with previous narratives, imagery and [[Philosophy:Moral panic|moral panic]]s, whether political or religious in nature. In ''Salon'', Matthew Rozsa wrote that QAnon may best be understood as an example of what historian [[Biography:Richard Hofstadter|Richard Hofstadter]] called "The Paranoid Style in American Politics", the title of his 1964 essay on [[Unsolved:Millenarianism|religious millenarianism]] and [[Unsolved:Apocalypticism|apocalypticism]].<ref name="Crossley" /><ref name=salon0819 />

QAnon's vocabulary echoes Christian tropes, such as the "Storm" (the [[Religion:Genesis flood narrative|Genesis flood narrative]] or [[Religion:Last Judgment|Judgment Day]]) and the "Great Awakening" (evoking the reputed historical religious Great Awakenings of the early 18th century to the late 20th century),<ref name="Crossley" /> leading it to be sometimes construed as an [[Religion:New religious movement|emerging religious movement]].<ref name="prophecies" /> QAnon followers, while seeing Trump as a flawed Christian, also view him as a [[Religion:Messiah|messiah]] sent by God.<ref name="Bracewell" /> According to one QAnon video, the battle between Trump and "the cabal" is of "biblical proportions", a "fight for earth, of good versus evil". Some QAnon supporters say the coming reckoning will be a "reverse [[Religion:Rapture|rapture]]": "a revelation that means not only the end of the world but a new beginning", according to American political author Alexander Reid Ross.<ref name=haaretz />

Like [[Social:Pizzagate conspiracy theory|Pizzagate]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lancaster |first1=Roger |title=What the Pizzagate conspiracy theory borrows from a bogus satanic sex panic of the 1980s |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/12/08/the-satanic-roots-of-pizzagate-how-a-30-year-old-sex-panic-explains-today/ |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=December 8, 2016 |access-date=February 16, 2022 |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220193351/https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/12/08/the-satanic-roots-of-pizzagate-how-a-30-year-old-sex-panic-explains-today/ |url-status=live }}</ref> QAnon has some resemblance to the [[Social:Satanic panic|Satanic panic]] of the 1980s, when hundreds of daycare workers were falsely accused of abusing children.<ref name="Lavin" />{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|p=61}}<ref>{{cite news |last1=Caldwell |first1=Noah |last2=Shapiro |first2=Ari |last3=Jarenwattananon |first3=Patrick |last4=Venkat |first4=Mia |title=America's Satanic Panic Returns — This Time Through QAnon |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/05/18/997559036/americas-satanic-panic-returns-this-time-through-qanon |access-date=February 9, 2022 |publisher=NPR |date=May 18, 2021 |archive-date=January 2, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220102224614/https://www.npr.org/2021/05/18/997559036/americas-satanic-panic-returns-this-time-through-qanon |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Jennings |first1=Rebecca |title=We're in the middle of another moral panic. What can we learn from the past? |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/9/25/21453036/save-the-children-qanon-human-trafficking-satantic-panic |access-date=February 10, 2022 |work=Vox |date=September 25, 2020 |archive-date=December 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220100823/https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2020/9/25/21453036/save-the-children-qanon-human-trafficking-satantic-panic |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Antisemitism====

According to the Anti-Defamation League, while "the vast majority of QAnon-inspired conspiracy theories have nothing to do with anti-Semitism", "an impressionistic review" of QAnon tweets about Israel, Jews, Zionists, the Rothschilds, and Soros "revealed some troubling examples".<ref name=":7">{{cite web |title=Quantifying Hate: A Year of Anti-Semitism on Twitter |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/reports/quantifying-hate-a-year-of-anti-semitism-on-twitter |access-date=September 9, 2018 |publisher=Anti-Defamation League |archive-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921191304/https://www.adl.org/resources/reports/quantifying-hate-a-year-of-anti-semitism-on-twitter |url-status=live }}</ref> Ethan Zuckerman and Mike McQuade have argued that QAnon "is more anti-elite than explicitly anti-Semitic".<ref name="Zuckerman" /> ''The Washington Post'' and ''The Forward'' magazine have called QAnon's targeting of Jewish figures like George Soros and [[Finance:Rothschild family|the Rothschilds]] "striking anti-Semitic elements" and "garden-variety nonsense with racist and anti-Semitic undertones".<ref name="WaPo20180801" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pink |first=Aiden |date=August 1, 2018 |title=Explained: What's Anti-Semitic About QAnon, The Trump Base's Latest Pet Theory? |url=https://forward.com/news/national/407121/explained-what-s-anti-semitic-about-qanon-the-trump-base-s-latest-pet-theory/ |access-date=September 21, 2018 |website=The Forward |archive-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921192728/https://forward.com/news/national/407121/explained-what-s-anti-semitic-about-qanon-the-trump-base-s-latest-pet-theory/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A Jewish Telegraphic Agency article in August 2018 asserted: "Some of QAnon's archetypical elements—including secret elites and kidnapped children, among others—are reflective of historical and ongoing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories."<ref name=":4">{{cite news |last=Dunst |first=Charles |date=August 3, 2018 |title=Is QAnon, the Latest pro-Trump Conspiracy Theory, anti-Semitic? |work=Haaretz |agency=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/is-qanon-the-latest-pro-trump-conspiracy-theory-anti-semitic-1.6340841 |access-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921225839/https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/is-qanon-the-latest-pro-trump-conspiracy-theory-anti-semitic-1.6340841 |url-status=live }}</ref>

QAnon's [[Chemistry:Adrenochrome|adrenochrome]]-harvesting claims have been linked to blood libel by the followers (who believe in the truthfulness of both){{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|pp=30–31|loc=Chapt. 1}} and people who have researched QAnon. Blood libel is a medieval antisemitic myth that says Jewish people murder Christian children and use their blood to make matzo for Passover.<ref name="Friedberg" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sales |first=Ben |date=September 20, 2020 |title=QAnon is an old form of anti-Semitism in a new package, say experts |work=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/qanon-is-an-old-form-of-anti-semitism-in-a-new-package-say-experts/ |access-date=September 13, 2022 |archive-date=September 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913185346/https://www.timesofisrael.com/qanon-is-an-old-form-of-anti-semitism-in-a-new-package-say-experts/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Evangelicals are looking for answers online. They're finding QAnon instead |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/26/1007611/how-qanon-is-targeting-evangelicals/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |date=August 26, 2020 |first=Abby |last=Ohlheiser |website=MIT Technology Review |archive-date=October 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018153602/https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/26/1007611/how-qanon-is-targeting-evangelicals/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Lavin">{{cite magazine |last1=Lavin |first1=Talia |title=QAnon, Blood Libel, and the Satanic Panic |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/159529/qanon-blood-libel-satanic-panic |access-date=February 10, 2022 |magazine=The New Republic |date=September 29, 2020 |archive-date=December 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211211160822/https://newrepublic.com/article/159529/qanon-blood-libel-satanic-panic |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 2022, social media users shared images of a sculpture of Simon of Trent, whose death was falsely blamed on the town's Jewish population, as evidence that elites harvest adrenochrome from children's blood.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Ella |date=February 3, 2022 |title=Fact check: Sculpture is evidence of antisemitic blood libel, not false QAnon conspiracy theory |work=[[Software:USA Today|USA Today]] |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/03/fact-check-qanons-adrenochrome-conspiracy-theory-baseless/9268681002/ |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408180954/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/03/fact-check-qanons-adrenochrome-conspiracy-theory-baseless/9268681002/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Ella |date=February 3, 2022 |title=Fact check: Sculpture is evidence of antisemitic 'blood libel,' not false QAnon theory |work=USA Today |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/03/fact-check-qanons-adrenochrome-conspiracy-theory-baseless/9268681002/ |access-date=February 6, 2022 |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408180954/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2022/02/03/fact-check-qanons-adrenochrome-conspiracy-theory-baseless/9268681002/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Genocide scholar Gregory Stanton has called QAnon a "Nazi cult rebranded", and a version of ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'', a fabricated antisemitic text published in 1903, deriving from antisemitic canards.<ref name="nazi cult">{{Cite web |first=Gregory |last=Stanton |access-date=April 19, 2021 |date=September 9, 2020 |title=QAnon is a Nazi Cult, Rebranded |url=https://www.justsecurity.org/72339/qanon-is-a-nazi-cult-rebranded/ |work=Just Security |archive-date=September 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917001901/https://www.justsecurity.org/72339/qanon-is-a-nazi-cult-rebranded/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Sales">{{Cite news |last=Sales |first=Ben |date=September 18, 2020 |title=QAnon is an old form of anti-Semitism in a new package, experts say |publisher=Jewish Telegraphic Agency |url=https://www.jta.org/2020/09/18/politics/qanon-is-an-old-form-of-anti-semitism-in-a-new-package-experts-say |access-date=September 19, 2020 |archive-date=September 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200922143849/https://www.jta.org/2020/09/18/politics/qanon-is-an-old-form-of-anti-semitism-in-a-new-package-experts-say |url-status=live }}</ref> Republican QAnon follower Mary Ann Mendoza was noted for her reference to the antisemitic text. She retweeted a Twitter thread about the [[Finance:Rothschild family|Rothschild family]], Satanic High Priestesses, and American presidents saying, "''The Protocols Of The Elders Of Zion'' is not a fabrication. And, it certainly is not anti-Semitic to point out this fact."<ref name="Vox-Mendoza-Zion">{{cite news |first=Ian |last=Millhiser |title=The RNC yanked a speaker who promoted an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory. Trump often highlights Mary Ann Mendoza as an advocate for harsh immigration policies. She has some other strange beliefs |date=August 25, 2020 |url=https://www.vox.com/2020/8/25/21401858/rnc-canceled-mary-ann-mendoza-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theory-protocols-elders-zion |work=Vox |access-date=August 26, 2020 |archive-date=August 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200830171829/https://www.vox.com/2020/8/25/21401858/rnc-canceled-mary-ann-mendoza-anti-semitic-conspiracy-theory-protocols-elders-zion |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|Mendoza sits on the advisory board of Women for Trump and was scheduled to speak at the 2020 Republican convention until news of her Twitter activity came out;<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mary Ann Mendoza pulled from RNC lineup after retweeting anti-Semitic QAnon conspiracy |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mary-ann-mendoza-pulled-rnc-lineup-retweeting-anti/story?id=72607904 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |first1=Meredith |last1=Deliso |first2=Will |last2=Steakin |date=August 26, 2020 |work=ABC News |archive-date=September 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917094926/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/mary-ann-mendoza-pulled-rnc-lineup-retweeting-anti/story?id=72607904 |url-status=live }}</ref> she later denied knowing the content of the thread.<ref name="Politico-Mendoza-Zion">{{cite news |last=Matthew Choi |title=Republican convention speaker out of lineup after retweeting anti-Semitic rant. Mary Ann Mendoza shared a thread that includes nearly every anti-Semitic trope of the last century. |date=August 25, 2020 |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/25/rnc-speaker-retweets-anti-semitic-rant-401851 |work=Politico |access-date=August 26, 2020 |archive-date=August 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200826131803/https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/25/rnc-speaker-retweets-anti-semitic-rant-401851 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} An April 2021 Morning Consult poll found that 49% of Americans who believe in QAnon agree with the ''Protocols'', and that 78% of Americans who agree with the ''Protocols'' also believe in QAnon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://morningconsult.com/2021/06/28/qanon-antisemitism-right-wing-authoritarianism-polling/|title=Not Every QAnon Believer's an Antisemite. But There's a Lot of Overlap Between Its Adherents and Belief in a Century-Old Antisemitic Hoax <!-- Do not draw your own conclusion that the overlap means QAnon is a hoax. This is improper WP:SYN -->|date=June 28, 2021|access-date=November 11, 2021|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111062326/https://morningconsult.com/2021/06/28/qanon-antisemitism-right-wing-authoritarianism-polling/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2021, the Anti-Defamation League reported that [[Social:Neo-Nazism|neo-Nazis]] were exploiting the absence of leadership among QAnon adherents on [[Software:Telegram|Telegram]] to promote antisemitic conspiracy theories.<ref name="ADL report">{{cite journal|last1=Patterson|first1=Dan|title=QAnon power vacuum on Telegram is being exploited by antisemitic extremists, ADL says|journal=CBS News|date=September 24, 2021|access-date=June 9, 2022|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/qanon-conspiracy-power-vacuum-telegram-ghostezra-adl/|archive-date=June 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609124730/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/qanon-conspiracy-power-vacuum-telegram-ghostezra-adl/|url-status=live}}</ref> QAnon conspiracy theorists have promoted ''Europa: The Last Battle'', a neo-Nazi propaganda film which promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories, including [[Unsolved:Holocaust denial|Holocaust denial]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=18 October 2021 |title=QAnon Is Becoming Even More Antisemitic |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/jg8y73/qanon-is-becoming-even-more-antisemitic |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Vice |language=en |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326115941/https://www.vice.com/en/article/jg8y73/qanon-is-becoming-even-more-antisemitic |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=5 November 2021 |title=Meet the Antisemitic QAnon Leader Who Led Followers to Dallas to Meet JFK |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5qpe7/qanon-dallas-jfk-michael-brian-protzman-negative48 |access-date=2023-03-27 |website=Vice |language=en |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327011411/https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5qpe7/qanon-dallas-jfk-michael-brian-protzman-negative48 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=W. F. |date=February 11, 2022 |title=Telegram: The Social Network Where Conspiracies Meet |url=https://www.logically.ai/articles/telegram-where-conspiracies-meet |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326115940/https://www.logically.ai/articles/telegram-where-conspiracies-meet |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |access-date=2023-03-26 |website=Logically |language=en |quote=Simiarly, in the group for Disclose.tv, a sketchy news aggregator site that began as a paranormal and conspiracy theory forum, users shared links to other channels filled with neo-Nazi propaganda.}}</ref> They have also promoted content from Disclose.tv,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marland |first=Tori |last2=Piper |first2=Ernie |last3=Backovic |first3=Nick |date=June 28, 2022 |title=QAnon Crypto Trading Scheme Lost Investors Millions |url=https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/analysis/qanon-crypto-trading-scheme-lost-investors-millions |access-date=2024-01-26 |website=Logically |language=en |archive-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128022451/https://www.logicallyfacts.com/en/analysis/qanon-crypto-trading-scheme-lost-investors-millions |url-status=live }}</ref> a German disinformation outlet with a following that includes Holocaust deniers and neo-Nazis.<ref name=":03">{{Cite web |last1=Thomas |first1=W. F. |date=12 January 2022 |title=Disclose.tv: Conspiracy Forum Turned Disinformation Factory |url=https://www.logically.ai/articles/disclose.tv-conspiracy-forum-turned-disinformation-factory |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112153617/https://www.logically.ai/articles/disclose.tv-conspiracy-forum-turned-disinformation-factory |archive-date=12 January 2022 |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=Logically |language=en |quote=On the Discord and Telegram group message for Disclose.tv, anti-vax conspiracies, antisemitism, racism, and transphobia are easy to find. On these platforms, messages run the gamut from moderate political beliefs and chatting about aliens to outright Holocaust denial and Nazism.}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Schumacher |first=Elizabeth |date=February 8, 2022 |title=Disclose.TV: English disinformation made in Germany |url=https://www.dw.com/en/disclosetv-english-disinformation-made-in-germany/a-60694332 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026033034/https://www.dw.com/en/disclosetv-english-disinformation-made-in-germany/a-60694332 |archive-date=26 October 2022 |access-date=2022-10-26 |website=Deutsche Welle |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":9" />

