The decision taken by Twitter to suspend, Tuesday, July 21, 7,000 accounts linked to the pro-Trump movement, and which spreads many conspiracy theory, QAnon may appear as a new attempt by the social network to limit the proliferation of disinformation. But since its appearance in the most conspiratorial corners of the Web in 2017, this theory, which makes Donald Trump the only bulwark against a Satanist elite determined to control all powers, has found an ever wider audience until it has won a place in the American political landscape.
Mike Cargile in California, Laurent Boebert in Colorado and Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia are among the candidates, mainly Republican, for the November elections to Congress who do not hide their sympathy for the QAnon "movement".
Cryptic hashtags
It is difficult to know how many they are to support this absurd theory while seeking to enter Congress. The Media Matters site had estimated, in January, that more than sixty candidates could be considered as disciples, but there would be only eleven to be still in the race (out of 435 seats to be filled), according to the Axios site.
It is already a lot. QAnon is, in fact, one of the craziest theories to have emerged in recent years. Appeared in 2017 on the community site 4Chan, fertile ground for the expression of all opinions on all subjects, it revolves around the messages of a mysterious Q, considered by his followers as a senior official in the administration American determined to unravel the truth around a vast conspiracy behind the scenes of power.
According to this theory, it was the "soldiers" of Q who would have elected Donald Trump, identified as the only candidate in 2016 to have the "moral virtues" to eradicate the "cabal" of satanist followers of child sacrifice in power, sums up the Anti-Defamation League, an anti-racism organization.
Since then, they have been working behind their keyboard to protect and help their "champion" against the system, this great enemy that brings together democrats, the media, pharmaceutical industries ... and Georges Soros (the eternal target of most conspiracy theories of 'far right). They believe, in particular, that the Democrats - starting with Hillary Clinton - are using power to manage a vast network of child trafficking with impunity.
They have their signs of recognition, consisting mainly of cryptic hashtags that abound on Twitter or YouTube. One of the most common, # WWG1WGA stands for “Where we go one we go all”. He even appears in the Twitter profile of Republican candidate Mike Cargile. Another, #Trusttheplan, which refers to "Q" 's grand design to end the conspiracy, is regularly featured in the social media posts of Angela Stanton-King who shows up in Georgia.
The latter even received official support from the Republican Party which paid $ 2,200 to help her campaign, despite her rantings on the Internet ... And the fact that she was convicted in a case of auto theft.
Risk of domestic terrorism
Let the Republicans do it - see their support in Georgia - vis-à-vis these candidates appears all the more disturbing since the FBI officially affirmed, in May, that QAnon posed a "potential risk of domestic terrorism". Some of the followers have already taken action. In March 2019, a man shot dead the head of the Mafia family Gambino, because he believed he was working with establishment "plotters" to harm Donald Trump ... A woman in Montana, who had lost her custody of her child, kidnapped her because she thought that the social services were trafficking children on behalf of this famous elite satanist shadow.
In reality, Republicans are just following Donald Trump's lead. The US president has repeatedly retweeted messages that refer to this conspiracy theory. He even congratulated Marjorie Taylor Greene, an uninhibited "QAnonist", for coming out on top of the Republican primaries in a district of Georgia. During the campaign, she had notably declared that QAnon was a "unique opportunity to get rid of the satanist clique of pedophiles" which would control, according to her, the cogs of power.
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1271428819296157697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1271428819296157697%7Ctwgr%5E&ref2%2times%0% 2tt2%2tf%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1271428819296157697%7Ctwgr%55E&Ftimes%2%2tt2%2tf%2times%05 2Fus% 2Fpolitics% 2Fqanon-politicians-candidates.html
The sympathy expressed by Donald Trump for this movement is not surprising. After all, he has often been called the "chief conspirator". But with QAnon, he's almost family. In "2016, he won by promising to clean up Washington. A promise that allowed him to unite a large coalition of anti-system voters and QAnon simply represents the most extreme fringe of this electorate," explains New York Times, Joseph Uscinski, University of Miami researcher specializing in fringe political groups.
Republicans in embarrassment
The Republicans therefore find themselves in a bind. To condemn the QAnon candidates would go against the will of the tenant of the White House, who will also be their champion in the presidential election in November. But by adopting the ostrich policy, they run the risk of letting a wolf dangerous in the eyes of the FBI into the Republican fold.
Twitter's decision to suspend thousands of accounts linked to this conspiracy theory further underscores how politically infrequent this movement is. A sanction which gives ammunition to the Democrats, determined to exploit this porosity of the Republican Party in QAnon. "We will not fail to underline it," said Cheri Bustos, president of the Democratic Campaign Committee for the Congressional Elections, in early July. She hopes these outlandish candidacies act like scarecrows for the traditional Republican electorate, who don't care about hunting imaginary Satanists.
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