Post by DFENSExcellent video.
http://youtu.be/3vw9N96E-aQ
It is third in a three part series "The Storm is Upon Us"
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDFe_yKnRf4XM7W_sWbcxtw
*Right-wing conspiracy theory.*
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon
QAnon
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*QAnon*^[a] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-1>
(/kjuรยรยรยnรยn/ <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English>) is a
right-wing <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right-wing_populism>
conspiracy metatheory
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory>^[1]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-2> which began with an
October 2017 post on the anonymous imageboard
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imageboard> 4chan
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan> by someone using the handle
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_%28computing%29> *Q*, a presumably
American^[2] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-nymag-3>
individual that may have later grown to include multiple individuals^[3]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:5-4> ^[4]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:3-5> ^[5]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-lvrj-6> claiming to have
access to classified information involving the Trump administration
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Donald_Trump> and its
opponents in the United States
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States>. The theory details a
supposed secret conspiracy by an alleged "deep state
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_state_in_the_United_States>" against
U.S. President Donald Trump <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump>
and his supporters.^[6]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-7> The account has
falsely accused numerous liberal Hollywood actors, politicians, and
high-ranking officials of engaging in an international child sex
trafficking ring
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trafficking_of_children>, and that Trump
feigned collusion with Russians to enlist Robert Mueller
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Mueller> to join him in exposing
the ring and preventing a coup d'รยฉtat
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coup_d%27%C3%A9tat> by Barack Obama
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama>, Hillary Clinton
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton> and George Soros
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros>.^[7]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-8> ^[8]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:4-9> ^[9]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:10-10> "Q" is a
reference to the top-secret
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_information> Q clearance
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_clearance>.
The conspiracy theory, mainly popularized by supporters of President
Trump under the names *The Storm* and *The Great Awakening*, has been
widely characterized as "baseless",^[10]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-nyt-11> ^[11]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-12> ^[12]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-13> "unhinged"^[13]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-14> and
"evidence-free".^[14]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-Evidence-free_citation.-15>
Its proponents have been called "a deranged conspiracy cult"^[15]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:6-16> and "some of the
Internet's most /outrรยฉ/ Trump fans".^[16]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:7-17>
QAnon adherents began appearing at Trump rallies
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rallies_for_the_Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign,_2016>
during the summer of 2018^[17]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-18> and a major promoter
of the conspiracy theory was granted a photo op
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_op> with President Trump in the
Oval Office <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oval_Office> on August 24,
2018.^[18] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-19>
Contents
* 1 Background <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Background>
o 1.1 Pizzagate conspiracy theory
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory>
* 2 History <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#History>
o 2.1 Origin <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Origin>
o 2.2 False claims and beliefs
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#False_claims_and_beliefs>
* 3 Identity <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Identity>
* 4 Incidents <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Incidents>
o 4.1 Publishing of personal information
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Publishing_of_personal_information>
o 4.2 Hoover Dam incident
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Hoover_Dam_incident>
o 4.3 QDrops <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#QDrops>
o 4.4 Targeting of Michael Avenatti
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Targeting_of_Michael_Avenatti>
o 4.5 Harassment of Jim Acosta
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Harassment_of_Jim_Acosta>
o 4.6 Accusations of antisemitism
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Accusations_of_antisemitism>
* 5 Reception <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Reception>
o 5.1 Reactions <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Reactions>
o 5.2 Spread and popularity
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Spread_and_popularity>
* 6 See also <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#See_also>
* 7 References <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#References>
o 7.1 Notes <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Notes>
o 7.2 Sources <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Sources>
o 7.3 Tweets <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Tweets>
* 8 Further reading <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#Further_reading>
* 9 External links <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#External_links>
Background
Pizzagate conspiracy theory
Main article: Pizzagate conspiracy theory
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pizzagate_conspiracy_theory>
Many media outlets have described QAnon as an "offshoot" of the widely
discredited and debunked <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debunker>^[19]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-20> Pizzagate conspiracy
theory.^[20] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:9-21>
David Goldberg from Twitter <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter>
@DavidGoldbergNY
Rumors stirring in the NYPD that Huma's emails point to a pedophila
ring and @HillaryClinton is at the center. #GoHillary
#PodestaEmails23 https://pic.twitter.com/gkEH5oL269
30 Oct 2016^[21] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-22>
This conspiracy theory emerged near the end of the 2016 United States
presidential election cycle
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election,_2016>.
