QAnon has taken root in Germany and other countries (thread)

[octoberlib]

Link to tweet

?s=21



The backdrop to QAnon’s arrival in Europe is the pandemic, which has supercharged conspiracy theories everywhere. Local Q groups have sprung up from the Netherlands to the Balkans. In Britain, QAnon-themed protests have taken place in more than 20 cities and towns. 2/8

Officials were baffled that a wacky conspiracy theory about Trump taking on a “deep state” of Satanists and pedophiles has resonated in places like Germany, which has handled the pandemic well. But as one official put it, QAnon’s mythology “falls on fertile ground.” 3/8



In Germany, as in the US, far-right activists were the first to latch on. QAnon's language - from claims of ritual child murder to revenge fantasies against liberal elites - conjure anti-Semitic tropes and putsch fantasies that have long animated Germany’s far-right fringe. 4/8

“It’s the 21-century version of blood libel,” said @DittrichMiro. “The idea of a global conspiracy of elites is deeply anti-Semitic. ‘Globalists’ is code for Jews.” 5/8

At its root QAnon is a fascist movement, some say. "It doesn’t openly fly the colors of fascism, it sells it as secret code,” one intelligence official said. “It's jumped from the virtual world into the real world. If the U.S. is anything to go by, it’s going to gain speed.” 6/8


Even those on the far right who do not buy into the conspiracy theory see QAnon as a strategic way to grow. A far-right magazine editor in Germany told me that the image of pedophile elites was a useful “allegory” for corrupt and decadent elites. 7/8

“Q is a completely novel attempt to structure political opposition in the era of social media,” the editor said. After the pandemic, “the far right will reconstitute itself differently. Q could play a role in this.” End

[Mystery sage]

1. Like this virus we can't allow them to grow into a big problem later

[octoberlib]

2. I'm hoping all this crap will fizzle out after

Trump’s out of office. He’ll probably still be all over the airwaves, though, so we’ll see.

[Mystery sage]

4. I believe your right though there will always be small groups like this.

People who pervert democracy
People who feel powerful by destroying something great
People who use power to torment,hurt, and kill others.

I hope we can recover from this and grow ever stronger.

[2naSalit]

3. Look at the crowd that's been over there...

Providing assistance for the last five or more years, Bannon, Gingrich, and the whole gang of racist imperialists and they have been fanning the flames and hosting white supremacy education programs. Most Europeans have the sense to identify them and try to keep them from gaining power. When you have our gang of ratfuckers helping and lots of funding, it gets a lot harder.

[not_the_one]

5. Russian and its "useful idiots" of every country

with Bannon being ours.

[Iterate]

6. Populism in Germany declines sharply, says Bertelsmann study

Populism in Germany declines sharply, says Bertelsmann study

A new study has shown populist attitudes in Germany have dropped sharply compared to two years ago. The results indicate parties like the far-right AfD will be pushed toward the political fringe.

Populism in German politics is on the decline after peaking in 2018, according to a study released Thursday by the Bertelsmann Foundation.

Around 20% of registered voters in Germany are considered to have a "populist mindset," which is a drop from the 2018 figure of 33% of voters who had such a view, according to researchers.
...
https://www.dw.com/en/populism-in-germany-declines-sharply-says-bertelsmann-study/a-54798440

Coronavirus: Survey shows broad support for government measures in Germany

A majority of people in Germany are in favor of stricter regulations to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to a poll. The survey also explored German identity 30 years after reunification.
...
Germans from both eastern and western states also seemed to be even closer in outlook when it came to evaluating those in power today. Generally, people were satisfied with the government even though there has been a slight drop in positive attitudes. Overall, 60% were satisfied with the government's work, especially with regard to the coronavirus pandemic. Supporters of the Left Party and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) were much less likely to voice support for the government.
https://www.dw.com/en/coronavirus-survey-shows-broad-support-for-government-measures-in-germany/a-55138906

Most of the second article concerned attitudes East vs. West in the thirty years since reunification. But what struck me most was the chart below. Complaining is Germany's third greatest pastime, so to be 68% satisfied with anything is astonishing. Other polls have shown that the handling of the pandemic has increased confidence in government.

In other words, the NYT article is its latest breathless prediction of the German (and EU) downfall. I can't count the number of times I've seen similar. A few American nutters does not constitute "Thriving".

[dalton99a]

7. Russian-backed organizations amplifying QAnon conspiracy theories, researchers say

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-qanon-russia/russian-backed-organizations-amplifying-qanon-conspiracy-theories-researchers-say-idUSKBN25K13T

August 24, 2020
Russian-backed organizations amplifying QAnon conspiracy theories, researchers say
By Joseph Menn

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Russian government-supported organizations are playing a small but increasing role amplifying conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon, raising concerns of interference in the November U.S. election.

In 2019, accounts removed by Twitter and suspected of being controlled by Russia’s Internet Research Agency sent a high volume of tweets tagged with #QAnon and the movement slogan #WWG1WGA, short for Where We Go One, We Go All, said Melanie Smith, head of analysis at social media analysis firm Graphika. The IRA was indicted by Robert Mueller in his election interference prosecution.

More recently, Russian government-backed media RT.com and Sputnik have stepped up coverage of QAnon, which began with a false proclamation Hillary Clinton would be arrested for an undetermined reason and now includes theories about child trafficking by Hollywood elites, the novel coronavirus and more.

Alethea Group disinformation expert Cindy Otis, a former CIA analyst, said RT, Sputnik and other Kremlin-backed media have been writing more about QAnon, using it to fit into their broader narrative of: “The U.S. is falling apart, look how much division there is.”