===Appeal===

Experts have classified QAnon's appeal as comparable to those of religious cults.<ref name="cult" /> According to an expert in online conspiracy, Renee DiResta, QAnon's pattern of enticement is similar to that of cults in the pre-Internet era where, as the targeted person was led deeper and deeper into the group's secrets, they become increasingly isolated from friends and family outside the cult.<ref name="wired2" /> Online support groups developed for those whose loved ones were drawn into QAnon, notably the subreddit r/QAnonCasualties, which grew from 3,500 participants in June 2020 to 28,000 by October.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/09/14/qanon-families-support-group/ |title=QAnon is tearing families apart |last=Andrews |first=Travis |date=October 12, 2020 |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |access-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211233337/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/09/14/qanon-families-support-group/ |archive-date=December 11, 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref> QAnon virtual communities have little "real world" connection with each other, but online they can number in the tens of thousands.<ref name="wired2" /> Rachel Bernstein, an expert on cults who specializes in recovery therapy, said, "What a movement such as QAnon has going for it, and why it will catch on like wildfire, is that it makes people feel connected to something important that other people don't yet know about.{{spaces}}... All cults will provide this feeling of being special." There is no self-correction process within the group, since the self-reinforcing true followers are immune to correction, fact-checking, or counter-speech, which is drowned out by the cult's [[Groupthink|groupthink]].<ref name="wired2">{{Cite magazine |last=Diresta |first=Renee |date=November 13, 2018 |title=Online Conspiracy Groups Are a Lot Like Cults |url=https://www.wired.com/story/online-conspiracy-groups-qanon-cults/ |access-date=April 17, 2020 |magazine=Wired |archive-date=April 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200420022642/https://www.wired.com/story/online-conspiracy-groups-qanon-cults/ |url-status=live }}</ref> QAnon's cultish quality has led to its characterization as a possible [[Religion:New religious movement|emerging religious movement]].<ref name="prophecies" /><ref name="atlrel">{{Cite web|last=Nyce|first=Caroline Mimbs|date=May 14, 2020|title=The Atlantic Daily: QAnon Is a New American Religion|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2020/05/qanon-q-pro-trump-conspiracy/611722/|access-date=May 18, 2020|website=The Atlantic|archive-date=May 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521164457/https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2020/05/qanon-q-pro-trump-conspiracy/611722/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="church">{{Cite web|last=Argentino|first=Marc-André|date=May 18, 2020|title=The Church of QAnon: Will conspiracy theories form the basis of a new religious movement?|url=https://theconversation.com/the-church-of-qanon-will-conspiracy-theories-form-the-basis-of-a-new-religious-movement-137859|access-date=May 18, 2020|website=The Conversation|archive-date=August 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821152725/https://theconversation.com/the-church-of-qanon-will-conspiracy-theories-form-the-basis-of-a-new-religious-movement-137859|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Morgan |title=Why Someone You Love Might Join QAnon |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/quick-to-listen/qanon-evangelicals-global-conspiracy-theory.html |work=Christianity Today |date=September 9, 2020 |access-date=July 13, 2021 |archive-date=July 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210712022751/https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/podcasts/quick-to-listen/qanon-evangelicals-global-conspiracy-theory.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Walker |first1=Jesse |title=Cult Country |url=https://reason.com/2021/05/16/cult-country/ |work=Reason |date=May 16, 2021 |access-date=July 13, 2021 |archive-date=July 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210709183817/https://reason.com/2021/05/16/cult-country/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It has also been called a syncretic movement.<ref>{{cite news |title=All Hail Q! The forging of a right-wing religion and its extreme threat to security |url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/countering-radical-right/all-hail-q-forging-right-wing-religion-and-its-extreme-threat-security/ |work=openDemocracy |date=March 11, 2021 |access-date=July 13, 2021 |archive-date=July 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713233450/https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/countering-radical-right/all-hail-q-forging-right-wing-religion-and-its-extreme-threat-security/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Jake Angeli (Qanon Shamon), seen holding a Qanon sign (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Jake Angeli, a prominent proponent of QAnon and stormer at the U.S. Capitol attack,{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|p=40|loc=Chapt. 2}} carrying a "Q Sent Me" placard]]
Travis View, a researcher who studies QAnon, says that it is as addictive as a video game, and offers the "player" the possibility of being involved in something of world-historical importance. According to View, "You can sit at your computer and search for information and then post about what you find, and Q basically promises that through this process, you are going to radically change the country, institute this incredible, almost bloodless revolution, and then be part of this historical movement that will be written about for generations." View compares this to mundane political involvement in which one's efforts might help to get a state legislator elected. QAnon, says View, competes not in the marketplace of ideas, but in the marketplace of realities.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Alyssa |date=April 17, 2020 |title=I understand the temptation to dismiss QAnon. Here's why we can't |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/07/qanon-isnt-just-conspiracy-theory-its-highly-effective-game/ |access-date=April 17, 2020 |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418111822/https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/08/07/qanon-isnt-just-conspiracy-theory-its-highly-effective-game/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The belief in "The Plan" that Q alleged was in place to defeat the deep state and the cabal boosted the confidence of QAnon followers, who were told that things were happening behind the scenes and that victory would inevitably follow if they trusted Trump and the secret plan.<ref name="glossary" /> QAnon believers try to solve riddles presented in Q's posts by connecting them to Trump speeches and tweets and other sources.<ref name="zadrozny" /> ''The New Yorker'' has likened QAnon to "a form of interactive role-playing".<ref name="Flashing">{{Cite magazine|last=Alt|first=Matt|title=The Flashing Warning of QAnon|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-flashing-warning-of-qanon|magazine=The New Yorker|date=September 26, 2020|access-date=February 11, 2022|archive-date=January 23, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220123051343/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-flashing-warning-of-qanon|url-status=live}}</ref> Some followers used a "Q clock" consisting of a wheel of concentric dials to decode clues based on the timing of Q's posts and Trump's tweets.<ref name="prophecies" />

American sociologist Mark Juergensmeyer says he "find[s] QAnon consistent with many other extremist religiopolitical movements ... including those that have arisen in response to the recent global crises of mass migration, economic globalization, and now a global pandemic".{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|p=179}} Survey data showed in late 2020 that a quarter of those who knew about QAnon thought there was some truth to it. In a conspiracy theory environment, primary institutions of society that once served as trusted impartial authorities are easily rejected if they contradict the theory, making it difficult to counter the thinking of QAnon followers.<ref name="vox201118">{{cite web|last1=Romano|first1=Aja|date=November 18, 2020|title=Conspiracy theories, explained|url=https://www.vox.com/21558524/conspiracy-theories-2020-qanon-covid-conspiracies-why|access-date=January 18, 2021|website=Vox|archive-date=January 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130045935/https://www.vox.com/21558524/conspiracy-theories-2020-qanon-covid-conspiracies-why|url-status=live}}</ref>

====Disillusionment====
Travis View says:

<blockquote>People in the QAnon community often talk about alienation from family and friends.{{spaces}}... Though they typically talk about how Q frayed their relationships on private Facebook groups. But they think these issues are temporary and primarily the fault of others. They often comfort themselves by imagining that there will be a moment of vindication sometime in the near future which will prove their beliefs right. They imagine that after this happens, not only will their relationships be restored, but people will turn to them as leaders who understand what's going on better than the rest of us.<ref name="beast">{{Cite news |last=Weill |first=Kelly |date=December 23, 2018 |title=Christmas Is the Loneliest Time for Qanon Fans |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/christmas-is-the-loneliest-time-for-qanon-fans |access-date=April 17, 2020 |website=The Daily Beast |archive-date=June 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200602235733/https://www.thedailybeast.com/christmas-is-the-loneliest-time-for-qanon-fans |url-status=live }}</ref></blockquote>

Disillusionment can also come from the failure of the theories' predictions. Q predicted Republican success in the 2018 US midterm elections and claimed that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was involved in secret work for Trump and that despite outward tension, the two were allies. When Democrats made significant gains and Trump fired Sessions, many in the Q community were disillusioned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rothschild |first=Mike |date=November 9, 2018 |title=Jeff Sessions, the 2018 midterms, and the continued grift of QAnon |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/qanon-jeff-sessions-2018-midterms/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=[[Company:The Daily Dot|The Daily Dot]] |archive-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419103014/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/qanon-jeff-sessions-2018-midterms/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Further disillusionment came when a predicted December{{spaces}}5 mass arrest and imprisonment in Guantanamo Bay detention camp of Trump's enemies did not occur, nor did the dismissal of charges against Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn. For some, these failures began a separation from QAnon, while others urged direct action in the form of an insurrection. Psychologist Robert Lifton said such a response to a failed prophecy is not unusual: apocalyptic cults such as [[Philosophy:Heaven's Gate (religious group)|Heaven's Gate]], the People's Temple, the [[Organization:Manson Family|Manson Family]], and [[Unsolved:Aum Shinrikyo|Aum Shinrikyo]] resorted to mass suicide or mass murder when their expectations did not materialize. Lifton called this "forcing the end".<ref name=beast /> View echoed the concern that disillusioned QAnon followers might take matters into their own hands<ref name=haaretz /> as Pizzagate follower [[Social:Pizzagate conspiracy theory#Criminal responses|Edgar Maddison Welch]] did in 2016, Matthew Phillip Wright did at [[Engineering:Hoover Dam|Hoover Dam]] in 2018, and Anthony Comello did in 2019, when he murdered Mafia boss Frank Cali, believing he was under Trump's protection.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Allyn |first1=Bobby |title=Lawyer: Shooter Wasn't Trying To Kill A Mob Boss. He Was Under 'QAnon' Delusion |url=https://www.npr.org/2019/07/22/744244166/shooters-lawyer-he-wasn-t-trying-to-kill-a-mob-boss-he-was-under-qanon-delusion?t=1644826445108 |access-date=February 14, 2022 |publisher=NPR |date=July 22, 2019 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214081511/https://www.npr.org/2019/07/22/744244166/shooters-lawyer-he-wasn-t-trying-to-kill-a-mob-boss-he-was-under-qanon-delusion?t=1644826445108 |url-status=live }}</ref> In February 2019, Liz Crokin said that she was losing patience waiting for Trump to arrest the supposed members of the child sex ring, and warned that people might conduct "vigilante justice".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mantyla |first=Kyle |date=February 4, 2019 |title=Liz Crokin Warns of 'Vigilante Justice' if QAnon's Promised Mass Arrests Don't Happen Soon |url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/liz-crokin-warns-of-vigilante-justice-if-qanons-promised-mass-arrests-dont-happen-soon/ |access-date=April 17, 2020 |website=Right Wing Watch |archive-date=April 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424095902/https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/liz-crokin-warns-of-vigilante-justice-if-qanons-promised-mass-arrests-dont-happen-soon/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Bidenoath.png|thumb|Joe Biden taking the oath of office at his inauguration. This went against the expectations of QAnon followers, leading to disillusionment of many.]]
The inauguration of Joe Biden as president was a disappointment for QAnon followers, who were convinced that Biden had won the election through voter fraud and his victory would be invalidated. Many QAnon adherents believed that something momentous would happen during the ceremony, and Trump would remain in power. The inauguration ultimately went on as planned.<ref name="gotplayed">{{cite news |last1=Jack |first1=Brewster |title='We All Got Played': QAnon Followers Implode After Big Moment Never Comes |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/01/20/we-all-got-played-qanon-followers-implode-after-big-moment-never-comes/?sh=202ef8853a06 |access-date=February 15, 2022 |newspaper=Forbes |date=January 20, 2021 |archive-date=February 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218211135/https://buy.tinypass.com/checkout/template/cacheableShow?aid=Yj2fRrCPpu&templateId=OTSKWFAWOVON&templateVariantId=OTVK2CXQ89FJ0&offerId=fakeOfferId&experienceId=EXZJ3PTI7927&iframeId=offer_8e988c38f3fb50e6f6b1-0&displayMode=inline&pianoIdUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fauth.forbes.com%2Fid%2F&widget=template&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com |url-status=live }}</ref> According to a book on the psychology of QAnon followers, ''Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon'', "The inauguration was a particularly difficult prophecy to get wrong, and the result has been that some QAnon believers experienced deep melancholy, [[Medicine:Suicidal ideation|suicidal ideation]], or engaged in [[Medicine:Self-harm|self-harm]]".{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|p=34|loc=Chapt. 1}} On inauguration day, Ron Watkins wrote in a message board post: "We gave it our all, now we need to keep our chins up and go back to our lives as best we are able. We have a new president sworn in and it is our responsibility to respect the Constitution."<ref name="Amore">{{Cite web|last=Amore|first=Samson|date=January 20, 2021|title=QAnon in Meltdown After Biden Inauguration: 'We Need to Go Back to Our Lives'|url=https://www.thewrap.com/qanon-in-meltdown-after-biden-inauguration-we-need-to-get-to-go-back-to-our-lives/|access-date=January 23, 2021|website=TheWrap|archive-date=January 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210120194755/https://www.thewrap.com/qanon-in-meltdown-after-biden-inauguration-we-need-to-get-to-go-back-to-our-lives/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="WaPo Biden inauguration">{{cite news |last1=Harwell |first1=Drew |title=QAnon believers grapple with doubt, spin new theories as Trump era ends |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/20/qanon-trump-era-ends/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 20, 2021 |archive-date=February 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210211210328/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/20/qanon-trump-era-ends/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other QAnon followers believed Biden's inauguration was "part of the plan".<ref name="WaPo Biden inauguration" />{{efn|Some thought that Biden's inauguration was pre-recorded, with Trump being sworn in as President in a secret ceremony away from the cameras.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Link |first1=Devon |title=Fact check: No basis for claims that President Joe Biden's inauguration was faked |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/01/28/fact-check-president-joe-biden-inauguration-real-well-documented/4268923001/ |access-date=February 17, 2022 |work=USA Today |date=January 28, 2021 |archive-date=February 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201234840/https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2021/01/28/fact-check-president-joe-biden-inauguration-real-well-documented/4268923001/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Others thought that the inauguration was illegitimate because Biden was sworn in on a leather-bound bible (which Q supporters incorrectly say meant he didn't actually swear on the Bible),{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|p=114|loc=Chapt. 4}} or that the Bible he was sworn in on was related to the Freemasons or the [[Unsolved:Illuminati|Illuminati]] in preparation for a [[Unsolved:New World Order (conspiracy theory)|New World Order]] (it was actually a [[Religion:Catholic Bible|Catholic Bible]]).<ref>{{cite news |title=Fact check: Biden family Bible used during his oath is historically Roman Catholic, not connected to Illuminati or Freemasons as posts claim |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-fact-check-biden-bible-illuminati-fre-idUSKBN29W2M9 |access-date=February 17, 2022 |publisher={{wipe|Reuters}} |date=January 27, 2021 |archive-date=February 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217122135/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-fact-check-biden-bible-illuminati-fre-idUSKBN29W2M9 |url-status=live }}</ref> Others thought the inauguration was legitimate, a part of a ruse by Trump to entrap Biden and the deep state.{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|p=114|loc=Chapt. 4}} Some posited that Trump would actually rule as "shadow President" during Biden's term, and others that Biden had been part of QAnon all along and would be the one bringing down the cabal.<ref name="Insider">{{cite news |last1=Orecchio-Egresitz |first1=Haven|title=Stages of defeat: Die-hard Trump supporters range from being deflated over Biden's inauguration to believing their twice-impeached leader will be running the government as a shadow president for the next 4 years|url=https://www.insider.com/trump-supporters-think-hes-going-to-rule-as-shadow-president-2021-1 |access-date=February 15, 2022 |website=Insider|date=January 20, 2021}}</ref> Many focused on the idea that there were 17 flags on the dais that Trump gave his farewell address on, and the fact that Q is the 17th letter of the alphabet.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Carrie Wong |first1=Julia |title=QAnon's 'Great Awakening' failed to materialize. What's next could be worse |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/qanon-biden-inauguration-trump-antisemitism-white-nationalism |access-date=February 17, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=January 21, 2021 |archive-date=January 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121000806/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/qanon-biden-inauguration-trump-antisemitism-white-nationalism |url-status=live }}</ref>}} Conservatives such as [[Biography:Steve Bannon|Steve Bannon]] and Bill Still denounced QAnon, calling it a psyop created by U.S. intelligence or the FBI.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goforth|first=Claire|date=January 28, 2021|title=Here's why prominent conservatives now are calling QAnon a 'psyop'|work=The Daily Dot|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/conservatives-claim-qanon-psyop/|access-date=March 26, 2021|archive-date=March 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210309055007/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/conservatives-claim-qanon-psyop/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Horowitz|first=Justin|date=January 26, 2021|title=After embracing QAnon, Steve Bannon now presents the conspiracy theory as an "FBI psyop"|work=Media Matters for America|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon/after-embracing-qanon-steve-bannon-now-presents-conspiracy-theory-fbi-psyop|access-date=March 26, 2021|archive-date=February 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210210200926/https://www.mediamatters.org/steve-bannon/after-embracing-qanon-steve-bannon-now-presents-conspiracy-theory-fbi-psyop|url-status=live}}</ref> In a leaked conversation, Michael Flynn, once among the highest-profile QAnon supporters, called it a "disinformation campaign to make people look like a bunch of kooks", suggesting that it might have been conducted by "the Left" or the CIA.<ref name="flynnsnopes">{{cite news |last1=MacGuill |first1=Dan |title='Total Nonsense': QAnon Hero Mike Flynn Appears To Privately Disavow Movement in Leaked Call |url=https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/12/02/michael-flynn-lin-wood-qanon/ |access-date=February 4, 2022 |work=[[Philosophy:Snopes|Snopes]] |date=December 2, 2021 |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204185511/https://www.snopes.com/news/2021/12/02/michael-flynn-lin-wood-qanon/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

After Biden's inauguration, analysts expressed concern that the disillusionment could lead hardline QAnon adherents to be recruited by groups such as the [[Religion:Alt-right|alt-right]], white nationalists or neo-Nazis.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/qanon-biden-inauguration-trump-antisemitism-white-nationalism|title=QAnon's 'Great Awakening' failed to materialize. What's next could be worse|work={{wipe|The Guardian}}|last=Wong|first=Julia Carrie|date=January 21, 2020|access-date=January 21, 2020|archive-date=January 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210121000806/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/20/qanon-biden-inauguration-trump-antisemitism-white-nationalism|url-status=live}}</ref>

A group of [[Software:Telegram|Telegram]] channels called the Sabmyk Network has been promoting a variation of QAnon by targeting followers of the conspiracy theory who have been disillusioned by Q's failures in prediction.<ref name="SabmykIndy">{{cite news |title=Founder of bizarre new religion targeting QAnon believers 'unmasked' |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sabmyk-network-qanon-conspiracy-theories-b1820639.html |work=The Independent |date=March 23, 2021 |access-date=June 10, 2021 |archive-date=June 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609002423/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/sabmyk-network-qanon-conspiracy-theories-b1820639.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Set up by German artist Sebastian Bieniek, the network (described as a [[Religion:New religious movement|new religion]] or cult) shares QAnon beliefs<ref name="SabmykGuard">{{cite news |title=Unmasked: man behind cult set to replace QAnon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/20/revealed-man-behind-fast-growing-cult-becoming-the-new-qanon-sabmyk-network |work=The Guardian |date=March 20, 2021 |access-date=June 10, 2021 |archive-date=June 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210617150833/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/20/revealed-man-behind-fast-growing-cult-becoming-the-new-qanon-sabmyk-network |url-status=live }}</ref> but also believes in a leader-prophet, Sabmyk, who will lead humanity's "awakening".<ref name="SabmykIndy" /> The network has tried to link Trump to Sabmyk.<ref name="SabmykGuard" />

