The Real Story

Why is QAnon going global?


Listen Later

This week President Donald Trump retweeted a false claim posted by a follower of the ‘QAnon’ conspiracy theory, stating that the real Covid-19 death toll is just 6 percent of official figures. Twitter took down the tweet saying it breached their terms and conditions. It’s not the first time the president has promoted messages from supporters of the debunked conspiracy theory that claims - in part - that Mr Trump is leading a top-secret campaign to dismantle a global network of Satan worshipping cannibal paedophiles led by billionaires, celebrities and Democrats. Acts of violence have already been attributed to those backing the outlandish conspiracy theory and the FBI now considers the movement a domestic terrorism threat. While support for ‘Q’ - said to be an anonymous security official with inside knowledge - has been growing in the United States, followers are increasingly showing up in Europe and Latin America. So why has it spread to other countries and what are the QAnon links to foreign groups? Could supporters disrupt politics outside of the US? And is QAnon a harmless online fantasy or a dangerous threat to truth, democracy and public safety around the world? Ritula Shah is joined by a panel of experts.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Real StoryBy BBC World Service

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

273 ratings


More shows like The Real Story

View all
In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,406 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,854 Listeners

F1: Chequered Flag by BBC Radio 5 Live

F1: Chequered Flag

786 Listeners

Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,816 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

532 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,782 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,070 Listeners

Discovery by BBC World Service

Discovery

959 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

305 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

2,062 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,059 Listeners

The Interview by BBC World Service

The Interview

377 Listeners

Business Matters by BBC World Service

Business Matters

49 Listeners

Learning English Stories by BBC Radio

Learning English Stories

409 Listeners

The Conversation by BBC World Service

The Conversation

73 Listeners

The Inquiry by BBC World Service

The Inquiry

755 Listeners

Learning English Vocabulary by BBC Radio

Learning English Vocabulary

527 Listeners

Learning English from the News by BBC Radio

Learning English from the News

247 Listeners

Americast by BBC News

Americast

768 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,037 Listeners

The Explanation by BBC World Service

The Explanation

26 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

182 Listeners