QAnon in Germany de:hate report #01 - Amadeu Antonio Stiftung
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de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany
Publisher: Amadeu Antonio Foundation Novalisstraße 12 10115 Berlin + 49 (0)30. 240 886 10 info@amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de www.amadeu-antonio-stiftung.de Editors: Miro Dittrich, Anne Grandjean, Lukas Jäger, Jan Rathje Contributors: Simone Rafael, Britta Kollberg Layout/Design: Wigwam eG, Berlin; Anne Prinz, Münster © Amadeu Antonio Stiftung, 2020 We would like to thank the Freudenberg Foundation for its support, which funded the research that went into de:hate and the creation of this report. We would also like to thank all our donors who make the work of the Amadeu Antonio Foundation possible, in particular with regard to new and current subject areas that are not widely known to the public and have received little support or promotion thus far. de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 2
Table of Contents 4 Preface 6 QAnon, the “Querdenker” Movement and COVID-19: How QAnon Gained a Foothold in Germany 8 How Donald Trump Became a Savior to Conspiracy Ideologists – QAnon’s Origins 10 How COVID-19 Helped a Fringe Phenomenon Gain Mainstream Appeal – the Spread of QAnon 17 From Child Abduction to a Dead Mafia Boss: QAnon’s Potential for Violence in the USA 18 QAnon, Conspiracy Ideologies and Antisemitism 22 The Overlap Between QAnon Supporters and “Reichsbürger” groups 24 Down the Rabbit Hole – Radicalization in the Time of COVID-19 30 Interview with Miro Dittrich: “Trust the Plan Soon Becomes Be the Plan”. 36 Insights Gained from Monitoring QAnon – Theories and Predictions 39 Recommendations for Action 41 Information, Advice and Support 42 Literature 43 Sources de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 3
Preface
The QAnon conspiracy ideology is the driving factor behind one of the most
dynamic and dangerous antisemitic, right-wing extremist movements of the
present day. It is a catalyst for radicalization, emotionalist responses and calls
for violence. In referencing what may be one of the most emotional issues of all
– violating the well-being of children – the movement is able to create imme-
diate pressure to push back against the alleged conspiracy of a “deep state”,
thus legitimizing forms of violence that extend to terrorist attacks. QAnon’s
goals can therefore be said to dovetail with the demonstrations against
COVID-19 measures, which likewise propagate the notion of a “powerful con-
spiracy” and whose protestors believe that powerful elites have exaggerated
the danger of the pandemic in order to push through their own plans. It comes
as little surprise, then, that QAnon symbols have become increasingly visible at
demonstrations attended by Querdenker groups (literally “contrarian thinkers”
© Amadeu Antonio Stiftung in opposition to government measures) in many cities around Germany.
Despite these recent developments, QAnon was a force in Germany even prior
to the Querdenker protests, with the conspiracy narrative being cultivated by
prominent musicians and conspiracy ideologists on relevant websites. Part of
the movement’s widespread support comes from its willingness to use ancient
antisemitic tropes (metaphorical terms, imagery and phrases), with blood libels
being one prominent example. The propagators of these potent, cruel lies often
use fictitious, real or unsolved kidnappings, accidents or fatalities, especially
involving children, for their own ends and present Jewish people as scapego-
ats. These myths cast aspersions on the alleged perpetrators and, in doing so,
justify their oppression, persecution, and murder. They have sparked (and con-
tinue to ignite) pogroms and paved the way for the systematic extermination of
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 4
Jews during the Shoah. will explore specific examples of radi-
calization and present intervention
QAnon is at risk of becoming as influ- options for discussion.
ential as the fabricated Protocols of
the Elders of Zion, one of the most We look forward to receiving feed-
influential antisemitic propaganda back on this format and would be
tools used by the Nazis. Today, this pleased to discuss the conclusions
book is joined by antisemitic fake drawn by the publication. Additio-
news that supports conspiracy theo- nal recommendations for action and
ries, along with propaganda and lies tips on prevention and intervention
spread via social networks. can also be found in our other recent
publication, which we refer to at the
We have made the decision to publish end of this report.
