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Trump's QAnon followers are a dangerous cult. How to save someone who's been brainwashed
Nineteen years ago Friday, attacks by the Islamist terrorist cult Al Qaeda took place on American soil, followed by conspiracy theories that the CIA bombed the World Trade Towers and the Pentagon. These have been thoroughly debunked, but they have still flourished, as Al Qaeda did itself until the U.S. took the threat seriously.
Before you dismiss QAnon as another kooky ideology, consider the fact that it’s gaining popularity — and quickly.
Now we face another dangerous cult that has inspired political conspiracy theories and could once again do the U.S. homeland damage: QAnon. The shadowy internet-based organization's followers believe that the world is run by a global cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles and child sex traffickers who are plotting against President Donald Trump and his supporters and that only Trump can save us. There is great concern that QAnon might turn violent, particularly if Trump loses the election.
According to QAnon, those involved in the plotting include "deep state" government bureaucrats, Democrats and celebrities. QAnon also appears to be spouting Nazi anti-Semitic tropes, and it uses biblical references, as some are convinced that Jewish bankers want to enslave people and incite world wars, evoking an out-and-out Nazi cult. They have recruited anti-vaxxers who are espousing distrust of virus experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci, believe Bill Gates wishes to put chips into people and think 5G cell towers are dangerous.
Before you dismiss QAnon as another kooky ideology, consider that it's gaining popularity — and quickly. There are millions of QAnon (pronounced "KEW-a-non") adherents in the United States, with entities established in more than 71 countries. And their conspiracy theories have seeped into the political landscape in significant ways.
Trump supporters attach a "Q" to their signs. Forbes has named 15 congressional candidates who have promoted QAnon. Trump himself has retweeted many QAnon followers, and when he was asked about it by a reporter who referred to QAnon's "belief that you are secretly saving the world from this satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals," Trump responded, "If I can help save the world from problems, I'm willing to do it."
QAnon poses a serious threat to society, and not only because it's spreading misinformation about certain groups of people. Adherents have been accused of acts of violence, including attempted kidnapping and attempted murder. The FBI has named QAnon followers as "conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists." Some members of Congress have been so concerned about QAnon that the House recently introduced a resolution calling out QAnon's "capacity to radicalize to violence individuals at an alarming speed."