===Demographics===

[[File:QAnon vendor (48555556067).jpg|thumb|Man wearing a "We Are Q" shirt at a Trump rally in New Hampshire]]
According to an August 2018 [[Company:Qualtrics|Qualtrics]] poll for ''The Washington Post'', 58% of Floridians were familiar enough with QAnon to have an opinion about it. Of those who had an opinion, most were unfavorable. The average score on the [[Social:Feeling thermometer|feeling thermometer]] was just above 20, a very negative rating, and about half of what other political figures enjoy.<ref name="WaPo-DarkestCorners" /><ref name="washingtonpost">{{Cite news |last1=Uscinski |first1=Joseph |last2=Klofstad |first2=Casey |date=August 30, 2018 |title=New poll: the QAnon conspiracy movement is very unpopular |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/08/30/the-qanon-conspiracy-movement-is-very-unpopular-our-new-poll-finds/ |access-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-date=September 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180918231153/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/08/30/the-qanon-conspiracy-movement-is-very-unpopular-our-new-poll-finds/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Positive feelings toward QAnon were strongly correlated with susceptibility to conspiracy thinking.<ref name="washingtonpost" />

According to a March 2020 Pew survey, 76% of Americans had never heard of QAnon, 20% had heard "a little about it", and 3% said they had heard "a lot".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cillizza |first=Chris |date=April 1, 2020 |title=76% of Americans have never heard of QAnon |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/politics/qanon-pew-poll/index.html |access-date=April 19, 2021 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=April 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200425092431/https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/01/politics/qanon-pew-poll/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 30, 2020 |title=QAnon's conspiracy theories have seeped into U.S. politics, but most don't know what it is |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/30/qanons-conspiracy-theories-have-seeped-into-u-s-politics-but-most-dont-know-what-it-is/ |access-date=May 9, 2020 |publisher=Pew Research Center |archive-date=May 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200508132700/https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/03/30/qanons-conspiracy-theories-have-seeped-into-u-s-politics-but-most-dont-know-what-it-is/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In September 2020, a Pew survey of the 47% of respondents who said they had heard of QAnon found that 41% of Republicans and those who lean Republican believed QAnon was good for the country, compared to 7% of Democrats and those who lean Democratic.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Mitchell |first1=Amy |last2=Jurkowitz |first2=Mark |last3=Oliphant |first3=J. Baxter |last4=Shearer |first4=Elisa |date=September 16, 2020 |title=Political Divides, Conspiracy Theories and Divergent News Sources Heading Into 2020 Election |url=https://www.journalism.org/2020/09/16/political-divides-conspiracy-theories-and-divergent-news-sources-heading-into-2020-election/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |archive-date=September 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924021016/https://www.journalism.org/2020/09/16/political-divides-conspiracy-theories-and-divergent-news-sources-heading-into-2020-election/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

An October 2020 Yahoo-YouGov poll found that even if they had not heard of QAnon, a majority of Republicans and Trump supporters believed top Democrats were engaged in sex-trafficking rings and more than half of Trump supporters believed he was working to dismantle the rings.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/20/even-if-they-havent-heard-qanon-most-trump-voters-believe-its-wild-allegations/ |title=Even if they haven't heard of QAnon, most Trump voters believe its wild allegations |last=Bump |first=Philip |date=October 20, 2020 |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |access-date=December 13, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201213202903/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/20/even-if-they-havent-heard-qanon-most-trump-voters-believe-its-wild-allegations/ |archive-date=December 13, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2021, an American Enterprise Institute poll found that 29% of Republicans believe the central claim of QAnon, that "Donald Trump has been secretly fighting a group of child sex traffickers that include prominent Democrats and Hollywood elites."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sales|first=Ben|title=Survey finds 3 in 10 Republicans believe QAnon child sex-trafficking theory|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/survey-finds-3-in-10-republicans-believe-qanon-child-sex-trafficking-theory/|date=February 15, 2021|access-date=February 18, 2021|website=The Times of Israel|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225185109/https://www.timesofisrael.com/survey-finds-3-in-10-republicans-believe-qanon-child-sex-trafficking-theory/|url-status=live}}</ref> A March 2021 [[Organization:Public Religion Research Institute|Public Religion Research Institute]] (PRRI) and Interfaith Youth Core survey found similar results: Republicans (28%) were twice as likely as Democrats (14%) to agree that the "elites" would soon be swept from power by a coming "storm"; Republicans (23%) were three times as likely as Democrats (8%) to agree that "Satan-worshipping pedophiles" control the government and media; and Republicans (28%) were four times as likely as Democrats (7%) to agree that "true American patriots may have to resort to violence" to resolve the situation.<ref>{{cite news|last=PRRI Staff|date=May 27, 2021|title=Understanding QAnon's Connection to American Politics, Religion, and Media Consumption|url=https://www.prri.org/research/qanon-conspiracy-american-politics-report/|access-date=May 28, 2021|newspaper=Prri &#124; at the Intersection of Religion, Values, and Public Life|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531200740/https://www.prri.org/research/qanon-conspiracy-american-politics-report/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Surveys have found that conspiracy theories such as QAnon are most popular among white Americans, especially evangelicals. A May 2021 PRRI survey confirmed that white evangelicals are among QAnon's strongest supporters, but also found that Hispanic Protestants are drawn to the movement in even larger proportions.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 10, 2021 |access-date=June 22, 2022 |title=Hispanic Americans are curious about QAnon too |url=https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/10/hispanic-americans-are-curious-about-qanon-too |newspaper=[[Finance:The Economist|The Economist]] |archive-date=May 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220527141057/https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/06/10/hispanic-americans-are-curious-about-qanon-too |url-status=live }}</ref> According to the PRRI's figures, the core QAnon belief that global elites form a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles and child sex traffickers is held in the U.S. by 26% of Hispanic Protestants, 25% of White evangelical Protestants, 24% of other Protestants [[Social:Person of color|of color]], 18% of [[Religion:Mormonism|Mormons]], 16% of Hispanic [[Organization:Catholic Church|Catholics]], 14% of African American Protestants, 14% of other Christians, 13% of non-Christian religious people, 11% of White Catholics, 11% of [[Religion:Irreligion|religiously unaffiliated]] people, 10% of white [[Religion:Mainline Protestant|mainline Protestant]]s, and 8% of Jews.<ref>{{cite web|last=PRRI Components|date=May 27, 2021|title=Three Components of the QAnon Conspiracy Movement|url=https://www.prri.org/research/qanon-conspiracy-american-politics-report/|access-date=June 23, 2022|website=PRRI|archive-date=May 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210531200740/https://www.prri.org/research/qanon-conspiracy-american-politics-report/|url-status=live}}</ref>

An analysis of four 2021 PRRI surveys showed that belief in QAnon increased in the U.S. after Trump left office. In March 2021, 14% of Americans considered themselves QAnon believers, increasing to 17% by October. In the average of the four surveys, about 22% of Americans believed that there was a "storm coming soon that will sweep away the elites in power", and 16% shared the core QAnon belief that the government, the media and the financial elite are controlled by Satanic pedophiles.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Smith |first1=David |title=Belief in QAnon has strengthened in US since Trump was voted out, study finds |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/qanon-believers-increased-america-study-finds |work=The Guardian |date=February 24, 2022 |access-date=March 11, 2022 |archive-date=February 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220227054655/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/feb/23/qanon-believers-increased-america-study-finds |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=February 24, 2022 |title=The Persistence of QAnon in the Post-Trump Era: An Analysis of Who Believes the Conspiracies |url=https://www.prri.org/research/the-persistence-of-qanon-in-the-post-trump-era-an-analysis-of-who-believes-the-conspiracies/ |access-date=March 11, 2022 |website=Public Religion Research Institute |language=en-US |archive-date=March 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220313013034/https://www.prri.org/research/the-persistence-of-qanon-in-the-post-trump-era-an-analysis-of-who-believes-the-conspiracies/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Incidents ==

QAnon's followers have been part of controversial, sometimes violent events.<ref name="violence-timeline">{{cite news |last1=Beckett |first1=Lois |title=QAnon: a timeline of violence linked to the conspiracy theory |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/15/qanon-violence-crimes-timeline |access-date=February 11, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=October 16, 2020 |archive-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210002414/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/15/qanon-violence-crimes-timeline |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2020, QAnon followers were involved in the presidential election, during which they supported Trump's campaign. QAnon personalities moved to dedicated message boards, where they organized to wage [[Information warfare|information warfare]] to influence the election.<ref name="Nature 2021" /><ref name="WRD20200217" /> One in 50 tweets about voting in the 2020 United States presidential election came from QAnon accounts. Two in 25 accounts using the hashtag #voterfraud, which spread unsubstantiated allegations of voting fraud, were QAnon accounts.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |title=QAnon accounts make a dent in voting discussion on Twitter |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/qanon-accounts-make-dent-voting-discussion-twitter-n1243748 |access-date=February 14, 2022 |publisher=NBC News |date=October 16, 2020 |archive-date=February 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220214235104/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/qanon-accounts-make-dent-voting-discussion-twitter-n1243748 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Attempts to overturn the 2020 U.S. election ===


QAnon followers supported the efforts of Trump's legal team to overturn the election through multiple lawsuits and submitted conspiracy theories of their own. They theorized that voting machines made by Dominion Voting Systems had deleted millions of votes for Trump. This was repeated on the far-right cable news outlet One America News Network, and Trump tweeted the segment to his followers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/q-fades-qanon-s-dominion-voter-fraud-conspiracy-theory-reaches-n1247780 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |title=QAnon's Dominion voter fraud conspiracy theory reaches the president |date=November 13, 2020 |publisher=NBC News |archive-date=November 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115030155/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/q-fades-qanon-s-dominion-voter-fraud-conspiracy-theory-reaches-n1247780 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/no-dominion-voting-machines-did-not-delete-trump-votes.html|access-date=April 19, 2021|title=No, Dominion voting machines did not delete Trump votes.|first=Jack|last=Nicas|date=November 11, 2020|newspaper={{wipe|The New York Times}}|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115030030/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/11/technology/no-dominion-voting-machines-did-not-delete-trump-votes.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

One specific QAnon-affiliated conspiracy theory, known as [[Social:Italygate|Italygate]] and pushed in the last weeks of Trump's presidency, alleged that the American election had been rigged using technology from the United States Embassy in Rome with the help of an Italian hacker, an Italian general and the [[Religion:Vatican City|Vatican]].<ref name="Reuters">{{cite news |title=Fact check: Evidence disproves claims of Italian conspiracy to meddle in U.S. election (known as #ItalyGate) |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-fact-check-debunking-italy-gate-idUSKBN29K2N8 |publisher={{wipe|Reuters}} |date=January 15, 2021 |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608222430/https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-fact-check-debunking-italy-gate-idUSKBN29K2N8 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Vatican blackout hoax linked to ItalyGate conspiracy theory |url=https://formiche.net/2021/01/vatican-blackout-pepe-arrest-italygate-conspiracy-theory/ |work=Formiche.net |date=January 12, 2021 |access-date=February 10, 2022 |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608232313/https://formiche.net/2021/01/vatican-blackout-pepe-arrest-italygate-conspiracy-theory/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="MM0106">{{Cite web
|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/qanon-backers-have-crazy-new-conspiracy-theory-about-election-italy-did-it
|title=QAnon backers have a crazy new conspiracy theory about the election: Italy did it
|last=Molloy
|first=Parker
|work=Media Matters
|date=January 6, 2021
|access-date=July 12, 2021
|archive-date=July 13, 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210713002622/https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/qanon-backers-have-crazy-new-conspiracy-theory-about-election-italy-did-it
|url-status=live
}}</ref>

Several elected leaders, including Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Arizona House Election Chairwoman Kelly Townsend were well known QAnon adherents before the 2020 election and who helped lead attempts to overturn the election in the aftermath.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |last=MacDonald-Evoy |first=Jerod |date=2020-09-22 |title=Arizona has deep QAnon ties, including its politicians |url=https://www.azmirror.com/2020/09/22/arizona-has-deep-qanon-ties-including-its-politicians/ |access-date=2023-07-19 |website=Arizona Mirror |language=en-US |archive-date=January 4, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240104220626/https://www.azmirror.com/2020/09/22/arizona-has-deep-qanon-ties-including-its-politicians/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pinalcentral.com/florence_reminder_blade_tribune/news/gosar-townsend-lead-protests-on-arizona-vote-counting/article_6a303ccc-3c72-5f18-b7f4-a1b306d93d3a.html | title=Gosar, Townsend lead protests on Arizona vote-counting | date=November 6, 2020 | access-date=December 13, 2023 | archive-date=October 12, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012234215/https://www.pinalcentral.com/florence_reminder_blade_tribune/news/gosar-townsend-lead-protests-on-arizona-vote-counting/article_6a303ccc-3c72-5f18-b7f4-a1b306d93d3a.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://coppercourier.com/2021/03/10/losing-arizona-is-sen-kelly-townsend-an-insurrectionist/ | title=Losing Arizona: Is Sen. Kelly Townsend an Insurrectionist? | date=March 10, 2021 | access-date=December 13, 2023 | archive-date=December 13, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231213075722/https://coppercourier.com/2021/03/10/losing-arizona-is-sen-kelly-townsend-an-insurrectionist/ | url-status=live }}</ref>
<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/greene-qanon-house-trump-republicans/2021/01/30/321b4258-623c-11eb-ac8f-4ae05557196e_story.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=December 13, 2023 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212103953/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/greene-qanon-house-trump-republicans/2021/01/30/321b4258-623c-11eb-ac8f-4ae05557196e_story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2020, Townsend posted a [[Social:QAnon|QAnon]] video with a flaming "Q" to her social media and follows high-profile QAnon accounts.<ref name="auto"/> Some local Arizona politics reporters have referred to Townsend as the QAnon Queen of the Legislature.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://blogforarizona.net/carpet-bagger-election-denier-anti-vaxxer-qanon-queen-sen-kelly-townsend-to-run-for-congress-in-so-arizona-district/ | title=Read Carpet Bagger, Election Denier, Anti-Vaxxer, QAnon Queen Sen. Kelly Townsend to Run for Congress in So. Arizona District now from Blog for Arizona for Politics from a Liberal Viewpoint | date=17 January 2022 | access-date=December 13, 2023 | archive-date=September 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926014106/https://blogforarizona.net/carpet-bagger-election-denier-anti-vaxxer-qanon-queen-sen-kelly-townsend-to-run-for-congress-in-so-arizona-district/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