this first issue in a new series in light
of the election of QAnon supporters Timo Reinfrank
to the United States Congress, the Executive Director
ongoing dispute regarding the legality Amadeu Antonio Foundation
of the 2020 US presidential elections
due to an alleged conspiracy, and the
rapid spread of the QAnon ideology at
COVID-19 protests in Berlin and Leip-
zig. This publication will complement
the observations made in the moni-
toring reports of our de:hate project
in a shorter format that appears more
frequently. As well as offering a fac-
tual explanation for the rise of hate
groups and conspiracy ideologies, it
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 5
QAnon, the “Querdenker” Movement and COVID-19: How QAnon Gained a Foothold in Germany In the summer of 2020, the letter “Q” was suddenly ever- ywhere to be seen in Germany. On posters, on T-shirts, as Imageboards cardboard cut-outs, dangling from necklaces: the letter became an increasingly conspicuous presence at pro- Imageboards are discussion forums that primarily tests against the COVID-19 measures imposed by the revolve around posting images and texts. Regis- German government.1, I In this context, Q is shorthand for tration is usually not necessary, as anonymity is an a series of conspiracy narratives about a fictitious final important part of imageboard culture. There is little battle between good and evil involving a class of Satanic to no moderation on popular boards such as 4chan elites drinking children’s blood, an apparent “deep state”, and 8kun.2 This leads to crude humor and misanthro- and President Donald Trump as a savior figure who would pic content and allows discriminatory narratives to bring an end to the conspiracy. The idea is that there is a circulate without restriction. In 2019, several right- world order in which all “evil” in the world is believed to be wing terrorists used imageboards for networking the result of this conspiracy and which is immune to criti- purposes and to livestream their crimes. cism and contradictions. Given the context, QAnon can be labeled a conspiracy ideology – espousing clearly antise- mitic content. Blood libel, an old antisemitic conspiracy QAnon emerged on the Internet in 2017, specifically on narrative revolving around the ritual murder of children, the imageboard 4chan, and its narratives have become is updated and reproduced in the narratives pushed by ever more widespread online since. In the USA, this QAnon. Followers also levy classic antisemitic accusati- conspiracy ideology has already proven to be dange- ons against Jews, who they portray as servants of Satan. rous offline: some followers of the movement have been I Although these protests are supposedly in opposition to the German government’s COVID-19 measures, they are also a meeting place for conspiracy ideologists, right-wing extremists and antisemitic persons. de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 6
associated with multiple crimes, including murder. After timeline illustrates how violent incidents in connection the US and other English-speaking countries, Germany with QAnon have increased in the USA since the begin- is now the largest area of circulation for the Q conspi- ning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, a case study racy ideology. In Germany, QAnon first took root on the highlights how QAnon followers can also become radi- streets, when the French yellow vests movement gained calized in Germany to the point where they may com- a foothold in Germany. Prominent German artists and mit crimes. Miro Dittrich, head of the de:hate project, athletes have also used their social media presence to explains in an interview what makes QAnon so palata- spread stories associated with QAnon to large numbers ble to common citizens and why subsequent social cri- of followers. The presence of Q symbols at these protests ses will be a breeding ground for similar phenomena. shows that in Germany, too, QAnon followers are wil- Finally, the report provides recommendations for action ling to stand up for their beliefs both online and offline. on how to address and handle conspiracy ideologies such These current developments are worrying. Within a remar- as QAnon. In short, these can be summarized as follows: kably short period of time, the conspiracy ideology seems to have found more and more followers in the German- speaking world. How has the COVID-19 crisis contributed Recommended course of action: to this? How dangerous are its followers? How exactly do