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Translation:
“QAnon” - the rise of a dangerous conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory from the dark corner of the Internet is gaining new followers in Germany through the corona pandemic.
One of them is the singer Xavier Naidoo.
The recent popularity of the “QAnon” conspiracy theory is a matter of concern.
In times of crisis, conspiracy theories are booming. This was already the case in the Middle Ages: when the plague epidemic hit Europe in the 14th century and cost the lives of millions, Jews were soon accused of poisoning wells. This lie sparked pogroms that wiped out entire Jewish communities. And it is still the basis of numerous anti-Jewish stories.
Even in times of the corona pandemic, conspiracy theories are becoming more popular and threatening. A particularly wild narrative has found its way from the fool's hem of the Internet into the Republican Party of the USA in recent years and is gaining new followers in Germany at an alarming rate.
One of them is Xavier Naidoo. A video from last week shows the singer crying and clearly struggling for words. Naidoo films himself, speaks of "that at these moments in different countries around the world children are freed from the hands of pedophile networks". He then calls on his fans to search for the term "adrenochrome" on the Internet.
What seems particularly confused to outsiders is the open commitment to a conspiracy theory that is spread by radical supporters of the US President Donald Trump and in which Tobias R. apparently also believed, who murdered ten people in Hanau, Hesse, in February.
The story of the insider in the White House
The birth date of this conspiracy theory is October 2017. Donald Trump has been in office for nine months when an anonymous user logs in to the 4chan online forum. The site is a meeting point for various internet subcultures and has been the starting point for right-wing extremist trolls and hate campaigns on several occasions.
In his first post, the user pretends to be a high-ranking informant from the immediate circle around Donald Trump and announces the alleged impending arrest of the democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Although this arrest never occurs, followers quickly care about the alleged informant and his regular publications from then on. They call it “Q,” based on “Q Clearance,” the highest level of intelligence release by the US Department of Energy that the anonymous poster is said to have. And because users of “4chan” only have the name “Anonymous” instead of an individual username, the allegiance of the supposed insider is now called “QAnon”.
From the alleged information from the White House, a wild conspiracy story emerges, first on “4chan” and then on its more radical offshoot “8chan”. In it, Donald Trump fights against a "deep state" that has so far secretly determined the fate of the USA. Part of the conspiracy is therefore a worldwide network of pedophile politicians, bankers and Hollywood stars who kidnap children and torture and murder them in underground camps in order to gain an elixir of life from them: adrenochrome.
This chemical, of which Xavier Naidoo now also speaks, actually exists. It is a metabolic product of adrenaline, occurs in the human body and can also be produced artificially. However, it is not a “rejuvenator”, this supposed property is fictitious. There is also no evidence of the alleged conspiracy.
Support from the President's Party
Many stories by the “QAnon” conspiracy theorists sound as if they were written by a Hollywood action thriller. It is still unclear who is behind the obviously fictitious publications. Nevertheless, “Q” has gained more and more followers in recent years. According to a recent survey, a quarter of the US population has heard of “QAnon”, explains Mike Rothschild. The California-based author and journalist is an expert on conspiracy theories in the United States.
The “QAnon” conspiracy theory is still a marginal phenomenon, but has become more mainstream in recent months. The progressive US think tank “Media Matters for America” counts 34 current or former congressional candidates who have disseminated “QAnon” content or are openly committed to conspiracy theory. Almost all of them are members of the Republican Party.
In the past, US President Donald Trump spread tweets from followers of the “QAnon” conspiracy theory. Trump’s campaign events regularly show meaningful signs with a large “Q” in the crowd. The president himself has not yet commented on “QAnon,” says Rothschild. However, important former Trump administration employees, such as Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Sebastian Gorka, have declared the conspiracy theory to be wrong and condemned it. That is also the official line of the Republicans.
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