On October 30, 2016, a white supremacist
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_supremacist> Twitter
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter> account that presented itself as
belonging to a Jewish lawyer in New York included a display of a claim
that the New York City Police Department
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Police_Department>, which
was searching emails found on Anthony Weiner
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Weiner>'s laptop as part of an
investigation into his sexting scandals
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Weiner_sexting_scandals>, had
discovered the existence of a pedophilia
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia> ring linked to members of the
Democratic Party.^[22]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-BuzzFeed-23> ^[23]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-PolitiFact_problem-24>
Internet users reading John Podesta's emails
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podesta_emails> released by WikiLeaks
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks> in early November 2016
speculated that some words in Podesta's emails were code words for
pedophilia and human trafficking
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_trafficking>.^[24]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-NYTDebunk-25> ^[25]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-26> Proponents also
claimed that the ring was a meeting ground for Satanic ritual abuse
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_ritual_abuse>.^[26]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-27>
The theory was then posted on the message board Godlike Productions. The
following day, the story was repeated on Your News Wire
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_News_Wire> citing a 4chan
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan> post from earlier that year.^[22]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-BuzzFeed-23> The Your
News Wire article was then spread by pro-Trump websites, including
SubjectPolitics.com, which falsely claimed the New York Police
Department <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Police_Department>
had raided Hillary Clinton
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton>'s property.^[22]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-BuzzFeed-23> The website
Conservative Daily Post ran a headline falsely stating that the Federal
Bureau of Investigation
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Bureau_of_Investigation> had
confirmed that story.^[27]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-PolitiFact-28>
The conspiracy theory has been widely discredited and debunked. It has
been judged to be false after detailed investigation by the
fact-checking website Snopes.com
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snopes.com> and /The New York Times
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times>/,^[28]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-DCGunman-29> ^[29]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-FALSE-30> ^[30]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-31> and numerous news
organizations have debunked it as a conspiracy theory
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_theory>, including the /New
York Observer <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Observer>/,^[31]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-32> /The Washington Post
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post>/,^[32]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-33> /The Independent
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Independent>/ in London,^[33]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-34> /The Huffington Post
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huffington_Post>/,^[34]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-35> /The Washington Times
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Times>/,^[35]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-TWT1-36> the /Los Angeles
Times <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles_Times>/,^[36]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-37> /Fox News
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News>/,^[37]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-Fox-38> and the /Miami
Herald <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami_Herald>/.^[38]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-hannahalam-39> The
Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolitan_Police_Department_of_the_District_of_Columbia>
characterized the matter as "fictitious".^[38]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-hannahalam-39>
History
Origin
A person identifying as "Q Clearance Patriot" first appeared on the
/pol/ <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//pol/> board of 4chan
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan> on October 28, 2017, posting
messages in a thread entitled "Calm Before the Storm",^[2]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-nymag-3> which was a
reference to Trump's cryptic <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/cryptic>
description during a gathering of himself and United States military
leaders as "the calm before the storm".^[2]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-nymag-3> ^[39]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-newsweek-40> Q later
moved to 8chan <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8chan>, citing concerns
that the 4chan board had been compromised by "bad actors".^[3]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:5-4>
The poster's handle implied that the anonymous poster holds Q clearance
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_clearance>,^[40]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-avclub-41> ^[41]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-ibt-42> a United States
Department of Energy
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Energy>
security clearance <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_clearance>
required for access to Top Secret information about nuclear weapons and
materials.^[42] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-43> This
claim cannot be substantiated due to a lack of reliable evidence.
False claims and beliefs
See also: Murder of Seth Rich conspiracy theory
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Seth_Rich#Conspiracy_theories>
HRC extradition already in motion effective yesterday with several
countries in case of cross border run. Passport approved to be flagged
effective 10/30 @ 12:01am. Expect massive riots organized in defiance
and others fleeing the US to occur. US M's will conduct the operation
while NG activated. Proof check: Locate a NG member and ask if activated
for duty 10/30 across most major cities.