people radicalize themselves and become QAnon follo- 1. Conspiracy ideologies like QAnon should be wers who are ready to use violence? What are the parallels labeled as such and be actively opposed. between “Reichsbürger” (a group of citizens which does not recognize Germany’s post-World War II Federal Repu- 2. Pandemic control measures and the prevention blic) and QAnon? of radicalization must be tackled in tandem. The de:hate project – which has monitored the online 3. Security authorities must become well versed in activities surrounding the QAnon conspiracy ideology conspiracy ideologies and continue to hone their since it first emerged – seeks to answer these questions expertise in this area. in this report. It shows how the dissemination of these 4. Advisory services must be established and conspiracy ideologies has gathered pace on Telegram strengthened. and YouTube in Germany over the past few months. A de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 7
How Donald Trump Became a Savior for
Conspiracy Ideologists – QAnon’s Origins
In December 2016, a man armed with multiple firearms with representatives of the US armed forces on October 5,
stormed into Comet Ping Pong, a pizzeria in Washing- 2017, Donald Trump said something that made the press
ton, DC. Edgar W. had covered more than 540 kilometers members in attendance prick up their ears: “Maybe it’s
to get from his hometown in North Carolina that morning the calm before the storm.” The president was not willing
to Comet Ping Pong. He was led there by Pizzagate, an to clarify what he meant by the statement.4 These words
unfounded conspiracy narrative claiming that the then would become part of the founding myth surrounding
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton ran a pedophile ring QAnon, with the conspiracy ideology ultimately taking
and kept children imprisoned in the basement of the piz- shape after Trump’s statement was interpreted from vari-
zeria. When he arrived at the restaurant, Edgar W. did not ous different angles. In an early QAnon post, the alleged
save any children, nor did he even find a cellar on site. He government source “Q” quoted Trump’s sentence. Q’s fol-
managed only to scare employees and customers by firing lowers took this as confirmation of Q’s existence.
at least one shot while searching the restaurant. No one
was injured in the incident.3 On October 28, 2017, “Q Clearance Patriot” posted for the
first time on the 4chan imageboard. The pseudonym all-
Pizzagate contains all the broad strokes of a narrative that udes to a high level of secrecy within the US government.
would later become solidified in the worldview adopted by Later, the letter was combined with “Anon” – a term that
Q followers. After the incident in Washington, some pro- stands for people who remain anonymous on online plat-
minent Pizzagate followers did distance themselves from forms – to become QAnon. In the beginning, it was pos-
the conspiracy narrative, though the topic continued to be sible that other Qs also used pseudonyms. Later, Q chan-
discussed on controversial online platforms like 4chan ged platforms: After moving to 8chan, now 8kun, Q used
and 8kun. “tripcodes” to authenticate their posts. The identity of the
person or group behind the posts is still unclear. As with
Setting Pizzagate to one side, the story of QAnon can be many other conspiracy ideologies, the followers of QAnon
said to have started around a year later. At a photo session are constantly challenged to think for themselves, to do
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 8
their own research and to question things.II narratives feeds into old antisemitic and Christian fun-
damentalist concepts of the “enemy”, which Q's follo-
The zeal with which the conspiracy’s followers set about wers spread online and offline in the form of slogans and
analyzing anything even remotely relates to their world- hashtags.
view is remarkable. This not only applies to posts by Q, but
also speeches by Donald Trump and statements from all-
eged members of the deep state. Even spelling mistakes
made by Trump are considered to be secret messages.
Every letter, every number, every element is seen as a
possible code to be cracked. Meanwhile, the fundamental
aspects of the conspiracy continue to be propagated on
dedicated imageboards as well as platforms used by the
general public, such as Telegram, Instagram and YouTube.
Q’s first post prophesied the arrest of Hillary Clinton and
subsequent massive social unrest in the United States.