Based on a misinterpretation of the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 by the [[Social:Sovereign citizen movement|sovereign citizen movement]],<ref>Multiple soures:
* {{cite news|url=https://factcheck.thedispatch.com/p/did-legislation-passed-in-1871-make|title=Did Legislation Passed in 1871 Make Washington, D.C., a Foreign Entity?|last=Himmelman|first=Kaya|work=The Dispatch|date=January 28, 2021|access-date=February 2, 2021|archive-date=January 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210130085422/https://factcheck.thedispatch.com/p/did-legislation-passed-in-1871-make|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/qanon-trump-march-sovereign-citizen-fbi-b1792830.html|access-date=April 16, 2021|title=QAnon merges with white extremists and spreads new conspiracy Trump will be president again on March 4|last=Spocchia|first=Gino|work=The Independent|date=January 26, 2021|archive-date=May 7, 2022|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220507/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election-2020/qanon-trump-march-sovereign-citizen-fbi-b1792830.html|url-status=live}}
* {{cite news |last1=Wilson |first1=Jason |title=Trump Hotel raised prices to deter QAnon conspiracists, police files show |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/22/trump-hotel-washington-qanon-conspiracy-theorists |access-date=February 17, 2022 |work=The Guardian |date=May 22, 2021 |archive-date=January 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240128022346/https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/may/22/trump-hotel-washington-qanon-conspiracy-theorists |url-status=live }}</ref> according to which it transformed the federal government into a corporation and rendered illegitimate every president elected thereafter, some QAnon followers claimed that the 18th president (Ulysses&nbsp;S. Grant, in office from 1869 to 1877) was the last legitimate president. They believed that Trump would be sworn in as the 19th president on March 4, 2021. The original inauguration date until the Twentieth Amendment changed it to January 20 in 1933, and that he would restore the federal government.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{Cite web |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/88akpx/qanon-thinks-trump-will-become-president-again-on-march-4 |title=QAnon Thinks Trump Will Become President Again on March 4 |first=David |last=Gilbert |date=January 25, 2021 |website=Vice |access-date=April 16, 2021 |archive-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207150951/https://www.vice.com/en/article/88akpx/qanon-thinks-trump-will-become-president-again-on-march-4 |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite web|url=https://mynorthwest.com/2521073/mckenna-qanon-1871-act-constitution/|access-date=April 16, 2021|title=Former WA Attorney General on QAnon theory claiming Trump will be president on March 4|date=January 29, 2021|website=MyNorthwest.com|archive-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215062336/https://mynorthwest.com/2521073/mckenna-qanon-1871-act-constitution/|url-status=live}}
* {{Cite web |url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/hold-the-line-qanon-adherents-claim-trump-will-become-president-again-on-march-4/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |title='Hold the Line': QAnon Adherents Claim Trump Will Become President Again on March 4 |first=Karim |last=Zidan |date=February 10, 2021 |website=Right Wing Watch |archive-date=March 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301230922/https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/hold-the-line-qanon-adherents-claim-trump-will-become-president-again-on-march-4/ |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite news|last=Feeld|first=Julian|date=February 10, 2021|title=Podcaster explains QAnon belief behind March 4th|publisher=CNN |url=https://edition.cnn.com/videos/media/2021/02/10/qanon-march-fourth-conspiracy-theory-julian-feeld-newday-camerota-vpx.cnn|access-date=February 13, 2021|archive-date=March 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305143825/https://edition.cnn.com/videos/media/2021/02/10/qanon-march-fourth-conspiracy-theory-julian-feeld-newday-camerota-vpx.cnn|url-status=live}}</ref> Based on intelligence that an identified but undisclosed militia group might attempt an attack on the Capitol on that date, the U.S. Capitol Police issued an alert on March 3. House leadership subsequently rescheduled a March 4 vote to the previous night to allow lawmakers to leave town.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/us/politics/capitol-riot-qanon-trump.html|access-date=April 19, 2021|title=Capitol Police Warn of Threat on Thursday, and House Cancels the Day's Session|first1=Zolan|last1=Kanno-Youngs|first2=Matthew|last2=Rosenberg|date=March 3, 2021|newspaper={{wipe|The New York Times}}|archive-date=March 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304033514/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/03/us/politics/capitol-riot-qanon-trump.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Anti-Defamation League, British security firm G4S, and nonpartisan governance watchdog Advance Democracy Inc, studied QAnon posts and warned of the potential for violence on January 6, 2021.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Kuznia|first1=Rob|last2=Devine|first2=Curt|last3=Bronstein|first3=Scott|last4=Ortega|first4=Bob|date=January 8, 2021|title=Extremists intensify calls for violence ahead of Inauguration Day|publisher=CNN|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111171231/https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/08/us/online-extremism-inauguration-capitol-invs/index.html|archive-date=January 11, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=January 4, 2021|title=Extremists and Mainstream Trump Supporters Plan to Protest Congressional Certification of Biden's Victory|publisher=Anti-Defamation League|url=https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-and-mainstream-trump-supporters-plan-to-protest-congressional-certification-of|url-status=live|access-date=January 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111045853/https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-and-mainstream-trump-supporters-plan-to-protest-congressional-certification-of|archive-date=January 11, 2021}}</ref><ref name="0W5TK">{{Cite web|date=January 4, 2021|title=January 2021 Washington, D.C., Security Outlook: Intelligence Report, Part Three|url=https://www.g4s.com/en-us/-/media/g4s/usa/files/whitepapers/1_-_g4s_crs_-_intelligence_assessment_jan_2021_washington_dc_-_210104.ashx|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115172718/https://www.g4s.com/en-us/-/media/g4s/usa/files/whitepapers/1_-_g4s_crs_-_intelligence_assessment_jan_2021_washington_dc_-_210104.ashx|archive-date=January 15, 2021|access-date=January 9, 2021|website=G4S}}</ref> Violence did occur that day, as the attempts to overturn the election culminated with the attack on the U.S. Capitol. Multiple QAnon-affiliated protesters participated in the disturbance. Rioters were either seen wearing clothing with Q-related emblems or identified as QAnon followers from video footage.<ref>{{cite news|last=Culbertson|first=Alix|url=https://news.sky.com/story/us-capitol-from-neo-nazis-and-conspiracy-theorists-to-a-politician-who-stormed-the-capitol-12181628|title=US Capitol: Q-Anon, Confederate flag man, and Baked Alaska – here are the people who stormed the building|work=Sky News|date=January 8, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108011216/https://news.sky.com/story/us-capitol-from-neo-nazis-and-conspiracy-theorists-to-a-politician-who-stormed-the-capitol-12181628|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Venkataramakrishnan|first1=Siddharth|last2=Manson|first2=Katrina|url=https://www.ft.com/content/8ee1f26a-619a-46d2-98c2-be3eb34fcd5e|title=Who were the Capitol insurrectionists?|work=Financial Times|date=January 7, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|archive-date=January 7, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107213041/https://www.ft.com/content/8ee1f26a-619a-46d2-98c2-be3eb34fcd5e|url-status=live}}</ref> One participant whose attire and behavior attracted worldwide media attention was Jake Angeli, a QAnon supporter nicknamed the "QAnon Shaman".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ruelas |first=Richard |title=QAnon supporter from Arizona dressed in fur and horns joins storming of US Capitol |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/06/arizona-qanon-supporter-jake-angeli-joins-storming-us-capitol/6570514002/ |date=January 6, 2021 |access-date=January 10, 2021 |website=USA Today |archive-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210110111949/https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/01/06/arizona-qanon-supporter-jake-angeli-joins-storming-us-capitol/6570514002/ |url-status=live}}</ref> Ashli Babbitt, a rioter who was shot dead by police as she was trying to break into the Speaker's Lobby, was a committed follower of QAnon.<ref>{{cite news |work=Law & Crime |url=https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/pro-trump-woman-shot-and-killed-at-u-s-capitol-retweeted-attorney-lin-woods-must-be-done-list-before-she-died/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |title=Pro-Trump Woman Shot and Killed at U.S. Capitol Retweeted Attorney Lin Wood's 'Must Be Done' List Before She Died |first=Aaron |last=Keller |date=January 6, 2021 |quote=A Twitter account linked to Babbitt, which was reviewed extensively by Law&Crime Wednesday night, indicates that Babbitt was a staunch QAnon follower who retweeted dozens of conspiracy-theory-laden missives originally posted by Georgia attorney L. Lin Wood. |archive-date=December 2, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202063421/https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/pro-trump-woman-shot-and-killed-at-u-s-capitol-retweeted-attorney-lin-woods-must-be-done-list-before-she-died/ |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Zadrozny>{{cite news|last1=Zadrozny|first1=Brandy|last2=Gains|first2=Mosheh|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-killed-capitol-was-trump-supporter-who-embraced-conspiracy-theories-n1253285|title=Woman killed in Capitol was Trump supporter who embraced conspiracy theories|publisher=NBC News|date=January 7, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021|archive-date=January 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210108020719/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/woman-killed-capitol-was-trump-supporter-who-embraced-conspiracy-theories-n1253285|url-status=live}}</ref> The day before the attack, she had tweeted: "the storm is here and it is descending upon DC in less than 24 hours".<ref>{{cite news|title= Woman killed in siege of U.S. Capitol was veteran who embraced conspiracy theories |publisher={{wipe|Reuters}}|date=January 7, 2021|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-usa-election-death-idUKKBN29C2NX}}</ref>

The attack led to a crackdown on QAnon content on social media.<ref name="Booker">{{Cite news|title=Facebook Removes 'Stop The Steal' Content; Twitter Suspends QAnon Accounts|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/12/956003580/facebook-removes-stop-the-steal-content-twitter-suspends-qanon-accounts|first=Brakkton|last=Booker|date=January 12, 2021|access-date=January 14, 2021|newspaper=NPR|archive-date=January 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115002255/https://www.npr.org/sections/insurrection-at-the-capitol/2021/01/12/956003580/facebook-removes-stop-the-steal-content-twitter-suspends-qanon-accounts|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="AP-Twitter" /> On April 19, 2021, the Soufan Center reported that Russia and China had amplified and "weaponized" QAnon at the time of the Capitol attack "to sow societal discord and even compromise legitimate political processes."<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 19, 2021|title=Quantifying The Q Conspiracy: A Data-Driven Approach to Understanding the Threat Posed by QAnon|url=https://thesoufancenter.org/research/quantifying-the-q-conspiracy-a-data-driven-approach-to-understanding-the-threat-posed-by-qanon/|url-status=live|access-date=April 19, 2021|website=The Soufan Center|archive-date=November 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122062449/https://thesoufancenter.org/research/quantifying-the-q-conspiracy-a-data-driven-approach-to-understanding-the-threat-posed-by-qanon/}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Cohen|first=Zachary|date=April 19, 2021|title=China and Russia 'weaponized' QAnon conspiracy around time of US Capitol attack, report says|url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/qanon-russia-china-amplification/index.html|url-status=live|access-date=April 19, 2021|publisher=CNN|archive-date=November 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102053503/https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/19/politics/qanon-russia-china-amplification/index.html}}</ref>

=== German coup attempt ===

Several QAnon adherents were charged with participation in the 2022 coup d'état plot in Germany, which involved groups of far-right activists and conspiracy theorists, such as the Reichsbürger movement.<ref>{{Citation|last=Kirby|first=Paul|date=December 7, 2022|title=Germany arrests 25 accused of plotting coup|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-63885028 |access-date=December 14, 2022|publisher=BBC}}</ref>

==Reactions==
===Media, advocacy groups, and public figures===
Journalists have debunked QAnon's basic tenets.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|p=16}} In 2018, ''{{wipe|The Washington Post}}'' called its proponents "a deranged conspiracy cult"<ref name="WaPo20180801" /> and "some of the Internet's most ''{{wt|en|outré}}'' Trump fans".<ref name="WaPo-DarkestCorners">{{Cite news|last=View|first=Travis|date=September 18, 2018|title=How conspiracy theories spread from the Internet's darkest corners|newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2018/09/18/how-conspiracy-theories-spread-internets-darkest-corners/|access-date=September 18, 2018}}</ref>

In December 2017, the Russian television network RT aired a segment discussing "QAnon revelations", calling the anonymous poster a "secret intelligence operative inside the Trump administration known by QAnon".<ref name="ibt" /> On March 13, 2018, Cheryl Sullenger, vice president of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, called QAnon a "small group of insiders close to President Donald J. Trump" and called their posts the "highest level of intelligence to ever be dropped publicly in our known history".<ref name="rightwingwatch">{{Cite web |last=Blue |first=Miranda |date=March 15, 2018 |title=Operation Rescue Hypes QAnon 'Blockbuster Intel Drop' About Planned Parenthood |url=https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/operation-rescue-hypes-qanon-blockbuster-intel-drop-about-planned-parenthood/ |access-date=April 5, 2018 |website=Right Wing Watch}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Sullenger |first=Cheryl |date=March 13, 2018 |title=Blockbuster Intel Drop Reveals Trump is Trying to "End" Planned Parenthood – Twitter Attempts Censorship |url=https://www.operationrescue.org/archives/blockbuster-intel-drop-reveals-trump-is-trying-to-end-planned-parenthood-twitter-attempts-censorship/ |access-date=April 5, 2018 |publisher=Operation Rescue}}</ref> On March 15, [[Place:Kyiv|Kyiv]]-based {{ill|Rabochaya Gazeta (Ukrainian newspaper)|lt=''Rabochaya Gazeta''|uk|Робітнича газета (газета ЦК КПУ)}}, the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Ukraine, published an article calling QAnon a "military intelligence group".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gamma |first=Viktor |date=May 25, 2018 |title=Доживают ли Гавайи свои последние дни? |language=ru |trans-title=Are we witnessing the final days of Hawaii? |url=http://rg.kiev.ua/page5/article41143 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705233130/http://rg.kiev.ua/page5/article41143 |work=Rabochaya Gazeta |archive-date=July 5, 2018}}</ref> On March 31, actor Roseanne Barr appeared to promote QAnon, covered by CNN, ''The Washington Post'', and ''The New York Times''.<ref name="cnn2">{{Cite web |last=Cole |first=Devan |date=December 19, 2017 |title=Roseanne tweets support of Trump conspiracy theory, confuses Twitter |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/31/politics/roseanne-barr-conspiracy-tweets/index.html |access-date=April 1, 2018 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="washingtonpost2">{{Cite news |last=Weigel |first=David |author-link=David Weigel |date=March 31, 2018 |title=The conspiracy theory behind a curious Roseanne Barr tweet, explained |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/31/the-conspiracy-theory-behind-a-curious-roseanne-barr-tweet-explained/ |access-date=April 1, 2018 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Bowden |first=Tohn |date=March 31, 2018 |title=Roseanne Barr faces backlash over Trump conspiracy theory tweet |work=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/381123-roseanne-barr-faces-social-media-backlash-over-trump-conspiracy-theory-tweet |access-date=March 31, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldberg |first=Michelle |author-link=Michelle Goldberg |date=April 6, 2018 |title=The Conspiracy Theory That Says Trump Is a Genius |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/opinion/qanon-trump-conspiracy-theory.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406124231/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/06/opinion/qanon-trump-conspiracy-theory.html |archive-date=April 6, 2018 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=April 6, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Radio talk show host Lionel became an outspoken QAnon supporter.<ref name="Weigel">{{cite news |last1=Weigel |first1=David |title=Conspiracy theorist shares Oval Office photo with Trump |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/conspiracy-theorist-shares-oval-office-photo-with-trump/2018/08/24/8363548a-a816-11e8-a656-943eefab5daf_story.html |access-date=February 24, 2022 |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |date=August 24, 2018}}</ref> In April and October 2021, actor Jim Caviezel appeared at conservative conferences and endorsed aspects of the QAnon.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Star of Mel Gibson's 'Passion of the Christ' Pushes Unhinged QAnon Conspiracy at Conservative Conference|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/star-of-passion-of-the-christ-pushes-qanon-conspiracy-theory-conservative-conference|access-date=May 6, 2021|website=Complex|language=en|date=April 20, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Jim Caviezel Emulates 'Braveheart' Speech to Cheering Crowd at QAnon Convention|url=https://www.newsweek.com/jim-caviezel-braveheart-qanon-convention-las-vegas-1642133|access-date=June 27, 2022|first1=Anders|last1=Anglesey|website=Newsweek|language=en|date=October 25, 2021}}</ref>

In June 2018, a ''{{wipe|Time (magazine)}}'' magazine article listed Q among the 25 Most Influential People on the Internet in 2018. Counting more than 130,000 related discussion videos on YouTube, ''Time'' cited the wide range of the conspiracy theory and its more prominent followers and news coverage.<ref name="timemag">{{Cite magazine |last=Chan |first=Melissa |date=June 28, 2018 |title=25 Most Influential People on the Internet |url=https://time.com/5324130/most-influential-internet/ |access-date=June 28, 2018 |magazine=Time |issn=0040-781X}}</ref> On July 4, the Hillsborough County Republican Party shared on its official Facebook and Twitter accounts a YouTube video on QAnon, calling them a "mysterious anonymous inside leaker of deep state activities and counter activities by President Trump". The posts were soon deleted.<ref name="tampabay">{{Cite news |last=March |first=William |date=July 16, 2018 |title=Conspiracy theorist QAnon promoted, then deleted, by Hillsborough County GOP |work=Tampa Bay Times |url=https://www.tampabay.com/florida-politics/buzz/2018/07/16/conspiracy-theorist-qanon-promoted-then-deleted-by-hillsborough-county-gop/ |access-date=July 16, 2018 |issn=2327-9052}}</ref>

In August 2018, following the presence of QAnon supporters at Trump's Tampa, Florida rally for the midterm elections,<ref name="WaPo20180801" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Porter |first=Tom |date=August 1, 2018 |title=QAnon: Conspiracy theorists determined to expose a "deep state" child abuse ring show up to support Trump in Tampa |work=Newsweek |url=https://www.newsweek.com/what-qanon-conspiracy-theorists-showed-support-trump-tampa-rally-1051708 |access-date=August 1, 2018}}</ref> MSNBC news anchors Hallie Jackson, Brian Williams, and Chris Hayes dedicated portions of their programs to the conspiracy theory.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Who is 'QAnon'? Bizarre conspiracy cult leaps from web to Trump rally |url=https://www.msnbc.com/hallie-jackson/watch/-we-are-q-conspiracy-cult-leaps-from-the-internet-to-trump-rally-1289927747781 |access-date=August 1, 2018 |series=MSNBC Live |series-link=MSNBC Live |last=Jackson |first=Hallie |date=August 1, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode |title=What does the conspiracy group QAnon have to do with Trump? |url=https://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/what-does-the-conspiracy-group-qanon-have-to-do-with-trump-1290472515536 |access-date=August 2, 2018 |series=The 11th Hour with Brian Williams |series-link=The 11th Hour (news program) |last=Williams |first=Brian |author-link=Brian Williams |date=August 2, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite episode |title=What is QAnon? |url=https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/what-is-qanon-1290356291810 |access-date=August 2, 2018 |series=All In with Chris Hayes |series-link=All In with Chris Hayes |last=Hayes |first=Chris |author-link=Chris Hayes |date=August 1, 2018}}</ref> ''PBS NewsHour'' also ran a segment on QAnon the next day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodruff |first=Judy |date=August 2, 2018 |title=How the false, fringe 'QAnon' conspiracy theory aims to protect Trump |url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-false-fringe-qanon-conspiracy-theory-aims-to-protect-trump |access-date=August 2, 2018 |website=PBS NewsHour}}</ref> In August, ''Washington Post'' editorial writer Molly Roberts wrote, "'The storm' QAnon truthers predict will never strike because the conspiracy that obsesses them doesn't exist. But while they wait for it, they'll try to whip up the winds, and the rest of us will struggle to find shelter."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roberts |first=Molly |date=August 2, 2018 |title=Opinion: QAnon is terrifying. This is why |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2018/08/02/what-makes-qanon-so-scary/ |access-date=October 31, 2018}}</ref>

===Official responses===

====FBI domestic terrorism assessment====

[[File:102.East.USCapitol.WDC.6January2021 (50824307713).jpg|alt=A QAnon emblem (upper left) is raised during the 2021 Capitol attack.|thumb|A QAnon emblem (''upper left'') being raised on Capitol grounds on January 6, 2021, shortly before the building was stormed]]

In May 2019, an FBI "Intelligence Bulletin" memo from the Phoenix field office identified QAnon-driven extremists as a [[Social:Domestic terrorism|domestic terrorism]] threat. The document cited arrests related to QAnon, some of which had not been publicized before.<ref name="winter">{{Cite web |last=Winter |first=Jana |date=August 1, 2019 |title=Exclusive: FBI document warns conspiracy theories are a new domestic terrorism threat |url=https://news.yahoo.com/fbi-documents-conspiracy-theories-terrorism-160000507.html |access-date=August 7, 2019 |website=[[Software:Yahoo! News|Yahoo! News]]}}</ref> According to the memo, "This is the first FBI product examining the threat from conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists and provides a baseline for future intelligence products.{{spaces}}... The FBI assesses these conspiracy theories very likely will emerge, spread, and evolve in the modern information marketplace, occasionally driving both groups and individual extremists to carry out criminal or violent acts."<ref name="winter" /><ref name="budryk">{{Cite news |last=Budryk |first=Zack |date=August 1, 2019 |title=FBI memo warns QAnon poses potential terror threat: report |work=The Hill |url=https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/fbi/455770-fbi-memo-warns-qanon-poses-a-potential-terror-threat-report |access-date=April 17, 2020}}</ref>

