Q-Anon Conspiracists Appear At Trump Rally After FBI Bulletin
Reprinted with permission from Alternet
Far-right proponents of the bizarre Q-Anon conspiracy theory — which claims that an alliance of Hollywood actors and Washington, D.C. politicians, among others, have been engaging in an international child sex ring — are not only unhinged; they are also potentially dangerous, according to the FBI. And this week, the Washington Post reports, some Q-Anon proponents turned up at a rally for President Donald Trump on the same day the FBI issued a bulletin warning that the group could be dangerous.
According to the bulletin, proponents of Q-Anon as well as the Pizzagate conspiracy theory have the potential for violence. In 2016, Pizzagate proponents claimed that Democrats were using a Washington, D.C. pizzeria for child sex abuse.
The bulletin reads, “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. And it goes on to say that reports “of a sudden rise in threats and unfounded accusations against a given individual or business may indicate impending conspiracy theory-driven crime or violence.”
On Thursday at a Trump rally in Cincinnati, according to the Post, a supporter named Brandon Straka used a Q-Anon slogan: “where we go one, we go all.” And other Q-Anon proponents were seen at the rally as well.
In the cultish Q-Anon community, Trump is held in high regard: Q-Anon theorists believe his presidency is meant to help carry out a worldwide battle against a child sex ring — and Q is an anonymous figure who sends sporadic messages on the battle.