QAnon

On October 28, 2017, an anonymous user posted on the /pol/ forum of 4chan under the pseudonym 'Q Clearance Patriot' (shortened to 'Q'). This first post, or 'Q drop,' claimed that Hillary Clinton would be arrested on October 30, 2017, and that massive riots would follow. The arrest obviously never occurred, but Q continued to post hundreds of cryptic messages ('drops' or 'crumbs') on 4chan then 8chan (which became 8kun after its temporary closure).

The central narrative of QAnon revolves around several themes:

1. 'The Cabal' / 'The Deep State': a global cabal of pedophile Satanists controls the world. Its members include Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, George Soros, the Rothschilds, John Podesta, Hollywood stars (Tom Hanks, Oprah Winfrey, Ellen DeGeneres) and tech billionaires.

2. 'Adrenochrome': the cabal would kidnap children to extract adrenochrome from their blood (a real substance but whose properties are fantasized), which they would consume to remain young. This allegation draws on medieval anti-Semitic ‘blood libel’ stereotypes.

3. 'The Storm': Donald Trump, in collaboration with the military, is leading a secret operation to dismantle the cabal. A spectacular event ('The Storm') is imminent, during which massive mass arrests will take place.

4. 'The Great Awakening': after 'The Storm,' the truth will be revealed to the world and an era of peace will open.

5. 'WWG1WGA' (Where We Go One, We Go All): slogan of the movement, taken from the film 'White Squall' (1996).

The identity of Q is unknown, but multiple journalistic investigations (including those of Fredrick Brennan, founder of 8chan, and the HBO documentary 'Q: Into the Storm') strongly point to Ron Watkins and/or his father Jim Watkins, owners of 8chan/8kun. Stylistic and technical analyses corroborate this hypothesis.

The movement spread massively on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok between 2018 and 2021, becoming a global phenomenon with adherents in many countries (France, Germany, Japan, Brazil, Australia). Facebook and Twitter eventually banned QAnon content in 2020.

The real political impact of QAnon is considerable:

• Several QAnon candidates run in Congressional elections (Marjorie Taylor Greene, elected in Georgia in 2020)
• QAnon adherents participate massively in the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2021, including Jacob Chansley ('QAnon Shaman') who becomes the emblematic image of the event
• The FBI classifies QAnon as a domestic terrorist threat in 2019
• Several violent incidents are linked to the movement (kidnapping attempts, murders)

Q's predictions never materialized: Hillary Clinton was never arrested, 'The Storm' never happened, 'sealed indictments' never led to mass arrests. Despite these repeated failures, the movement persists by constantly reinterpreting events ('moving the goalposts').

Q ceased posting in December 2020, with a brief resurgence in June 2022, before stopping definitively. The movement nevertheless survives in fragmented forms.