According to FBI's counterterrorism director Michael G. McGarrity's testimony before Congress in May, the FBI divides domestic terrorism threats into four primary categories, "racially motivated violent extremism, anti-government/anti-authority extremism, animal rights/environmental extremism, and abortion extremism", which includes both abortion-rights and anti-abortion extremists. The fringe conspiracy theory threat is closely related to the anti-government/anti-authority subject area.<ref name=winter /><ref name=budryk /> On December 19, 2018, a Californian man whose car contained bomb-making materials he intended to use to "blow up a satanic temple monument" in the Springfield, Illinois, Capitol rotunda to "make Americans aware of Pizzagate and the [[Unsolved:New World Order (conspiracy theory)|New World Order]], who were dismantling society" was arrested.<ref name=winter /> The FBI said another factor driving the intensity of anti-government extremism is "the uncovering of real conspiracies or cover-ups involving illegal, harmful, or unconstitutional activities by government officials or leading political figures".<ref name=winter />

====Congressional resolution====

In August 2020, two U.S. Representatives, Democrat Tom Malinowski and Republican Denver Riggleman, introduced a bipartisan simple resolution (H. Res. 1154) condemning QAnon.<ref name="Beer">{{Cite web |last=Beer |first=Tommy |title=Bipartisan Lawmakers Introduce House Resolution Condemning QAnon 'Cult' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2020/08/25/bipartisan-lawmakers-introduce-house-resolution-condemning-qanon-cult/ |date=August 25, 2020 |access-date=September 4, 2020 |website=Forbes}}</ref><ref name="HR1154">{{Cite web |title=H.Res.1154 – Condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes, 116th Congress (2019–2020) |url=https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/1154/text |access-date=April 19, 2021 |date=October 2, 2020 |work=Congress.gov}}</ref> Malinowski said the resolution's aim was to repudiate "this dangerous, anti-Semitic, conspiracy-mongering cult that the FBI says is radicalizing Americans to violence".<ref name=Beer/> The resolution urged law enforcement and homeland security agencies "to continue to strengthen their focus on preventing violence, threats, harassment, and other criminal activity by extremists motivated by fringe political conspiracy theories" and encouraged the U.S. intelligence community "to uncover any foreign support, assistance, or online amplification QAnon receives, as well as any QAnon affiliations, coordination, and contacts with foreign extremist organizations or groups espousing violence".<ref name=HR1154/>

In September 2020, Malinowski received death threats from QAnon followers after being falsely accused of wanting to protect sexual predators. The threats were prompted by a National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) campaign advertisement that falsely claimed that Malinowski worked against plans to increase registration for sex offenders in a 2006 crime bill while he was working as a lobbyist for Human Rights Watch.<ref name="Cassata">{{Cite news |last=Cassata |first=Donna |date=October 2, 2020 |title=House votes to condemn baseless QAnon conspiracy theory |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/election-qanon-house-democrats/2020/10/02/272fc09e-04bd-11eb-b7ed-141dd88560ea_story.html |access-date=October 2, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Edmondson |first=Catie |date=September 30, 2020 |title=False G.O.P. Ad Prompts QAnon Death Threats Against a Democratic Congressman |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/technology/false-gop-ad-prompts-qanon-death-threats-against-a-democratic-congressman.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200930212005/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/30/technology/false-gop-ad-prompts-qanon-death-threats-against-a-democratic-congressman.html |archive-date=September 30, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=October 2, 2020}}</ref>

The resolution passed on October 2, 2020, in a 371–18 vote.<ref name=HR1154/><ref name=Cassata/> Seventeen Republicans (including [[Biography:Steve King|Steve King]], Paul Gosar, and Daniel Webster) and one independent (Justin Amash) voted no; Republican Andy Harris voted "present".<ref name=HR1154/><ref name=Cassata/> According to Will Sommer in ''The Daily Beast'', the resolution does not have the force of law.<ref name="Sommer">{{Cite news |last=Sommer |first=Will |date=October 2, 2020 |title=17 Republican Members of Congress Vote Against Condemning QAnon |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/17-republicans-members-of-congress-vote-against-condemning-qanon |access-date=October 2, 2020}}</ref> Before the vote, Malinowski told ''Slate'' magazine, referencing the NRCC ad: "I don't want to see any Republicans voting against fire on the House floor this week and then continuing to play with fire next week by running these kinds of ads against Democratic candidates."<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Mak |first1=Aaron |last2=Malinowski |first2=Tom |date=October 1, 2020 |title=QAnon Is Going After Members of Congress Now |work=Slate |url=https://slate.com/technology/2020/10/qanon-malinowski-congress-threats.html |access-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref>

===Republican politicians and organizations===

[[File:PerkinsSenate.png|thumb|Jo Rae Perkins, republican nominee for the 2020 United States Senate election in Oregon, being interviewed by QAnon influencer Dustin Nemos]]
In 2019, two Republican congressional candidates expressed support for QAnon theories.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sommer |first=Will |date=April 10, 2019 |title=A QAnon Believer Is Running for Congress and Is Currently Unopposed in His Republican Primary |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/matthew-lusk-meet-the-first-qanon-believer-running-for-congress |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=The Daily Beast}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Swaine |first=Jon |date=July 25, 2019 |title=Pro-Trump Republican aiming to unseat Ilhan Omar charged with felony theft |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/25/danielle-stella-republican-ilhan-omar-charged-felony-qanon-trump |access-date=April 19, 2021}}</ref> In early 2020, Jim Watkins created the "Disarm the Deep State" [[Social:Political action committee|super PAC]], whose stated aim was to "mobilize a community of patriots in order to remove power from Deep State members".<ref name="QAnonsuperpac">{{Cite web|last=Gilbert|first=David|date=March 2, 2020|title=QAnon Now Has Its Very Own Super PAC|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/k7eppz/qanon-now-has-its-very-own-super-pac|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200815194156/https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/k7eppz/qanon-now-has-its-very-own-super-pac|archive-date=August 15, 2020|access-date=August 29, 2020|website=Vice}}</ref> In November 2020, it was reported that the PAC had raised just $4,736, including a $500 loan from Watkins's lawyer.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Walker|first=James|date=November 18, 2020|title=The QAnon Super PAC Was a Flop|url=https://washingtonmonthly.com/2020/11/18/the-qanon-super-pac-was-a-flop/|access-date=February 24, 2022|newspaper=Washington Monthly}}</ref>

In 2020, there were 97 QAnon followers in the primaries, of whom 22 Republicans and two independents ran in the elections of that year.{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|p=2|loc=Chapt. 1}} Businesswoman [[Biography:Marjorie Taylor Greene|Marjorie Taylor Greene]] won an August 2020 runoff to become the GOP nominee in the 14th Congressional District in Georgia. In 2020, she said many of Q's claims "have really proven to be true".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bowden |first1=John |title=QAnon-promoter Marjorie Taylor Greene endorses Kelly Loeffler in Georgia Senate bid |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/521196-qanon-promoter-marjorie-taylor-greene-endorses-kelly-loeffler-in-ga-senate |website=The Hill |access-date=February 14, 2022 |date=October 15, 2020}}</ref> Months into the Trump presidency, she stated in a video: "There's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshiping pedophiles out, and I think we have the president to do it".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Domonoske |first=Camila |date=August 12, 2020 |title=QAnon Supporter Who Made Bigoted Videos Wins Ga. Primary, Likely Heading To Congress |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/08/12/901628541/qanon-supporter-who-made-bigoted-videos-wins-ga-primary-likely-heading-to-congre |access-date=April 19, 2021 |newspaper=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lalljee |first=Jason |date=August 13, 2020 |title=Republican lawmaker slams far-right conspiracy theory QAnon. Trump's team fires back |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/12/gop-lawmaker-calls-out-qanon-trump-team-fires-back/3358628001/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=USA Today}}</ref> Jo Rae Perkins, the 2020 Republican Senate candidate in Oregon, tweeted a video on the night of her May primary victory showing her holding a WWG1WGA sticker and stating that she "[stood] with Q and the team. Thank you Anons, and thank you patriots." She expressed regret at having later deleted the video on the advice of a political consultant.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Oregon Republican US Senate Nominee Defends Her Interest In QAnon |url=https://www.opb.org/news/article/jo-rae-perkins-qanon-oregon-republican-senate-nominee/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |first=Jeff |last=Mapes |publisher=Oregon Public Broadcasting |date=May 22, 2020}}</ref> The next month she took the "digital soldiers oath" that Q had requested followers to do three days earlier.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Sara |last=Sidner |date=August 22, 2020 |title=The US Senate candidate who took a QAnon pledge |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/22/politics/jo-rae-perkins-qanon-oregon-senate-race/index.html |access-date=April 19, 2021 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="paved">{{Cite web |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Matthew |last2=Steinhauer |first2=Jennifer |date=July 14, 2020 |title=The QAnon Candidates Are Here. Trump Has Paved Their Way. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/us/politics/qanon-politicians-candidates.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714105809/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/14/us/politics/qanon-politicians-candidates.html |archive-date=July 14, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=April 19, 2021 |newspaper={{wipe|The New York Times}}}}</ref>

On June 30, 2020, incumbent Republican U.S. representative Scott Tipton lost a primary for Colorado's 3rd congressional district to Lauren Boebert in an upset. Boebert expressed tentative support for QAnon in an interview, but after winning the primary, attempted to distance herself from those statements, saying "I'm not a follower."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Panetta |first=Grace |date=July 1, 2020 |title=GOP Congressman Scott Tipton was defeated by right-wing primary challenger Lauren Boebert in Colorado's 3rd congressional district |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/lauren-boebert-defeats-scott-tipton-colorado-third-district-primary-live-results-2020-6 |access-date=July 1, 2020 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Walters |first=Joanna |date=July 1, 2020 |title=Who is Lauren Boebert, the QAnon sympathizer who won a Republican primary? |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/01/who-is-lauren-boebert-republican-primary-qanon-trump |access-date=July 22, 2020}}</ref> Boebert was elected to Congress that November.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Knutson |first1=Jacob |title=Republican and QAnon supporter Lauren Boebert wins House race in Colorado |url=https://www.axios.com/lauren-boebert-house-election-colorado-qanon-9fde24b3-805b-4137-a557-2f0d55724b0f.html |access-date=April 19, 2021 |work=Axios |date=November 4, 2020}}</ref> Angela Stanton-King, a Trump-backed candidate running for the Georgia House seat of the late congressman John Lewis, posted on Twitter that Black Lives Matter is "a major cover up for pedophilia and human trafficking" and "the storm is here". Stanton-King told a reporter that her posts did not relate to QAnon, asserting, "It was raining that day." Weather records did not show precipitation in her area on the day of the post.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/oct/15/angela-stanton-king-qanon-conspiracy-theory |access-date=April 19, 2021 |title=Trump ally running for Congress believes in baseless QAnon sex-trafficking conspiracy|first1=Oliver|last1=Laughland|first2=Tom|last2=Silverstone|date=October 15, 2020|work={{wipe|The Guardian}}}}</ref>

In August 2020, ''The New York Times'' said that the Texas Republican Party's new slogan ("We Are the Storm") was taken from Q. Texas Republican Party officials denied this, saying it was inspired by a biblical passage and has no connection to QAnon.<ref name="far beyond">{{Cite news |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Matthew |last2=Haberman |first2=Maggie |date=August 20, 2020 |title=The Republican Embrace of QAnon Goes Far Beyond Trump |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/us/politics/qanon-trump-republicans.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820214017/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/20/us/politics/qanon-trump-republicans.html |archive-date=August 20, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=August 25, 2020 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Svitek |first=Patrick |date=August 21, 2020 |title=The Texas GOP's new slogan echoes a conspiracy group. Its chair says there's no connection. |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2020/08/21/texas-gop-slogan-storm/ |access-date=August 25, 2020 |website=The Texas Tribune}}</ref> In May 2021, representative Louie Gohmert and Texas Republican Party chairman Allen West attended the "For God & Country: Patriot Roundup" conference organized by QAnon followers in Dallas.<ref name="VicePatriotRoundup" />

Also in August 2020, representative Liz Cheney became the highest-ranking House Republican to take a stand against QAnon, which she called a "dangerous lunacy that should have no place in American politics". Other Republican Party members who have spoken out against QAnon include senator Ben Sasse, former Florida governor Jeb Bush<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fernandez |first=Marisa|date=August 20, 2020 |title=GOP Rep. Liz Cheney calls QAnon "dangerous lunacy"|url=https://www.axios.com/liz-cheney-qanon-republican-dangerous-lunacy-23c2b455-7b3a-4199-9a0e-1176682492b0.html |access-date=February 24, 2022 |website=Axios}}</ref> and senator and former presidential candidate Mitt Romney.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rummler |first=Orion|date=October 16, 2020 |title=Romney: Trump's refusal to disavow QAnon is part of "alarming pattern" in politics|url=https://www.axios.com/mitt-romney-trump-qanon-83d36061-15d3-40a5-8d6e-6431165b36f3.html|access-date=February 24, 2022 |website=Axios}}</ref> In March 2021, representative Peter Meijer said that the Republican Party should unequivocally condemn QAnon and other conspiracy theories, and commented: "The fact that a significant plurality, if not potentially a majority, of our voters have been deceived into this creation of an alternate reality could very well be an existential threat to the party". Representative Adam Kinzinger launched a [[Social:Political action committee|PAC]] called "Country First", aimed at countering conspiracy theories and Donald Trump.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foran |first=Claire|date=April 10, 2021 |title='An existential threat': The Republicans calling for their party to reject QAnon conspiracy theories|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/04/10/politics/qanon-republican-party-congress/index.html|access-date=February 24, 2022 |website=CNN}}</ref>

===Connected individuals===

===={{anchor|Responses by Donald Trump}}Donald Trump====
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According to Media Matters for America, as of August 2020, Trump had amplified QAnon messaging at least 216 times by retweeting or mentioning 129 QAnon-affiliated Twitter accounts, sometimes multiple times a day.<ref name="mediamatters">{{cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Alex|title=Trump has repeatedly amplified QAnon Twitter accounts. The FBI has linked the conspiracy theory to domestic terror. |date=August 1, 2019 |url=https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/fbi-calls-qanon-domestic-terror-threat-trump-has-amplified-qanon-supporters-twitter-more-20|access-date=October 18, 2020|publisher=Media Matters for America}}</ref><ref name="Polit20200712">{{cite web |last=Nguyen |first=Tina |date=July 12, 2020 |title=Trump isn't secretly winking at QAnon. He's retweeting its followers |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/12/trump-tweeting-qanon-followers-357238 |access-date=April 16, 2021 |website=Politico}}</ref> QAnon followers came to refer to Trump as "Q+".<ref name="prophecies" /> On August 24, 2018, Trump hosted Michael William "Lionel" Lebron, a leading QAnon promoter, in the Oval Office for a [[Social:Photo op|photo op]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Feldscher |first=Kyle |date=August 25, 2018 |title=QAnon-believing 'conspiracy analyst' meets Trump in the White House |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/25/politics/donald-trump-qanon-white-house/index.html |access-date=August 25, 2018 |publisher=CNN}}</ref> Shortly after Christmas 2019, Trump retweeted over a dozen QAnon followers.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 28, 2019 |title=Trump retweets a post naming the alleged whistleblower |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-retweets--then-deletes--a-post-naming-the-alleged-whistleblower/2019/12/28/aa518350-2989-11ea-9c21-2c2a4d2c2166_story.html |access-date=April 16, 2021 |first=Colby |last=Itkowitz}}</ref>

On August 19, 2020, Trump was asked about QAnon during a press conference; he replied: "I don't know much about the movement, other than I understand they like me very much, which I appreciate."<ref name="trump praises">{{Cite news |date=August 20, 2020 |title=Trump praises QAnon conspiracists, who 'like me very much' |work=Associated Press |first1=Zeke |last1=Miller |first2=Jill |last2=Colvin|first3=Amanda |last3=Seitz |url=https://apnews.com/article/535e145ee67dd757660157be39d05d3f |access-date=April 16, 2021}}</ref><ref name="CNBC-Trump-appreciates-QAnon-support">{{cite news |last=Kevin Breuninger |title=Trump says he appreciates support from followers of unfounded QAnon conspiracy |date=August 19, 2020 |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/19/trump-says-he-appreciates-qanon-support.html |work=CNBC News |access-date=August 26, 2020}}</ref> An FBI Field Office in Phoenix has called QAnon a potential [[Social:Domestic terrorism|domestic terror]] threat, but Trump called QAnon followers "people who love our country".<ref name="trump praises" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Rogers |first1=Katie |last2=Roose |first2=Kevin |title=Trump Says QAnon Followers Are People Who 'Love Our Country' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/us/politics/trump-qanon-conspiracy-theories.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820020023/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/19/us/politics/trump-qanon-conspiracy-theories.html |archive-date=August 20, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=February 9, 2022 |work=The New York Times |date=August 20, 2020}}</ref> When a reporter asked Trump if he could support a notion that suggests he "is secretly saving the world from this satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals", he responded: "Well, I haven't heard that, but is that supposed to be a bad thing or a good thing?" Presidential candidate Joe Biden responded that Trump was aiming to "legitimize a conspiracy theory that the FBI has identified as a domestic terrorism threat".<ref name="cnn">{{cite web |last=Liptak |first=Kevin |title=Trump embraces QAnon conspiracy because 'they like me' |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/19/politics/donald-trump-qanon/index.html |date=August 20, 2020 |access-date=August 20, 2020 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref name="WaPoBidenQ">{{Cite news |last1=Itkowitz |first1=Colby |last2=Stanley-Becker |first2=Isaac |last3=Rozsa |first3=Lori |last4=Bade |first4=Rachael |date=August 20, 2020 |title=Trump praises baseless QAnon conspiracy theory, says he appreciates support of its followers |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-praises-baseless-qanon-conspiracy-theory-says-he-appreciates-support-of-its-followers/2020/08/19/e50f8d46-e25e-11ea-8181-606e603bb1c4_story.html |access-date=August 20, 2020}}</ref>

