What is “QAnon”, the growing movement among Donald Trump supporters?

August 3, 2018, 16:42

On July 31, at Donald Trump’s political rally in Tampa, Florida – as in previous rallies – many supporters of the American president wore a t-shirt and placards bearing just the letter “Q”, giving faces to a movement that has continueds to grow for several months on the Internet.

It originated last October, when a 4chan forum user introduced himself as a senior government official, close to Donald Trump’s team and with a security clearance “Q”, one of the highest in the world. United States.

In a series of sibylline messages , often in the form of questions, this Internet user undertakes to bring a radically different light from the political and geopolitical news presented by the traditional media, by giving what he claims to be sensitive information.

The particularity of the forum 4chan being the anonymity of its users, impossible to know who is behind these messages. Is it a man, a woman, a person or several? The mystery is complete and the Net surfers who followed with attention the first “crumbs” which he sowed, according to his own term, decide to baptize it simply “Q”. A name he endorses quickly, and at the same time, makes users who follow him “QAnon”, in reference to their anonymity.

The thesis defended by “Q”

The main thesis of “Q” is that the American president – and more widely the world – is facing an inner enemy, the deep state , against which Donald Trump leads a struggle at all times. “Q” interprets the news in this light, assuring that the ultimate goal of the White House tenant would be to free his country from the clutches of this enemy.

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According to “Q”, this confrontation boils down to a struggle of good against evil. He denounces the total corruption of the deep state that would not hesitate, according to him, to use the worst means to achieve his ends. In the multitude of topics he addresses, “Q” argues, for example, that there is an international network that would traffic and abuse children in which the Clinton Foundation would be involved, particularly through its activities in Haiti. He assures, pell-mell, that the deep state perpetuates attacks under false flag or would constantly practice a form of blackmail on public figures who would be forced to serve. But “Q” explains that the American president, supported by a group within the US military whose roots go back to John Kennedy, would now have the cards in hand to regain control.

According to “Q”, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Republican Senator John McCain or billionaire George Soros would be some of the faces of this deep state that includes various organizations, primarily of which most agencies American intelligence. “Q” argues that the vast majority of the media would be influenced by them, explaining that Operation Mockingbird (a CIA operation intended to infiltrate the media) could not be more active today.

Supporters of “Q” in search of truth

The growing reputation of “Q” stems from several factors, including a proliferation of signs, more or less far-fetched, supposed to confirm the reality of his relationship with Donald Trump. Above all, his supporters praise his presumed ability to anticipate events, the accuracy of the information he would provide and his way of coordinating them.

The many anonymous forum (now 8chan), many of whom present themselves as American patriots, veterans of the army, embarked on a considerable research work from the tracks given by “Q”. “The real” Anons “are here and follow the evidence (documented and verifiable). […] We are simply looking for the truth and then presenting what we find so that it can be examined and corroborated by our peers, “they explain in a message.

Opposition to traditional media

If “Q” is a notable breakthrough among Donald Trump’s supporters, he is still unobtrusive in the public sphere, although he was recently named by Time in the “25 Most Influential People on the Internet” list .Only actress Roseanne Barr has made many references to her Twitter account. But, proof that the phenomenon becomes massive, an application called “Qdrop”, grouping the messages of “Q”, was put into service on the App Store as well as on Google play. Last April, it became the most popular paid app in the entertainment section of Apple’s online store, and the tenth most popular paid app in any category.

A success that is, by the very nature of shared elements, to the detriment of traditional media. The latter, who have recently begun to look at the movement, call it conspiracy theory . After receiving a complaint from the NBC chain that accused him of spreading these theories, Apple has also removed the application “Qdrop” of his shop.

If no media has so far dared to question Donald Trump about “QAnon” – a request made many times by “Q” himself, as a challenge to them – the president’s mistrust American with regard to mainstreammedia offers a sounding board to the phenomenon. One of the chains set up as a foil by the US president and his supporters, CNN, did so in Tampa on July 31. One of his star presenters, Jim Acosta, very critical of the current tenant of the White House, made his duplex under the boos, the fingers of honor and shouts of “CNN sucks” (CNN, it sucks). With, in the crowd, many references to “Q” and “QAnon”.