What is QAnon? Thanks for asking!

The right-wing QAnon conspiracy theory alleges that the United States is run by a cabal of paedophiles who control the media and politics. The only person who can stop this cabal? President Donald J Trump of course. Critics have talked about QAnon beliefs as internet misinformation, while others have described it as a disturbing movement or even a terrorist threat. As a phenomenon, QAnon is quite recent. It first sprung up on the 4Chan online forum in 2017. A certain Mister Q presented himself as an informer who shares secret data of American intelligence agencies. His alias refers to the Q qualification required to access classified information. Since QAnon is anonymous, nobody knows who is hiding behind the 5000 messages published over the last three years. There are now thousands of QAnon groups on social media, amassing millions of followers.

And what are the main beliefs of QAnon followers?

Buckle up and hold on tight. A secret group of paedophile elites is set on world domination, at the same time organizing a child trafficking ring. Powerful figures like Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi have sacrificed and eaten newborns, all the while filming the Satanist ritual. Presumably with the aim of obtaining the elixir of life. Luckily, Donald Trump was made head of the United States to become the saviour and clean up this mess. Over time, the movement has expanded to connect other conspiracy theories around historical events like 9/11 or the assassination of JFK, as well as anti-vaccine, anti-5G and anti-immigrant ideas. QAnon’s followers identify themselves as digital soldiers, waiting for the big storm which is supposed to put things back in order.

But technically, it’s just a conspiracy theory much like any other? Does Trump disavow the theory? This all seems very American, we should be safe enough over here in Europe, shouldn’t we? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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