On October 15, 2020, when given the opportunity to denounce QAnon at a "town hall"-style campaign event, Trump refused to do so and instead pointed out that QAnon opposes pedophilia.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Vazquez|first=Maegan|title=Trump again refuses to denounce QAnon|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/15/politics/donald-trump-qanon-town-hall/index.html|date=October 15, 2020|access-date=October 16, 2020|publisher=CNN}}</ref> He said he knew nothing else about QAnon and told his questioner, Savannah Guthrie of NBC News, that no one can know whether the premise of QAnon's conspiracy theory is true. "They believe it is a satanic cult run by the deep state," Guthrie informed him. When Guthrie asserted that the conspiracy was not true, Trump responded, "No, I don't know that. And neither do you know that."<ref>{{cite news|last=Bump|first=Philip|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/10/15/rather-than-condemn-qanon-conspiracy-theory-trump-elevates-its-dangerous-central-assertion/|title=Rather than condemn the QAnon conspiracy theory, Trump elevates its dangerous central assertion|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 15, 2020|access-date=October 16, 2020}}</ref>

In September 2022, an Associated Press analysis found that Trump was embracing QAnon more openly than before. Trump was reposting Q drops and QAnon memes on Truth Social, and more than a third of the accounts he had reposted in the last month had themselves shared QAnon slogans, videos or imagery. Trump had also played a QAnon song at a rally.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://apnews.com/article/technology-donald-trump-conspiracy-theories-government-and-politics-db50c6f709b1706886a876ae6ac298e2 |title=Trump openly embraces, amplifies QAnon conspiracy theories|newspaper=Associated Press |first1=David |last1=Klepper |first2=Ali |last2=Swenson |date=September 16, 2022 |access-date=September 18, 2020}}</ref>

====Mike Pence====

On August 21, 2020, Vice President Mike Pence said that he did not "know anything about" QAnon except that it was a conspiracy theory that he "dismisse[d] out of hand".<ref name="Forbes-on-Pence-does-not-know">{{cite news |last=Jack Brewster |title=Pence Dismisses QAnon – But Avoids Criticizing Trump Or His Role In Pushing Theory |date=August 21, 2020 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2020/08/21/pence-dismisses-qanon-but-avoids-criticizing-trump-or-his-role-pushing-theory/ |work=Forbes |access-date=August 26, 2020}}</ref> When asked whether he would acknowledge the administration's role in "giving oxygen" to the belief, Pence shook his head and said, "Give me a break."<ref name="Forbes-on-Pence-does-not-know" /> Pence also commented that the media giving attention to QAnon amounted to "[chasing] shiny objects".<ref name="Politico-on-Pence-does-not-know">{{cite news |last=Matthew Choi |title=Pence denies hearing Trump embrace QAnon |date=August 21, 2020 |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/21/mike-pence-trump-qanon-embrace-399917 |work=Politico |access-date=August 26, 2020}}</ref>

After the election, as the date of College vote count approached and Pence showed no intention of blocking the certification of Biden's win, QAnon figures vilified him as a traitor.<ref>{{citation|last=Palmer|first=Ewan |title=QAnon Figures Share Parody Fake Emails on Mike Pence 'Conspiring' Against Trump |date=January 6, 2021 |url= https://www.newsweek.com/qanon-mike-pence-trump-lin-wood-1559280 |work=Newsweek |access-date=February 11, 2022}}</ref> After Pence's lawyers fought a lawsuit that aimed to make him refuse to count electoral votes for Biden, Lin Wood said that Pence would "face execution by firing squad" for "treason".<ref name = PenceExecution>{{cite news|last1=Rawnsley|first1=Adam|date=January 1, 2021|title=Trump Team Backs Away From Lin Wood After Pence Tweets|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-team-runs-away-from-lin-wood-after-pence-tweets|access-date=January 2, 2021}}</ref> A few hours before the count started on January 6, Wood tweeted that Pence should resign immediately and that charges should be brought against him.<ref>{{cite news |work=Law & Crime |url=https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/pro-trump-woman-shot-and-killed-at-u-s-capitol-retweeted-attorney-lin-woods-must-be-done-list-before-she-died/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |title=Pro-Trump Woman Shot and Killed at U.S. Capitol Retweeted Attorney Lin Wood's 'Must Be Done' List Before She Died |first=Aaron |last=Keller |date=January 6, 2021}}</ref> After the attack on the Capitol, Wood called Pence a "child molester" on Twitter.<ref name="Glee">{{Cite news|last1=Timberg|first1=Craig|last2=Harwell|first2=Drew|last3=Nakhlawi|first3=Razzan|last4=Smith|first4=Harrison|date=January 7, 2021|title='Nothing can stop what's coming': Far-right forums that fomented Capitol riots voice glee in aftermath|newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}}|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/07/trump-online-siege/|access-date=January 7, 2021}}</ref> After his Twitter account was suspended, Wood used [[Software:Parler|Parler]] to call again for Pence's execution by firing squad.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Brewster|first=Jack|date=January 7, 2021|title=Lin Wood—Lawyer Closely Tied To President Trump—Permanently Banned From Twitter After Claiming Capitol Siege Was 'Staged'|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/jackbrewster/2021/01/07/lin-wood-lawyer-closely-tied-to-trump-permanently-banned-from-twitter-after-claiming-capitol-siege-was-staged/|access-date=January 7, 2021|website={{wipe|Forbes}}}}</ref>

====Michael Flynn====
Former lieutenant general and head of the Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Flynn, who served as Trump's National Security Advisor, became popular among QAnon followers, who took a 2016 quote from Flynn about Trump having been elected by an "army of digital soldiers"<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Rondeaux|first1=Candace |date=June 27, 2021|title=The Digital general |url=https://theintercept.com/2021/06/27/qanon-michael-flynn-digital-soldiers/ |access-date=February 11, 2022 |website=The Intercept}}</ref> and started calling themselves "digital soldiers".<ref name=":8">{{cite news|last1=Sommer|first1=Will|date=December 29, 2020|title=Michael Flynn Is Now Selling QAnon Merch|website=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/michael-flynn-is-now-selling-qanon-merch/|access-date=February 21, 2021}}</ref>

[[File:Michael Flynn 140726-D-UB587-003.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Michael Flynn was one of QAnon's most high-profile promoters, before claiming to reject the conspiracy theory in late 2021.]]
In August 2019, a "Digital Soldiers Conference" was announced for the next month in Atlanta. The stated purpose was to prepare "patriotic social media warriors" for a coming "digital civil war" against "censorship and suppression". The announcement of the event prominently displayed a Q spelled in stars on the blue field of an American flag.<ref name="flynn papadopoulos">{{Cite web |last1=Friedman |first1=Dan |last2=Breland |first2=Ali |date=August 13, 2019 |title=Michael Flynn and George Papadopoulos are scheduled to speak at a conference organized by a QAnon supporter |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/08/michael-flynn-and-george-papadopoulos-are-scheduled-to-speak-at-a-conference-organized-by-a-qanon-supporter/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=Mother Jones}}</ref><ref name="noncitizen">{{Cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Amy |last2=Crites |first2=Alice |date=July 21, 2019 |title=Secret donors and Trump allies: Inside the operation to push noncitizen voting laws in Florida and other states |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-donors-and-trump-allies-inside-the-operation-to-push-noncitizen-voting-laws-in-florida-and-other-states/2019/07/21/e0604e2e-a359-11e9-b8c8-75dae2607e60_story.html |access-date=April 19, 2021}}</ref> Scheduled speakers for the event, which was hosted by [[Software:Yippy|Yippy]] CEO Rich Granville,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Friedman |first=Dan |date=August 16, 2019 |title=Michael Flynn wants a judge to allow him to travel to a conference held by a QAnon fan |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/08/michael-flynn-wants-a-judge-to-allow-him-to-travel-to-a-conference-held-by-a-qanon-fan/ |website=Mother Jones |access-date=April 19, 2021}}</ref> included Flynn and George Papadopoulos, as well as Gina Loudon, a Trump friend and member of his campaign media advisory board, singer Joy Villa, and Bill Mitchell, a radio host and ardent Trump supporter.<ref name="flynn papadopoulos" /><ref name="noncitizen" />

On July 4, 2020, Flynn posted to his Twitter account a video of himself leading a small group in an oath with the QAnon motto, "Where we go one, we go all".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Connolly |first=Griffin |date=July 5, 2020 |title=Former Trump aide Flynn appears to make pledge to QAnon in July 4 video |work=The Independent |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-flynn-qanon-conspiracy-theory-independence-day-speech-slogan-a9602596.html |access-date=April 19, 2021}}</ref> Analysts said the oath was part of QAnon's attempt to organize "digital soldiers" for the political and social apocalypse they see coming. Flynn's apparent declaration of allegiance to QAnon made him the most prominent former government official to endorse the conspiracy theory.<ref name="flynn slogans" /> Member of Trump's legal team and Flynn's representative Sidney Powell denied that the oath was related to QAnon.{{efn|She said it was engraved on a bell on [[Biography:John F. Kennedy|John F. Kennedy]]'s sailboat. This is not true, although the quote has been attributed to Kennedy by Q. Kennedy's sailboat, ''Victura'', did not have a bell, and the phrase does not appear on the Kennedy family's yacht, the ''Honey Fitz''. The phrase is shown on a boat in the 1996 movie ''White Squall'', and screenshots from this movie have been spread by QAnon followers as supposed proof of their claims.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=Marshall |title=Michael Flynn posts video featuring QAnon slogans |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/07/politics/michael-flynn-qanon-video/index.html |access-date=February 20, 2022 |publisher=CNN Politics |date=July 8, 2020}}</ref>{{sfn|Bloom|Moskalenko|2021|p=21|loc=Chapt.1}}}} During the preceding days, numerous QAnon followers took the same "digital soldier oath" on Twitter, and used the same #TakeTheOath hashtag Flynn did.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jarvis |first=Jacob |date=July 6, 2020 |title=Michael Flynn's Lawyer Denies Ex-Trump Aide Intentionally Used QAnon Slogan |url=https://www.newsweek.com/michael-flynn-lawyer-denies-qanon-slogan-1515574 |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=Newsweek}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Chapman |first=Matthew |date=June 27, 2020 |title=GOP Senate candidate films herself taking QAnon 'digital soldier oath' |url=https://www.rawstory.com/2020/06/gop-senate-candidate-films-herself-taking-qanon-digital-soldier-oath/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |website=Raw Story}}</ref>

After his November 2020 pardon and the election results, Flynn became more closely associated with QAnon, endorsing a website that sold QAnon merchandise,<ref name=":8" /> creating a Digital Soldiers media company,<ref name="wildride" /> and saying he planned to launch a news media outlet also called "Digital soldiers".<ref name=":8" /> He appeared on various far-right media, pushing QAnon-affiliated conspiracy theories. Flynn's activism fueled speculation among QAnon followers that he would help them take control,<ref name="wildride" /> or that he was Q himself.<ref name=":8" /> QAnon supporters expressed their commitment in social media posts by using the phrase "Fight like a Flynn" or variations thereof.<ref name="glossary" />
[[File:QAnon_USA_Flag.svg|thumb|right|A QAnon flag based on the flag of the United States<ref name="flynn papadopoulos" />|alt=A modified version of the American flag with ten white stars and three gold stars forming a letter Q in the canton]]
In February 2021, several weeks after the Capitol riot, Flynn distanced himself from QAnon theories by saying in an interview: "There's no plan. There's so many people out there asking, ‘Is the plan happening?’ We have what we have, and we have to accept the situation as it is." But he did not outright disavow the QAnon movement.<ref name="wildride" /> In May 2021, Flynn was a keynote speaker at the "For God & Country: Patriot Roundup" conference organized in Dallas, Texas by QAnon influencer John Sabal.<ref name="VicePatriotRoundup">{{cite news |last1=Gilbert |first1=David |title=QAnon's Wildest Moments From Their Massively Disturbing Conference |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7bebg/qanon-conference-wildest-moments-from-patriot-roundup-dallas |access-date=February 10, 2022 |work=Vice News |date=May 31, 2021}}</ref><ref name="powercouple">{{cite news |last1=Vaughn |first1=Jacob|title=A QAnon Power Couple Is Behind the For God & Country Patriot Roundup |url=https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/a-qanon-couple-is-behind-the-for-god-and-country-patriot-roundup-at-dallas-hotels-12003194 |access-date=February 14, 2022 |work=Dallas Observer |date=April 6, 2021}}</ref> At the end of the year, though, Flynn appeared to have rejected QAnon as a whole.<ref name="flynnsnopes" />

In March 2021, Flynn's brother, retired lieutenant general Jack Flynn, and his wife filed a $75 million defamation suit against CNN, alleging the network had falsely accused them of being QAnon followers. They asserted that the video Flynn had posted in July 2020, which CNN had broadcast, depicted their pledging an oath to the Constitution, not to QAnon. The suit claimed Flynn alone had recited the QAnon motto, "where we go one, we go all", though the video showed all the other participants had done so. The plaintiffs also said they "are not followers or supporters of any extremist or terrorist groups, including QAnon".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Moore |first1=Thomas |title=Michael Flynn's brother sues CNN for $75M over QAnon reports |url=https://thehill.com/homenews/media/545225-michael-flynns-brother-sues-cnn-for-75m |access-date=April 19, 2021 |work=The Hill |date=March 27, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Takala |first1=Rudy |title=Michael Flynn's Family Files $75 Million Defamation Suit Against CNN Over Segment Claiming They Support QAnon |url=https://www.mediaite.com/news/michael-flynns-family-files-75-million-defamation-suit-against-cnn-over-segment-claiming-they-support-qanon/ |access-date=April 19, 2021 |work=Mediaite |date=March 26, 2021}}</ref><ref name="flynn slogans" /> In December 2021, federal district court judge Gregory Howard Woods largely rejected CNN's motion to dismiss the case, allowing it to proceed to determine whether the Flynns had been portrayed in a false light.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gerstein |first1=Josh |title=Judge allows Michael Flynn relatives to proceed with suit against CNN |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/16/michael-flynn-relatives-cnn-lawsuit-525200 |work=Politico |date=December 16, 2021 |access-date=February 27, 2023 }}</ref>

====Lin Wood====

[[File:President Donald Trump and Lin Wood (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright|Lawyer Lin Wood promoted QAnon and other conspiracy theories as part of his attempts to overturn the election and discredit Supreme Court justices.]]
Attorney Lin Wood, who worked with Trump's reelection campaign and participated in the election lawsuits, promoted QAnon conspiracy theories. His Twitter profile included the hashtag #WWG1WGA, a slogan associated with QAnon.<ref name="LinWood-1">References:
* {{cite news|last=Johnson|first=Larry|date=November 24, 2020|title=Cobb County Responds To Second Video Circulated By Lin Wood|url=https://cobbcountycourier.com/2020/11/cobb-county-responds-to-second-video-circulated-by-lin-wood/|work=Cobb County Courier|access-date=November 24, 2020}}
* {{cite news |title=Meet the lawyers behind the 'Kraken' election conspiracy lawsuits |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/kraken-lawsuits-idUSL1N2ID1Q2 |access-date=January 5, 2021 |work={{wipe|Reuters}} |first=David |last=Thomas |date=November 27, 2020}}</ref> Among other baseless QAnon-associated claims, he accused Chief Justice John Roberts of child rape and murder. Wood also claimed that QAnon supporter Isaac Kappy was murdered for attempting to transmit information to Trump.<ref name="LinWood-2">References:
* {{cite news |last1=Gilbert |first1=David |title=Pro-Trump Lawyer Lin Wood Is Doing a Helluva Job Convincing People He's Not Insane |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8pnb/pro-trump-lawyer-lin-wood-is-doing-a-helluva-job-convincing-people-hes-not-insane |access-date=January 5, 2021 |work=[[Company:Vice News|Vice News]] |date=January 5, 2021}}
* {{cite news |last1=Goforth |first1=Clair |title=Trump-aligned attorney says he's teamed with 'Lizard Squad' to prove Supreme Court harbors pedophiles |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/trump-attorney-lizard-squad/ |access-date=January 5, 2021 |work=[[Company:The Daily Dot|The Daily Dot]] |date=January 4, 2021}}</ref> On January 11, 2021, Delaware Superior Court Judge Craig A. Karsnitz cited Wood's social media postings in his reasons for an order revoking Wood's right to appear before the court.<ref name="LinWood-3">References:
* {{cite news|title = Judge boots Trump attorney from Carter Page defamation suit|first = Randall|last = Chase|date = January 12, 2021|access-date = January 14, 2021|work = AP news|publisher = Associated Press|url = https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-donald-trump-georgia-wisconsin-lawsuits-840308687a5e8de21c7f50d59f394892}}
* {{cite court|litigants = Memorandum and Order following the Issuance of a Rule to Show Cause (Page v. Oath, Inc.)|url = https://www.bloomberglaw.com/public/desktop/document/CARTERPAGEVSOATHINCDocketNoS20C07030DelSuperCtJul272020CourtDocke/2?1610449714|via = bloomberglaw.com|opinion = S20C-07-030 CAK|date = January 11, 2021|access-date = January 14, 2021|court = Super. Del.}}</ref> Karsnitz said that he had "no doubt" that Wood's tweets played a role in inciting the attack on the Capitol.<ref name="LinWood-4">{{cite news |title=Del. judge blocks Lin Wood as repercussions grow for lawyers who pressed election claims |work={{wipe|Reuters}} |date=January 12, 2021 |first=David |last=Thomas |access-date=January 14, 2021 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/wood-delaware-idUSL1N2JN378 }}</ref>