รขยย*QAnon'*s first post on the /pol/ <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//pol/>
message board of 4chan <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan>, on October
28, 2017^[43] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-vox-44>
QAnon's posting campaign has a history of false, baseless and
unsubstantiated claims. Starting with the first posts incorrectly
predicting Hillary Clinton
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton>'s imminent arrest and
followed by more false allegations, such as claiming that North Korean
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea> Supreme Leader
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_leaders_of_North_Korea> Kim
Jong-un <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Jong-un> is a puppet ruler
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_ruler> installed by the Central
Intelligence Agency
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency>,^[44]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-45> QAnon's posts have
become more cryptic and vague allowing followers to map their own
beliefs into them.^[45]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-46> By generating a
keyboard heatmap of QAnon's supposedly coded messages, information
security <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_security> researcher
Mark Burnett concluded that they "are not actual codes, just random
typing by someone who might play an instrument and uses a QWERTY
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QWERTY> keyboard", adding that "almost
all the characters" in the codes alternate between the left and right
hands, or the characters are close to each other on the keyboard.^[46]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-47>
Some of QAnon's more concrete allegations include his February 16, 2018
false claim that U.S. Representative
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Representative> and former
Democratic National Committee
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_National_Committee> chairwoman
Debbie Wasserman Schultz
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Wasserman_Schultz> hired El
Salvadorian <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Salvador> gang MS-13
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS-13> to murder DNC staffer Seth Rich
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Rich>,^[39]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-newsweek-40> ^[47]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-48> and his March 1, 2018
apparent suggestion that German Chancellor
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chancellor_of_Germany> Angela Merkel
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angela_Merkel> is the granddaughter
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hitler_family> of Adolf Hitler
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler>.^[48]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-49> A July 7, 2018
article published in /The Daily Beast
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Daily_Beast>/ also noted that QAnon
falsely claimed that "each mass shooting is a false-flag
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_flag> attack organized by the
cabal".^[49] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-50> Other
beliefs held by QAnon adherents include that Barack Obama, Hillary
Clinton, George Soros, and others are planning a coup while
simultaneously involved as members of an international child sex
trafficking ring. According to this idea, the Mueller investigation
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_Counsel_investigation_%282017%E2%80%93present%29>
is actually a countercoup led by Donald Trump, who pretended to collude
with Russia in order to hire Robert Mueller to secretly investigate the
Democrats.^[15] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:6-16>
Another recurring theme is that certain Hollywood stars are pedophiles,
and that the Rothschild family
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothschild_family> are the leaders of a
satanic cult <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanic_ritual_abuse>.^[8]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:4-9> By interpreting the
information fed to them by Q, QAnon adherents come to these
conclusions.^[15] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:6-16>
On multiple occasions, QAnon has dismissed his false claims and
incorrect predictions as wilful misinformation, claiming that
"disinformation is necessary".^[50]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-51> This has led
Australian <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia> psychologist
Stephan Lewandowsky <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephan_Lewandowsky>
to emphasize the "self-sealing" quality of the conspiracy theory,
highlighting its anonymous purveyor's use of plausible deniability
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plausible_deniability> and noting that
evidence against the theory "can become evidence of [its] validity in
the minds of believers".^[43]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-vox-44>
Identity
There has been much speculation regarding the motive and the identity of
the poster, with theories ranging from the poster being a military
intelligence officer, to Donald Trump himself, to the posting campaign
being an alternate reality game
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game> by Cicada 3301
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada_3301>.^[4]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:3-5> Because 4chan
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan> is anonymous and does not allow
registration by users, any number of individuals may post using the same
handle. The poster uses a frequently changing tripcode
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tripcode> to authentify himself on 8chan
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8chan>.
The Italian leftist Wu Ming <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Ming>
foundation has speculated that QAnon has been inspired by the Luther
Blissett
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luther_Blissett_%28nom_de_plume%29>
persona, which was used by leftists and anarchists to organize pranks,
media stunts, and hoaxes in the 1990s. "Blissett" also published the
novel /Q <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_%28novel%29>/ in 1999.^[51]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-52>
Incidents
Publishing of personal information
On March 14, 2018, Reddit <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reddit> banned
one of its communities <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subreddit>
discussing QAnon, /r/CBTS_Stream, for "encouraging or inciting violence
and posting personal and confidential information".^[52]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-53> Following this, some
followers moved to Discord
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discord_%28software%29>.^[53]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-54> 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 adherents regrouping on Voat
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voat>,^[54]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-55> a Switzerland
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland>-based Reddit clone that has
been described as a hub for the alt-right.^[55]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-56> ^[56]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-57>
Hoover Dam incident
On June 15, 2018, Matthew Phillip Wright of Henderson
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson,_Nevada>, Nevada