Neither of these predictions proved to be true. Neverthe-
less, Q has written thousands more posts since this first
prediction. At the heart of the ideology that has built up
around these posts is a Satanic elite, consisting of the
deep state that allegedly runs a pedophile ring, and Donald
Trump as a savior figure. To those who follow the con-
spiracy ideology surrounding Q, this is the ultimate battle
of good against evil, at the end of which the elite will be
brought to justice and executed. This web of conspiracy
II
See “Findings from Monitoring QAnon”, p. 36
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 9
How COVID-19 Helped a Fringe Phenomenon Gain Mainstream Appeal – the Spread of QAnon On the global stage, QAnon’s role was negligible until the spring of 2020. Since that time, however, the conspiracy ideology has gained more and more followers outside the USA, with a report by the Institute for Strategic Dialo- gue (ISD) concluding that the English-speaking countries of Canada, Great Britain and Australia have been especially affected. Between November 2019 and June 2020, Germany was next on the list after these countries.5 During the same period, QAnon attracted more followers in other European countries, including France and Italy. The conspiracy ideology also gained some political power: in the USA, where QAnon undoubtedly has its largest following, two followers of the movement were elected to Congress in 2020. Additionally, some QAnon candidates now hold political offices at state level. In Germany, only individual groups within the German far-right party Alterna- tive for Germany (AfD) and their youth organization Young Alternative (Junge Alternative) have been linked to the conspiracy ideology so far. The Junge Alternative group for the state of Baden-Württemberg, for example, used the hashtags #WWG1WGA (a popular QAnon slogan) and #qanon on Face- One AfD page quotes singer Xavier Naidoo book. A regional AfD page from Leip- as saying: “Look up adrenochrome, check zig shared a video of the singer and out the pictures... I’ve known for at least 15 conspiracy theorist Xavier Naidoo on years what’s been going on.” They also link Facebook along with a post calling the Google search results for Adrenochrome. for people to “form their own opinion” Source: Facebook de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 10
to navigate for the general public, associated with QAnon. For a long
the content of the individual posts is time, though, QAnon content could
also reproduced on websites that are also be shared easily on more common
easier to comprehend, thus making social media platforms by individuals
QAnon accessible to a much wider as well as groups and channels. Some
audience. These websites provide of them had names that very clearly
infrastructure that has been essen-
tial for turning the former fringe phe-
nomenon QAnon into a conspiracy Dark Social
ideology palatable to the masses.
“Love of the homeland is blind to skin
Additionally, there is a number of Today, the term Dark Social
color #wwg1wga” is the message in one
QAnon influencers who have made stands for non- or partially-
Facebook post by a regional chapter of the
it their business to analyze Q-drops public communication online.
youth organization Junge Alternative, which
– in a similar manner to theologians This includes messenger ser-
also included the hashtag #qanon. Source:
who analyze the Bible – because vices such as Telegram or plat-
Facebook.
many of the original posts are delibe- forms such as Discord. Dark
about adrenochrome – one key rately vague. The resulting room for Social is attractive for anyone
QAnon conspiracy narrative states interpretation also makes the content who wants to openly express
that a fictitious elite extracts the sub- more difficult to refute. And while the radical positions, as posts are
stance adrenochrome from the blood analysis of individual posts is a cen- rarely reported or deleted. They
of tortured children, despite it being tral part of the conspiracy ideology are also seldom met with any
simple to produce in a laboratory. for all its followers, the interpretati- rebuttal or corrective informa-
ons of individual influencers facilita- tion. In addition, opinion leaders
But how exactly is the conspiracy tes low-threshold access to QAnon. can appear more credible in the
ideology QAnon spreading in Ger- eyes of their followers, since this
many? While the various image Dark social media platforms such form of communication seems
boards on which Q’s posts, known as Telegram offer the perfect tools more direct and personal.
as “Q-drops”, are posted are difficult for spreading conspiracy narratives
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 11Growth of QAnon
200000
Channels on
Telegram
150000 The Telegram channels “Oliver Janich öffentlich”
and “Qlobal-Change DEATCHLI” both gained a
significant number of followers.
100000
Source: Josef Holnburger
Oliver Janich öffentlich True-Faktor Germany
Die Echtzeit Analyse
Qlobal-Change DEATCHLI
50000 Nachricht von Müller Verbinde die Punkte
Catherines Blick Son Go Q aka BitchBotBoii 4.0 live
INTO THE LIGHT Haunsi Appmann
0 ÜBERBLICK & NEWS
Apr 2020 Jun 2020 Aug 2020 Oct 2020 Frag uns doch!
declared their affiliation with QAnon. Various QAnon sub- On Facebook and Telegram, QAnon groups became a mel-
categories were formed in response to the platform’s tar- ting pot of different conspiracy narratives that were integ-
get group. Instagram, for example, is home to a movement rated into QAnon lore. This ability to integrate different
dubbed “QAmom” by Rolling Stone and “Pastel QAnon” by views is likely one of the reasons why QAnon has become
QAnon expert Marc-André Argentino, with the conspiracy so popular. Furthermore, Facebook’s algorithm genera-
ideology being disseminated – frequently by women – tes group and page suggestions based on the interests
using a combination of softer language and pastel tones.6
The hashtag “#savethechildren”, referring to QAnon’s focus III
This bears no relation to the children’s rights organization Save the
on the alleged abuse of children by an elite cabal was often Children, which was founded more than a century ago. Save the Chil-
used as a particularly relevant call to arms.III dren issued a statement distancing itself from the hashtag.