====Sidney Powell====

Attorney Sidney Powell, a member of Trump's legal team, denied knowledge of QAnon in January 2020,<ref name="Powell-5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/01/17/maga-lawyer-behind-michael-flynn-legal-strategy-098712|title=The #MAGA Lawyer Behind Michael Flynn's Scorched-Earth Legal Strategy|first=Keith|last=Kloor|website=Politico|date=January 17, 2020|access-date=November 15, 2020|archive-date=November 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201115032301/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/01/17/maga-lawyer-behind-michael-flynn-legal-strategy-098712|url-status=live}}</ref> though in the following months she retweeted major QAnon accounts and catchphrases and appeared on QAnon channels on YouTube.<ref name="Powell-4">{{Cite web|last=Gilbert|first=David|date=November 20, 2020|title=Trump's Lawyer Sidney Powell Is Hardcore QAnon|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8n8w/trumps-lawyer-sidney-powell-is-hardcore-qanon|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120175449/https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx8n8w/trumps-lawyer-sidney-powell-is-hardcore-qanon|archive-date=November 20, 2020|access-date=November 20, 2020|website=Vice}}</ref>

After leaving Trump's team, Powell remained involved in post-election lawsuits and was embraced by QAnon followers, discouraged that predictions of a Trump landslide victory and coming revelations about his enemies had not materialized.<ref name="Powell-3">References:
* {{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/24/business/sidney-powell-qanon/index.html|title=Sidney Powell is a beacon of hope to sad Qanon supporters|first=Donie|last=O'Sullivan|date=November 24, 2020 |work=CNN |access-date=February 27, 2023 }}
* {{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/release-the-kraken-a-catchphrase-for-unfounded-conspiracy-theory-trends-on-twitter.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117190229/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/17/technology/release-the-kraken-a-catchphrase-for-unfounded-conspiracy-theory-trends-on-twitter.html |archive-date=November 17, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title='Release the Kraken,' a catchphrase for unfounded conspiracy theory, trends on Twitter. |first=Davey |last=Alba |date=November 17, 2020 |access-date=February 27, 2023 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> Powell's evidence in the lawsuit she filed in Georgia to overturn the election result included an affidavit from Ron Watkins. In this document, Watkins stated that his reading of an online user guide for Dominion Voting Systems software led him to conclude that election fraud might be "within the realm of possibility". Watkins did not provide any evidence of fraud.<ref name="Powell-2">{{cite news |last1=Harwell |first1=Drew |title=To boost voter-fraud claims, Trump advocate Sidney Powell turns to unusual source: The longtime operator of QAnon's Internet home |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/01/powell-cites-qanon-watkins/ |access-date=December 2, 2020 |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |date=December 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20201202013516/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/12/01/powell-cites-qanon-watkins/ |archive-date=December 2, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2021, Powell asserted that Trump "can simply be reinstated" that "a new inauguration date is set". The date for this was supposedly August 13 of the same year.<ref name="Powell-1">References:
* {{Cite web|last=Relman|first=Eliza|date=May 31, 2021|title=Ex-Trump lawyer Sidney Powell showed up to a QAnon conference in a biker vest and falsely claimed Trump could be 'reinstated' as president|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/ex-trump-lawyer-sidney-powell-tells-qanon-crowd-trump-can-be-reinstated-as-president-2021-5|access-date=June 1, 2021|website=Business Insider}}
* {{Cite web |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/06/01/politics/powell-trump-inauguration-fact-check/index.html |access-date=February 27, 2023 |title=Fact check: No, Trump can't 'simply be reinstated' as president |first=Tara |last=Subramaniam |date=June 2021 |work=CNN}}</ref>

====Kelly Townsend====

Former Arizona State Senator Kelly Townsend is a longtime conspiracy theorist, feeding conspiracies such as the Obama birther conspiracy to Trump before he was elected.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.nytimes.com/thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/trump-plans-meeting-on-arizona-birth-bill/ | title=Trump Plans Meeting on Arizona Birth Bill | date=April 7, 2011 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-best-reads/2016/10/16/how-arizona-became-ground-zero-birthers/91924322/ | title=How Arizona became ground zero for 'birthers' }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://sonorannews.com/2016/09/26/surprise-tea-party-patriots-pack-hall-arpaio-zullo/ | title=Surprise Tea Party Patriots pack hall for Arpaio and Zullo | date=September 26, 2016 }}</ref> She posted the QAnon "Q" symbol to her social media account in 2018 and has consistently aligned with QAnon theories, including calling all vaccines "communist".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bella |first=Timothy |date=2019-03-01 |title='Something is in those vaccines': Lawmaker says mandatory measles shots are 'Communist' |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/01/something-is-those-vaccines-lawmaker-says-mandatory-shots-are-communist-idea/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> In 2021, Townsend supported activists active in the election denial movement in a spirit similar to the events that occurred at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, urging parents to take control of school board meetings related to COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.azmirror.com/2021/05/27/protesting-masks-and-racism-education-the-patriots-take-on-arizonas-school-boards/ | title=Protesting masks and racism education, the 'patriots' take on Arizona's school boards | date=May 27, 2021 }}</ref> Throughout the process of securing the Arizona audit conducted by QAnon conspiracy theorist Doug Logan from Cyber Ninjas, Townsend worked closely with QAnon adherent Liz Harris, who rented one of her condos to QAnon board owner Ron Watkins so he could run for office in Arizona in 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.azmirror.com/2021/10/21/ron-watkins-qanon-to-congress-arizona/ | title=Ron Watkins hopes to move from QAnon to Congress. And he needs Arizona voters to do so | date=October 21, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a36343798/arizona-election-audit-good-vs-evil/ | title=They're Hunting Satan Amongst the Ballots in the Election 'Audit' Out in Arizona | date=May 5, 2021 }}</ref>

Along with Roger Stone associate Jerome Corsi, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, and 2020 Maricopa County Sheriff candidate and then chief Arpaio staffer Jerry Sheridan, Townsend worked with informant Dennis Montgomery.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kjzz.org/content/196890/chief-deputy-sheriff's-office-paid-250k-informant's-secret-investigation|title=KJIZ}}</ref> In 2020, she worked with Corsi again, claiming the 2020 election was stolen from Trump and emailing Corsi a document of Arizona senators endorsing Trump electors in an attempt to overturn the 2020 election.<ref name="americanoversight.org">{{cite news | url=https://www.americanoversight.org/in-the-documents-new-details-about-the-origins-of-the-arizona-senates-discredited-election-audit | title=In the Documents: New Details About the Origins of the Arizona Senate's Discredited Election 'Audit' – American Oversight | newspaper=American Oversight | date=March 7, 2022 | author1=Jaci }}</ref> In the lead-up to January 6, 2021, Townsend sponsored a bill that would designate Trump electors from Arizona and promoted the Arizona audit and stolen election claims.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.pinalcentral.com/san_tan_valley_sentinel/local_news/townsends-bill-would-give-trump-arizonas-11-electoral-votes/article_3cab1975-7862-5ee2-8cc2-b426792f4db5.html | title=Townsend's bill would give Trump Arizona's 11 electoral votes | date=January 5, 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/lone-arizona-republican-votes-no-blocking-passage-voting-bill-n1264885 | title='You want to see a temper tantrum?': Arizona Republican sides with Democrats, blocks voting bill | website=NBC News | date=April 23, 2021 }}</ref>

====Liz Harris====

After Arizona legislative QAnon adherent Kelly Townsend was voted out of office in the 2022 midterms, Liz Harris, also a prominent QAnon influencer, was elected for a short time before being expelled for lying during an ethics investigation. <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/liz-harris-arizona-house-expelled-qanon-rcna79527 | title=QAnon conspiracy theorist expelled from Arizona House over dangerous lies | website=MSNBC | date=April 13, 2023 }}</ref> <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/z3mxna/arizona-liz-harris-expelled-qanon|title=The Far Right Is Hailing Expelled Arizona Lawmaker and QAnon Fan as a Hero|first=David|last=Gilbert|date=April 13, 2023}}</ref>

==Online==
===QDrops app===
QDrops, an app that promoted the conspiracy theory, was published on the [[Company:Apple Inc.|Apple]] [[Software:App Store (iOS)|App Store]] and [[Software:Google Play|Google Play]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=June 10, 2018|title=QDrops App {{!}} Redpill with ease! #QAnon|url=https://qdropsapp.com/|access-date=February 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610000327/https://qdropsapp.com/|archive-date=June 10, 2018}}</ref> It became the most popular paid app in Apple's online store's "entertainment" section in April 2018, and the tenth-most popular paid app overall. It was published by Tiger Team Inc, a North Carolina couple, Richard and Adalita Brown.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Apple Yanks QAnon-Themed App From App Store After Reporters Notice, Still on Play Store Though|url=https://gizmodo.com/apple-yanks-qanon-themed-app-from-app-store-after-repor-1827646947 |first=Tom |last=McKay |date=July 17, 2018 |access-date=February 15, 2021|website=Gizmodo}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=July 17, 2018|title=Apple Pulls Right-Wing Conspiracy QDrops App From App Store|url=https://www.macobserver.com/news/right-wing-conspiracy-app/ |first=Andrew |last=Orr |access-date=February 15, 2021|website=The Mac Observer}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Apple pulls 'QDrops' from App Store, for-pay app pushed wild conspiracy theory|url=https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/07/17/apple-pulls-qdrops-from-app-store-for-pay-app-pushed-wild-pro-trump-conspiracy-theory |first=Stephen |last=Silver |date=July 17, 2018 |access-date=February 15, 2021|website=AppleInsider}}</ref> On July 15, 2018, Apple pulled the app after an inquiry from NBC News.<ref name="nbcnews">{{Cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Zadrozny |first2=Brandy |date=July 16, 2018 |title=Apple, Google cashed in on Pizzagate-offshoot conspiracy app |publisher=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/exclusive-apple-google-cashed-pizzagate-offshoot-conspiracy-app-n891726 |access-date=July 19, 2018}}</ref>

In mid-May 2020, Google removed three other apps{{snd}}QMAP, Q Alerts! and Q Alerts LITE{{snd}}from the Android app store for violating its terms of service.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kaplan|first=Alex|date=May 21, 2020|title=After months of inaction, Google has finally removed QAnon apps that violated terms of service from its store|url=https://www.mediamatters.org/qanon-conspiracy-theory/after-months-inaction-google-has-finally-removed-qanon-apps-violated-terms|access-date=February 15, 2021|publisher=Media Matters for America}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Nieva|first=Richard|date=May 21, 2020|title=Google removes QAnon apps from Play Store for violating terms|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/google-removes-qanon-apps-from-play-store-for-violating-terms/|access-date=February 15, 2021|publisher=CNET}}</ref>

===Anti-QAnon subreddits===
Some social media forums, such as the subreddits r/QAnonCasualties and r/ReQovery, aim to assist either former followers and supporters of QAnon conspiracies or those whose family members engaged in the conspiracy.<ref name=vox201118/>

===Removal of content===
In March 2018, [[Company:Reddit|Reddit]] banned one of its communities discussing QAnon, /r/CBTS_Stream, for "encouraging or inciting violence and posting personal and confidential information".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wyrich |first=Andrew |date=March 15, 2018 |title=Reddit bans popular deep state conspiracy forum for 'inciting violence' |url=https://www.dailydot.com/layer8/reddit-bans-r-cbts_stream/ |access-date=April 5, 2018 |website=The Daily Dot}}</ref> Some followers moved to [[Software:Discord|Discord]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alexander |first=Julia |date=March 15, 2018 |title=How closely do Discord and Reddit work together? |url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/3/15/17123964/reddit-discord-server-bans-cbts-uncensored-news |access-date=April 5, 2018 |website=Polygon}}</ref> Several other communities were formed for discussion of QAnon, leading to further bans on September 12, 2018, in response to these communities "inciting violence, harassment, and the dissemination of personal information", which led to thousands of followers regrouping on Voat,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stephen |first=Bijan |date=September 12, 2018 |title=Reddit's QAnon ban points to how it's tracking toxic communities |url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/9/12/17847186/reddit-qanon-milliondollarextreme-ban-sam-hyde |access-date=September 12, 2018 |website=The Verge}}</ref> a {{wipe|Switzerland}}-based Reddit clone that has been described as a hub for the alt-right.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sinders |first=Caroline |date=September 27, 2017 |title=There's an alt-right version of everything |url=https://qz.com/1086797/theres-an-alt-right-version-of-everything/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116193347/https://qz.com/1086797/theres-an-alt-right-version-of-everything/ |archive-date=January 16, 2018 |access-date=September 19, 2018 |website=Quartz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Roose |first=Kevin |date=December 11, 2018 |title=The 'alt-right' created a parallel internet. It's a holy mess |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/11/the-alt-right-created-a-parallel-internet-its-a-holy-mess.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116193357/https://www.cnbc.com/2017/12/11/the-alt-right-created-a-parallel-internet-its-a-holy-mess.html |archive-date=January 16, 2018 |access-date=September 19, 2018 |website=CNBC}}</ref> In early 2019, Twitter removed accounts suspected of being connected to the Russian [[Organization:Internet Research Agency|Internet Research Agency]] that had disseminated a high volume of QAnon-related tweets that used the #WWG1WGA slogan.<ref name="russian troll">{{Cite news |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Murphy |first2=Joe |date=February 2, 2019 |title=Russian troll accounts purged by Twitter pushed Qanon and other conspiracy theories |publisher=NBC News |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/russian-troll-accounts-purged-twitter-pushed-qanon-other-conspiracy-theories-n966091 |access-date=October 4, 2020}}</ref>

In May 2020, Facebook announced its removal of five pages, 20 accounts, and six groups linked to "individuals associated with the QAnon network" as part of an investigation into "suspected coordinated inauthentic behavior" ahead of the 2020 United States election.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2020 |title=April 2020 Coordinated Inauthentic Behavior Report |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/05/april-cib-report/ |access-date=May 11, 2020 |website=About Facebook}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=May 5, 2020 |title=Facebook removes accounts linked to QAnon conspiracy theory |url=https://apnews.com/article/0fdbc9ae690c64c0e3e9d26f9d93aab0 |first=Barbara |last=Ortutay |access-date=May 11, 2020 |publisher=Associated Press}}</ref> On August 19, Facebook expanded its [[Organization:Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy|Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy]] to address "growing movements that, while not directly organizing violence, have celebrated violent acts, shown that they have weapons and suggest they will use them, or have individual followers with patterns of violent behavior". As a result of this increased vigilance, Facebook reported having already "removed over 790 groups, 100 Pages and 1,500 ads tied to QAnon from Facebook, blocked over 300 hashtags across Facebook and Instagram, and additionally imposed restrictions on over 1,950 Groups and 440 Pages on Facebook and over 10,000 accounts on Instagram".<ref>{{Cite web |date=August 19, 2020 |title=An Update to How We Address Movements and Organizations Tied to Violence |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/addressing-movements-and-organizations-tied-to-violence/ |access-date=August 20, 2020 |website= Facebook}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Robinson |first1=Olga |last2=Coleman |first2=Alistair |last3=Carmichael |first3=Flora |date=August 20, 2020 |title=QAnon: Facebook takes action on conspiracy groups |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-53849295 |access-date=August 20, 2020 |publisher=BBC News}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ortutay |first=Barbara |date=August 20, 2020 |title=Facebook bans some, but not all, QAnon groups and accounts |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/facebook-bans-qanon-groups-accounts-72474326 |access-date=August 22, 2020 |work=ABC News}}</ref> In the month after its August announcement, Facebook said it deleted 1,500 QAnon groups; such groups by then had four million followers. In October 2020, Facebook said it would immediately begin removing "any Facebook Pages, Groups and Instagram accounts representing QAnon, even if they contain no violent content". The company said it would immediately ban any group representing QAnon.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Murphy |first1=Hannah |last2=Venkataramakrishnan |first2=Siddharth |date=October 6, 2020 |title=Facebook to remove all QAnon pages ahead of US election |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/53c9311b-8590-49a7-8904-de6adb4ca931 |access-date=October 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Wong |first=Julia Carrie |date=October 7, 2020 |title=Facebook to ban QAnon-themed groups, pages and accounts in crackdown |work={{wipe|The Guardian}} |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/oct/06/qanon-facebook-ban-conspiracy-theory-groups |access-date=October 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=August 19, 2020 |title=An Update to How We Address Movements and Organizations Tied to Violence (Update on October 6, 2020) |url=https://about.fb.com/news/2020/08/addressing-movements-and-organizations-tied-to-violence/ |access-date=October 6, 2020 |website=About Facebook}}</ref>

In July 2020, Twitter announced it was banning more than 7,000 accounts connected to QAnon for coordinated amplification of fake news and conspiracy theories. In a press release, Twitter said, "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." It also said that the actions could apply to over 150,000 accounts.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Iyengar |first=Rishi |date=July 21, 2020 |title=Twitter takes down 7,000 accounts linked to QAnon |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/21/tech/twitter-qanon-crackdown/index.html |access-date=July 22, 2020 |publisher=CNN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Zadrozny |first2=Brandy |date=July 22, 2020 |title=Twitter bans 7,000 QAnon accounts, limits 150,000 others as part of broad crackdown |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-bans-7-000-qanon-accounts-limits-150-000-others-n1234541 |access-date=July 22, 2020 |publisher=NBC News}}</ref>