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nevada>, was arrested on terrorism and
other charges for driving an armored vehicle, containing an AR-15
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_AR-15> and handgun, to the Hoover
Dam <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoover_Dam> and blocking traffic for
90 minutes.^[57] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-58> He
said he was on a mission involving QAnon: to demand that the Justice
Department
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Justice>
"release the OIG
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Department_of_Justice_Office_of_the_Inspector_General>
report" on the conduct of FBI agents during the investigation into
Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton_email_controversy>.^[58]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-59> ^[5]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-lvrj-6> ^[10]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-nyt-11> Since a copy of
the OIG report had been released the day prior, the man had been
motivated by a Q "drop" which claimed the released version of the OIG
report had been heavily modified.^[10]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-nyt-11>
QDrops
An app called "QDrops" which promoted the conspiracy theory was
published on the Apple <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.> App
Store <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/App_Store_%28iOS%29> and Google
Play <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Play>. It became the most
popular paid app in the "entertainment" section of Apple's online store
in April 2018, and the tenth most popular paid app overall. On July 15,
2018, Apple pulled the app after an inquiry from NBC News
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBC_News>.^[20]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:9-21>
Targeting of Michael Avenatti
Michael Avenatti CPL.jpg
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Michael_Avenatti_CPL.jpg>
Michael AvenattiTwitter Verified Badge.svg
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Twitter_Verified_Badge.svg>
from Twitter <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter>
@MichaelAvenatti
We are trying to identify the man in this picture, which was taken
outside my office yesterday (Sun) afternoon. Please contact
@NewportBeachPD if you have any details or observed him. We will NOT
be intimidated into stopping or changing our course. #Basta
https://pic.twitter.com/YIKS6D0Grq
Jul 30, 2018^[59] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-60>
On July 29, 2018, Q posted a link to Stormy Daniels
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormy_Daniels>' attorney Michael
Avenatti <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Avenatti>'s website and
photos of his Newport Beach
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Beach,_California>, California
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California>, office building, along with
the message, "Buckle up!". The anonymous poster then shared the picture
of an as-of-yet unidentified man, appearing to be holding a cellphone in
one hand, and a long, thin object in the other, standing in the street
near Avenatti's office, adding that a message "had been sent". This
sparked an investigation by the Newport Beach
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_Beach,_California> Police
Department <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police_Department>. On July
30, Avenatti asked his Twitter followers to contact the Newport Beach
Police Department if they "have any details or observed" the man in the
picture.^[60] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-61> ^[61]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-62> ^[62]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-63>
Harassment of Jim Acosta
On August 1, 2018, responding to a question by David Martosko
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Martosko> of /The Daily Mail
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Mail>/ asking if the White House
encouraged the support of "QAnon fringe groups"รขยยin light of their
hostile behavior toward CNN <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN> chief
White House correspondent
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_correspondent> Jim Acosta
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Acosta> at a Trump rally
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_post-election_Donald_Trump_rallies>
in Tampa <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa,_Florida>, Florida
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida>^[63]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-64> รขยยWhite House Press
Secretary <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Press_Secretary>
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Huckabee_Sanders> denounced "any
group that would incite violence against another individual", without
specifically responding to the QAnon mention.^[64]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-65> She added that
President Trump "certainly doesn't support groups that would support
that type of behavior".^[65]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-66> ^[66]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-67>
Accusations of antisemitism
The conspiracy theory's targeting of George Soros
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros> and the Rothschild family
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rothschild_family> has led
Jewish-American
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_American_literature> magazine
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magazine> /The Forward/
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forward> as well as /The Washington
Post <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post>/ to accuse it
of containing "striking anti-Semitic elements"^[67]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-68> and "garden-variety
nonsense with racist and anti-Semitic undertones".^[9]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:10-10> However, this was
contested by the Anti-Defamation League
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Defamation_League>, which reported
that "the vast majority of QAnon-inspired conspiracy theories have
nothing to do with anti-Semitism".^[68]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-69>
A Jewish Telegraphic Agency
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Telegraphic_Agency> article
published in /Haaretz <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haaretz>/ on August
3, 2018 stated that "although not specifically, some of QAnon's
archetypical elementsรขยยincluding secret elites and kidnapped children,
among othersรขยยare reflective of historical and ongoing anti-Semitic
conspiracy theories".^[69]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-70>
Reception
Reactions
On November 26, 2017, President Donald Trump retweeted
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reblogging> a tweet from Twitter
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter> account @MAGAPILL, a self-styled
"official President Donald Trump accomplishment list" and a major
proponent of the conspiracy theory, less than a month after QAnon first
started posting.^[16] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:7-17>
On December 28, 2017, the Russian government-funded television network
RT <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RT_%28TV_network%29> aired a segment
discussing "QAnon revelations", referring to the anonymous poster as a
"secret intelligence operative inside the Trump administration known by