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 12of users and their acquaintances. In other words, the For a long time, QAnon was able to spread virtually
algorithm will suggest similar groups to users who have unchecked across social media platforms. It was not
already declared an interest in conspiracy stories and who until summer 2020 that Twitter, Facebook and Instag-
may belong to an associated group. ram started a wave of deplatforming and adapted their
user rules to combat the conspiracy ideology. The plat-
forms ramped up their efforts in July and August, and
in October Facebook announced that its new goal was
to prevent and delete all QAnon content. As a result,
Deplatforming as a 1,700 Facebook pages, 5,600 groups and around 18,700
Instagram accounts were deleted.7 YouTube followed in
Counterstrategy Facebook’s footsteps shortly afterward, with the video
150000 Mean Views per
Message on the
120000 “Qlobal-Change”
Channel
90000
Mean views per message are a good indicator of
how many people actively read messages from a
60000
particular Telegram channel – in this case
“Qlobal-Change”.
30000
Source: Josef Holnburger
Views on Telegram
0
Jan 19 Apr 19 Jul 19 Oct 19 Jan 20 Apr 20 Jul 20 Oct 20
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 13platform specifically citing the “real violence” triggered more than 10,000 subscribers or 1,000 members suddenly
by such conspiracy ideologies as the reason for taking exploded as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold. We found
action.8 Many of the major QAnon channels were deleted. a total of 48 telegram channels predominantly containing
QAnon content through to the end of October.
This increase in users during the pandemic can be explai-
ned by analyzing the second-largest QAnon channel
Tracking the Spread of QAnon on Telegram. On March 17, roughly 21,000 users were
subscribed
Alongside the Pandemic
to the channel Qlobal-Change; three months later, on June
How did QAnon spread in German-speaking spaces 17, the channel had more than 111,000 subscribers. The
online? For this analysis, data from 50 YouTube channels, number then rose steadily, peaking at over 127,000 by the
48 Telegram channels with predominantly QAnon content, end of October. Telegram channels are one-way commu-
and 34 Telegram groups which primarily share QAnon nication channels, and looking at the number of subscri-
content were evaluated. Some YouTube channels have bers alone can often be misleading: voyeurism and the
been deleted from the platform in the meantime. False like often leads people to subscribe to a channel. A better
information about the COVID-19 pandemic has been dis- measurement of their reach is obtained by looking at how
tributed via QAnon channels and groups across all plat- many people have actually seen their messages. At the
forms. In mid-March 2020, there were COVID-19 cases in beginning of February, around 9,000 people on average had
every German federal state. Schools and daycare centers viewed posts on Qlobal-Change; by the beginning of April,
were closed and entry bans were issued. On March 22, the figure stood at around 60,000 people. In addition, 34
strict restrictions on leaving the home and person-to- groups that primarily distribute QAnon content were found
person contact came into force throughout Germany. At on Telegram, with the number of members rising substan-
the same time, the number of users of Telegram channels tially in March. While there were only around 6,500 users
and groups indicated that interest in QAnon content and on March 17, this figure had risen to more than 50,000 in
QAnon influencers began to grow during the pandemic. mid-June and 79,505 by the end of October.
Groups and channels that had previously attracted no Oliver Janich was the largest German QAnon influencer for
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 14a long time. By now, however, many of his accounts have conspiracy scene since the September 11 attacks. He has
been deleted. After his removal from Instagram (2019) and been posting QAnon content since 2017, particularly on
Twitter (2020), his YouTube channel was deleted on Octo- YouTube – long before it attracted the attention of the
ber 22. The former journalist has been part of the German wider German public. He also shares a great deal of QAnon
The top 10 evaluated YouTube channels with the most subscribers
In total, 49 YouTube channels were examined more closely. Some channels were deleted prior to the publication of this report in November 2020.