Facebook banned all QAnon groups and pages in October 2020. That day, QAnon followers speculated that the action was part of a complex Trump administration strategy to begin arresting its enemies, or that Facebook was attempting to silence news of this occurring; neither is true. Some followers speculated that a Justice Department "national security" news conference scheduled for the next day would relate to charges against Democrats, including Hillary Clinton. The Justice Department actually announced the investigation and arrest of [[Religion:Islamic State|Islamic State]] members.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Frenkel |first=Sheera |date=October 7, 2020 |title=Tracking Viral Misinformation Ahead of the 2020 Election |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2020/2020-election-misinformation-distortions |access-date=April 19, 2021 |newspaper={{wipe|The New York Times}}}}</ref> Etsy also announced that it would remove all QAnon-related merchandise from its online marketplace.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kan |first=Michael |date=October 7, 2020 |title=Etsy to Remove All QAnon Merchandise |url=https://www.pcmag.com/news/etsy-to-remove-all-qanon-merchandise |access-date=October 7, 2020 |website=PC Magazine}}</ref> The products were still available there as of January 2021.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Way |first1=Katie |title=Etsy Is Full of QAnon and Insurrection Merch |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/93wznd/etsy-is-full-of-qanon-and-insurrection-merch |access-date=January 25, 2022 |work=Vice News |date=January 13, 2021}}</ref> 

In an interview with CNN, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki said much QAnon material was "borderline content" that did not explicitly break its rules, but that changes in the site's methodology for recommendations had reduced views of QAnon-related content by 80%.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Yurieff|first=Kaya|date=October 12, 2020|title=YouTube CEO won't say if company will ban QAnon|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/12/tech/youtube-susan-wojcicki-boss-files/index.html|access-date=October 15, 2020|publisher=CNN}}</ref> Three days later, YouTube announced that it had modified its hate and harassment policies to bar "content that targets an individual or group with conspiracy theories that have been used to justify real-world violence", such as QAnon and Pizzagate.<ref>{{cite news|last=Roose|first=Kevin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/technology/youtube-bans-qanon-violence.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015151219/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/technology/youtube-bans-qanon-violence.html |archive-date=October 15, 2020 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|title=YouTube Cracks Down on QAnon Conspiracy Theory, Citing Offline Violence|work=The New York Times|date=October 15, 2020|access-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/harmful-conspiracy-theories-youtube|title=Managing harmful conspiracy theories on YouTube|via=YouTube |date=October 15, 2020|access-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref> It would still allow content discussing QAnon if it did not target individuals.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Dwoskin|first1=Elizabeth|last2=Stanley-Becker|first2=Isaac|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/15/youtube-qanon-crackdown/|title=YouTube joins Silicon Valley peers in preelection QAnon clampdown
|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=October 15, 2020|access-date=October 15, 2020}}</ref>

Hashtags and accounts associated with QAnon have since been banned by numerous social networks including Facebook,<ref>{{cite news |title=Facebook bans QAnon conspiracy theory accounts across all platforms |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-54443878 |access-date=January 25, 2022 |publisher=BBC News |date=October 6, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Sullivan |first1=Donie |last2=Yurieff |first2=Kaya |last3=Bourdet |first3=Kelly |title=Facebook cracks down on QAnon hashtag #SaveOurChildren |url=https://edition.cnn.com/tech/live-news/social-media-misinformation-october/h_1d30dc1859947caeb2797638918ffb26 |access-date=January 25, 2022 |publisher=CNN |date=October 13, 2020}}</ref> Twitter,<ref>{{cite news |title=Twitter suspends 70,000 accounts linked to QAnon |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-55638558 |access-date=January 25, 2022 |publisher=BBC News |date=January 12, 2021}}</ref> [[Software:TikTok|TikTok]],<ref>{{cite news |last1=Spring |first1=Marianna |title=QAnon: TikTok blocks QAnon conspiracy theory hashtags |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-53528400 |access-date=January 25, 2022 |publisher=BBC News |date=July 24, 2020}}</ref> and [[Software:Instagram|Instagram]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cohen |first1=David |title=Facebook and Instagram Aim to Remove All QAnon Content |url=https://www.adweek.com/performance-marketing/facebook-and-instagram-aim-to-remove-all-qanon-content/ |access-date=January 25, 2022 |work=AdWeek |date=October 6, 2020}}</ref> In particular, the 2021 United States Capitol attack led to a crackdown on QAnon-related content on social media platforms during the days that followed. Twitter suspended Lin Wood's account on January 7<ref>{{Cite web|last=Klar|first=Rebecca|date=January 7, 2021|title=Twitter permanently removes pro-Trump lawyer Lin Wood from platform|url=https://thehill.com/policy/technology/533132-twitter-permanently-removes-pro-trump-lawyer-lin-wood-from-platform|access-date=January 7, 2021|website=The Hill}}</ref> and those of Sidney Powell, Michael Flynn and other high-profile QAnon figures the next day.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Collins|first1=Ben|last2=Zadrozny|first2=Brandy|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/twitter-bans-michael-flynn-sidney-powell-qanon-account-purge-n1253550|title=Twitter bans Michael Flynn, Sidney Powell in QAnon account purge|publisher=NBC News|date=January 8, 2021|access-date=January 8, 2021}}</ref> On January 12, Facebook and Twitter announced that they were removing "Stop the Steal" content and suspending 70,000 QAnon-focused accounts, respectively.<ref name="Booker" /><ref name="AP-Twitter" /> More waves of deletions followed on various platforms.<ref name="NYT-DigitalSoldier" /> Amazon removed a pro-QAnon book after the Capitol riots, and many platforms took action against QAnon-related content after the incident.{{sfn|Rothschild|2021|pp=70–72}} In May 2021, a report published by the [[Organization:Atlantic Council|Atlantic Council]] concluded that QAnon content was "evaporating" from the mainstream web.<ref name="evaporating" /> 

===Migration to alt-tech===
The mass deletions of QAnon-related accounts on the most popular social media outlets led many members of the movement to migrate to alt-tech platforms. [[Software:Parler|Parler]] is one such "free speech" social media platform that grew in popularity among QAnon followers and conservatives in general in early 2021.{{efn|A lot of Parler's content relates to QAnon or far-right extremist ideologies,<ref>{{cite news|first1=Craig|last1=Timberg|first2=Isaac|last2=Stanley-Becker|access-date=November 23, 2020|title=QAnon learns to survive – and even thrive – after Silicon Valley's crackdown|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/28/qanon-crackdown-election/|newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}}|archive-date=November 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119211233/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/10/28/qanon-crackdown-election/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="BBC-2020-11-09">{{Cite news |last=Sardarizadeh |first=Shayan |date=November 9, 2020|title=Parler 'free speech' app tops charts in wake of Trump defeat|publisher=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54873800 |url-status=live |access-date=November 10, 2020 |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109235624/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-54873800}}</ref> and it was taken down by Amazon Web Services in the days following the Capitol attack.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Kessler |first1=Jack |title=What are Trump's QAnon Twitter mob up to now? |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/trump-s-mob-twitter-ban-social-media-qanon-b919150.html |access-date=February 18, 2022 |work=The Standard |date=February 11, 2021}}</ref> Although mentions of QAnon or related hashtags on Parler were lower than mainstream platforms' slowest days,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Culliford |first1=Elizabeth |title=QAnon slogans disappearing from mainstream sites, say researchers |url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/qanon-slogans-disappearing-mainstream-sites-say-researchers-2021-05-26/ |access-date=February 18, 2022 |publisher={{wipe|Reuters}} |date=May 26, 2021}}</ref> Parler conversations are less critical of the movement, and tend to focus on support for Trump.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sipka |first1=Andrea |last2=Hannak |first2=Aniko |last3=Urman |first3=Aleksandra |title=14th ACM Web Science Conference 2022 |chapter=Comparing the Language of QAnon-Related Content on Parler, Gab, and Twitter |year=2022 |pages=411–421 |doi=10.1145/3501247.3531550 |arxiv=2111.11118|isbn=9781450391917 |s2cid=244477922 }}</ref>}} [[Social:Gab (social network)|Gab]] also became increasingly popular in these environments, especially after Parler went offline for several weeks following the Capitol attack.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Andrews |first1=Travis M.|title=Gab, the social network that has welcomed Qanon and extremist figures, explained |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=February 18, 2022|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/11/gab-social-network/}}</ref>

In the course of 2021, various alt-tech platforms allowed QAnon influencers and adherents to regroup, with Gab and [[Software:Telegram|Telegram]] becoming particularly important hubs of QAnon communities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wildon |first1=Jordan|last2=Argentino |first2=Marc-André|title=QAnon is not Dead: New Research into Telegram Shows the Movement is Alive and Well |journal=Gnet-research.org |date=July 28, 2021 |access-date=February 18, 2022|url=https://gnet-research.org/2021/07/28/qanon-is-not-dead-new-research-into-telegram-shows-the-movement-is-alive-and-well/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Andrews |first1=Travis M.|title=Gab, the social network that has welcomed Qanon and extremist figures, explained |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=January 11, 2021 |access-date=June 9, 2022|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/01/11/gab-social-network/}}</ref><ref name="ADL report"/>

===Return to Twitter/X===

In April 2022, QAnon followers celebrated [[Biography:Elon Musk|Elon Musk]]'s proposed purchase of Twitter, believing that Musk's free speech approach would allow them back onto the platform.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gilbert |first=David |date=April 26, 2022 |title=QAnon Thinks Elon Musk Is Going to Let Them Back on Twitter |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/qjbqzd/qanon-twitter-elon-musk |access-date=April 26, 2022 |website=Vice News |language=en}}</ref> After Musk acquired the platform in October of the same year, various QAnon-related accounts were reinstated and resumed posting about the conspiracy theory.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Thompson|first1=Stuart A.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/technology/musk-twitter-bans.html|title=Musk Lifted Bans for Thousands on Twitter. Here's What They're Tweeting.|work=The New York Times|date=December 22, 2022|access-date=December 26, 2022}}</ref> By December the conspiracy theory began to make a comeback on Twitter.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Harwell |first=Drew |date=2022-12-15 |title=QAnon, adrift after Trump's defeat, finds new life in Elon Musk's Twitter |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/12/14/qanon-musk-revival-twitter/ |access-date=2023-12-07 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodward |first=Alex |date=2022-12-06 |title=QAnon, racism and 'informational anarchy': Experts on how Elon Musk changed Twitter |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/elon-musk-twitter-suspended-accounts-b2239851.html |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> Suspected Q author Ron Watkins was subsequently reinstated on the platform in January 2023<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ramirez |first=Nikki McCann |date=2023-01-10 |title=Twitter Reinstates QAnon Kingpin Ron Watkins |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/ron-watkins-qanon-kingpin-reinstated-twitter-1234658363/ |access-date=2023-12-07 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> while in March Musk defended for the "QAnon shamon" by calling for Jacob Chansley to be freed.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Roush |first=Ty |date=March 11, 2023 |title=Elon Musk Joins Right-Wing Support For 'QAnon Shaman' Claiming Jan. 6 Footage 'Misleading' |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/03/11/elon-musk-joins-right-wing-support-for-qanon-shaman-claiming-jan-6-footage-misleading/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311175756/https://www.forbes.com/sites/tylerroush/2023/03/11/elon-musk-joins-right-wing-support-for-qanon-shaman-claiming-jan-6-footage-misleading/ |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Binder |first=Matt |date=2023-03-11 |title=Elon Musk's latest project: Defending the QAnon Shaman and his role on Jan. 6 |url=https://mashable.com/article/elon-musk-defends-qanon-shaman-jan-6 |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Mashable |language=en}}</ref> In May the ''Anti-Defamation League'' documented a surge of QAnon content on Twitter, now X, described as a resurgence.<ref>{{Cite web |date=May 22, 2023 |title=QAnon is Resurgent on Twitter {{!}} ADL |url=https://www.adl.org/resources/blog/qanon-resurgent-twitter |access-date=2023-12-07 |website=Anti-Defamation League |series=Center on Extremism |language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Apophenia]], the tendency to perceive connections and meaning between unrelated things
* [[Social:Cult of personality|Cult of personality]]
* [[Unsolved:List of conspiracy theories|List of conspiracy theories]]
* [[Engineering:Secret decoder ring|Secret decoder ring]], a promotional item that taps into a common fascination with secret codes
* ''Sound of Freedom'', 2023 film with alleged ties to the QAnon movement
* "[[Unsolved:Epstein didn't kill himself|Epstein didn't kill himself]]"
* Boogaloo movement
* Mike Cernovich

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|refs=
<ref name="far-right conspiracy theory">
* {{cite journal |last1=Guglielmi |first1=Giorgia |title=The next-generation bots interfering with the US election |journal=Nature |date=October 28, 2020 |volume=587 |issue=7832 |page=21 |doi=10.1038/d41586-020-03034-5 |pmid=33116324 |bibcode=2020Natur.587...21G |doi-access=free}}
* {{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Ben |last2=Zadrozny |first2=Brandy |date=August 10, 2018 |title=The far right is struggling to contain Qanon after giving it life |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/far-right-struggling-contain-qanon-after-giving-it-life-n899741 |publisher=NBC News |access-date=April 19, 2021}}
* {{cite news |last=Rosenberg |first=Eli |date=November 30, 2018 |title=Pence shares picture of himself meeting a SWAT officer with a QAnon conspiracy patch |newspaper={{wipe|The Washington Post}} |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/12/01/pence-shares-picture-him-meeting-swat-officer-wearing-qanon-conspiracy-patch/ |access-date=April 19, 2021}}
* {{cite news |date=November 30, 2018 |title=South Florida Cop Wore "QAnon" Conspiracy Patch With Mike Pence |work=Miami New Times |first=Jerry |last=Iannelli |url=https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/broward-south-florida-cop-wore-qanon-patch-with-mike-pence-10938571 |access-date=April 19, 2021}}
* {{cite web |last=Moore |first=McKenna |date=August 1, 2018 |title=What You Need to Know About Far-Right Conspiracy QAnon |url=https://fortune.com/2018/08/01/qanon-conspiracy-trump-tampa-rally/ |website=Fortune |access-date=April 19, 2021}}
* {{cite news |last=Roose |first=Kevin |date=July 10, 2019 |title=Trump Rolls Out the Red Carpet for Right-Wing Social Media Trolls |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/business/trump-social-media-summit.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190710190951/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/business/trump-social-media-summit.html |archive-date=July 10, 2019 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |access-date=July 17, 2019 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |last1=Bloom |first1=Mia |last2=Moskalenko |first2=Sophia |year=2021 |title=Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon |location=Stanford, California |publisher=Stanford University Press |isbn=978-1503630291}}
* {{cite book |last=Rothschild |first=Mike |title=The Storm Is Upon Us: How QAnon Became a Movement, Cult, and Conspiracy Theory of Everything |year=2021 |publisher=Melville House |isbn=978-1612199306}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Badham |first=Van |year=2022 |title=QAnon and On: A Short and Shocking History of the Internet Conspiracy Cults: A Short and Shocking History of Internet Conspiracy Cults |location=Melbourne |publisher=Hardie Grant Books |isbn=9781743797877 |oclc=1285976834}} [https://www.amazon.com/dp/1743797877/?asin=B09JBFDKYZ&revisionId=ff8473bf&format=1&depth=1 Excerpt].
* {{cite book |last1=Beverley |first1=James A. |title=The QAnon Deception: Everything You Need to Know about the World's Most Dangerous Conspiracy Theory |date=2020 |publisher=EqualTime Books |isbn=979-8582465898}}
* Bleakley, Paul (2021). "Panic, Pizza and Mainstreaming the Alt-Right: A Social Media Analysis of Pizzagate and the Rise of the QAnon Conspiracy". ''Current Sociology'': 00113921211034896. {{doi|10.1177/00113921211034896}}.
* {{cite magazine |last=Breland |first=Ali |date=2020-08-20 |title=The Summer QAnon Went Mainstream |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/08/qanon-mainstream/ |url-status=live |magazine=Mother Jones |publisher=Foundation for National Progress |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012040121/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/08/qanon-mainstream/ |archive-date=2023-10-12 |access-date=2024-01-08}}
* {{cite journal |last1= Enders |first1= Adam M. |last2= Uscinski |first2= Joseph E. |last3= Klofstad |first3=Casey A. |last4= Wuchty |first4= Stefan |last5= Seelig |first5= Michelle I. |last6= Funchion |first6= John R. |last7= Murthi |first7= Manohar N. |last8= Premaratne |first8= Kamal |last9= Stoler |first9= Justin |date= 2022 |title= Who Supports QAnon? A Case Study in Political Extremism |journal=The Journal of Politics |volume= 84 |issue= 3 |pages= 1844–1849 |publisher= [[Organization:University of Chicago Press|University of Chicago Press]] (UOCP) |doi=10.1086/717850 |s2cid= 232161773 |doi-access=<!-- subscription --> |url-access=subscription |url= https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/717850 }}
* Forberg, Peter L. (2022). [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/00027642221091199 {{"'}}No Cult Tells You to Think for Yourself': Discursive Ideology and the Limits of Rationality in Conspiracy Theory QAnon"] {{Subscription required}}. ''American Behavioral Scientist''. {{doi|10.1177/00027642221091199}}.
* Hodwitz, Omi, Steff King, and Jordan Thompson (2022). "QAnon: The Calm Before the Storm". ''Society'': 1–12. {{doi|10.1007/s12115-022-00688-x}}.
* {{Cite book |last=Sommer |first=Will |year=2023 |title=Trust the Plan: The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America |location=New York |publisher=Harper |isbn=9780063114487 |oclc=}}
* {{Cite journal |last1=Westmark |first1=Colton |title=Identifying QAnon Conspiracy Theory Adherent Types |last2=Adam |first2=McMahon |journal=New Political Science |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=2022 |volume=44 |issue=4 |pages=607–627 |doi=10.1080/07393148.2022.2129927 |s2cid=252980185 }}

==External links==
* {{Skeptoid |id=4738 |number=738 |title=The QAnon Conspiracy |date=2020-07-28 |access-date=2024-01-08}}
* {{cite web |url=https://www.start.umd.edu/sites/default/files/publications/local_attachments/START%20QAnon%20Research%20Brief_5_26.pdf |title=QAnon Offenders in the United States |date=2021-05-26 |publisher=National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) and Profiles of Individual Radicalization in the United States (PIRUS) |website=University of Maryland}}

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