QAnon".^[41] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-ibt-42>
On January 9, 2018, Fox News <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fox_News>
commentator Sean Hannity <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Hannity>
shared QAnon-related material on his Twitter account.^[41]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-ibt-42>
On March 13, 2018, Operation Rescue
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rescue_%28Kansas%29> vice
president and pro-life activist Cheryl Sullenger
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheryl_Sullenger> referred to QAnon as a
"small group of insiders close to President Donald J. Trump" and called
his internet postings the "highest level of intelligence to ever be
dropped publicly in our known history".^[70]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:2-71> ^[71]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-72>
On March 15, 2018, Kiev <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiev>-based
/Rabochaya Gazeta
<https://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%8F_%D0%B3%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0>/,
the official newspaper of the Communist Party of Ukraine
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communist_Party_of_Ukraine>, published an
article calling QAnon a "military intelligence group".^[72]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-73>
On March 31, 2018, U.S. actress Roseanne Barr
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseanne_Barr> appeared to promote the
conspiracy theory, which was subsequently covered by CNN
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CNN>, /The Washington Post
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post>/, and /The New York
Times <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_York_Times>/.^[73]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:0-74> ^[74]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:1-75> ^[75]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-76> ^[76]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-77>
While the conspiracy theory was initially promoted by Alex Jones
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Jones> and Jerome Corsi
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerome_Corsi>,^[39]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-newsweek-40> it was
reported by Right Wing Watch
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_Wing_Watch> that they had both
ceased to support QAnon by May 2018, declaring the source to now be
"completely compromised".^[77]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-78> However, in August
2018, Corsi reversed course and stated that he "will comment on and
follow QAnon when QAnon is bringing forth news", adding that "in the
last few days, QAnon has been particularly good".^[78]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-79>
On June 26, 2018, WikiLeaks <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiLeaks>
publicly accused QAnon of "leading anti-establishment Trump voters to
embrace regime change and neo-conservatism".^[tweet 1]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-80> QAnon had previously
pushed for regime change in Iran.^[79]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-81> Two days later, the
whistleblower organization shared an analysis by Internet Party
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Party_%28New_Zealand%29>
president Suzie Dawson, claiming that QAnon's posting campaign is an
"intelligence agency-backed psyop
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_warfare>" aiming to "round
up people that are otherwise dangerous to the Deep State (because they
are genuinely opposed to it) usurp time & attention, & trick them into
serving its aims".^[tweet 2]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-82>
On June 28, 2018, a /Time/ magazine
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_%28magazine%29> article listed the
anonymous "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 this conspiracy theory and its more
prominent followers and spreading news coverage.^[80]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-timemag-83>
On July 4, 2018, the Hillsborough County
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillsborough_County,_Florida> Republican
Party
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_%28United_States%29>
shared on its official Facebook and Twitter accounts a YouTube video on
QAnon, calling QAnon a "mysterious anonymous inside leaker of deep state
activities and counter activities by President Trump". The posts were
then deleted.^[81]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-tampabay-84> ^[82]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-85>
On August 1, 2018, following the /en masse/ presence of QAnon supporters
at the July 31 Trump rally
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_post-election_Donald_Trump_rallies>
in Tampa <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tampa,_Florida>, Florida
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida>,^[15]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:6-16> ^[83]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-86> MSNBC
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSNBC> news anchors Hallie Jackson
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallie_Jackson>, Brian Williams
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Williams>, and Chris Hayes
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hayes> dedicated a portion of their
respective television programs to the conspiracy theory.^[84]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-87> ^[85]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-88> ^[86]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-89> PBS NewsHour also ran
a segment dedicated to the conspiracy theory the following day.^[87]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-90>
On August 4, 2018, former White House Press Secretary
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House_Press_Secretary> Sean Spicer
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Spicer> was asked to comment on the
conspiracy theory in his "ask me anything
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//r/IAmA>" session on the /r/The_Donald
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki//r/The_Donald> subreddit
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subreddit>. In response to the question
"is Q legit?", Spicer answered "no".^[88]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-91>
On August 24, 2018, President Donald Trump hosted William "Lionel"
Lebron <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_%28radio_personality%29>, a
leading promoter of the QAnon conspiracy, in the Oval Office
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oval_Office> for a photo op
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_op>.^[89]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-92>
Spread and popularity
According to an August 2018 Qualtrics
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qualtrics> poll for /The Washington Post
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Washington_Post>/, 58% of Floridians
are familiar enough with QAnon to have an opinion about it, among whom
only 24% hold a favorable view of the conspiracy theory.^[16]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:7-17> ^[90]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:8-93> Positive feelings
toward QAnon were found to be strongly correlated with one's proneness
to conspiracy thinking.^[90]
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon#cite_note-:8-93>
^
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