No. Channel name Subscribers Views Created on
1 Oliver Janich 160.000 48.413.591 01.02.2011
2 LION Media 146.000 20.250.886 12.10.2018
3 Qlobal-Change 146.000 18.934.464 19.10.2018
4 Hans-Joachim Müller 95.900 28.664.419 21.07.2012
5 Verbinde die Punkte! 57.300 11.928.464 20.01.2018
6 Antiilluminaten TV 51.000 9.947.224 22.01.2018
7 Catherine Thurner 44.800 5.221.014 06.10.2016
8 Frag uns doch! 42.900 4.458.274 26.03.2020
9 Andi Kandare 30.100 3.922.282 07.09.2019
10 Schwert der Wahrheit - Jens Bengen 28.100 812.478 09.11.2019
Source: Josef Holnburger
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 15content on Telegram via “Oliver Janich öffentlich”, the lar- Naidoo cries for our children”, which contains a clear refe-
gest German-speaking QAnon channel. Already high, his rence to QAnon, amassed over 495,000 views.
number of subscribers rose from 50,400 on March 17 to
125,000 on June 17 and over 152,600 by the end of Octo- Of the 50 YouTube channels distributing QAnon content
ber. For a long time, Janich was also one of the most that were analyzed for this report, 18 had videos that had
popular YouTube channels distributing QAnon content. been viewed more than one million times. Although most
Before it was deleted, it had 280,000 subscribers. A video of these channels share conspiracy theories other than
uploaded on April 2, 2020 titled “Adrenochrome – Xavier QAnon, three do refer to Q in their names, one of which is
Qlobal-Change. Created on October
19, 2018, this channel’s view count
YouTube views on the channel clearly shows that the general inte-
“Qlobal-Change” rest in QAnon increased in conjunc-
The number of views on the YouTube channel Qlobal-Change rose rapidly in parallel to the tion with the outbreak of the pande-
COVID-19 pandemic. Source: Josef Holnburger mic. In early January, the channel’s
Views on videos by YouTube
channel „Qlobal-Change“ videos rarely attracted more than
20,000 views a day. From mid-March
300000
onward, however, the views more
2815
250000 than doubled, while on some days the
channel received well over 100,000
200000 views. 1768
1890
150000
1423
1160
100000
9371
8810
8545
8437
7907
7845
7791
7346
7197
7084
7073
7041
6922
6903
6801
6748
6729
6713 6706
6661
6631
6576 6580
6542
6489
6371
6353
6331
6263 6273
6225 6219
6071 6076
5985 5975
5857
5836
5752
5730
5662 5666
5634
5581 5577
5570
5551
5516
5499
5488 5487 5482 5484
5437
5356
5326
5296 5289 5293
5270 5266
5237
5188
5168 5167
5139 5135 5137 5136 5135 5142
5129 5123
5092
5079
5060 5062
4967
4948
4850 4859 4851
4843
4812 4808
4775
50000
4762 4760
4716 4716
4689 4689
4675
4645
4611
4594
4583
4556 4550
4515
4495 4486
4468 4477
4455 4465
4449
4391
4377
4330 4327
4308 4302
4276
4248
4234
4206 4210 4207
4180 4185
4170
4128
4112
4098
4077 4077
4001 3991
3978
3943 3936
3907 3902
3876 3875
3844
3822
3759 3748 3755
3726
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3614 3624
3581 3583 3582 3589
3571
3554 3553
3522
3488 3479 3479
3453 3454
3430 3424
3412 3409
3395 3389
3364
3325 3332
3311
3243
3211 3221 3211
3159 3153 3149
3049
2961
2928
2891
2716 2721
2674 2668
2640
2619
2579
2506 2502
2493
2471
2448 2458
2429
2390
2311 2313
2247 2241 2242 2236 2236 2230
2219 2213
2206
2146 2153
2116
2102 2105
2053 2051 2062 2051
2042
2023 2027
1997
1982
1969
1924 1926 1932
1911 1920
1904
1893
1870 1867
1849
1833 1824
1812 1814 1804
1789 1787 1794 1797
1748 1748 1746
1734 1733 1729
1719 1717
1690 1699 1700 1692
1687
1676 1669 1667 1669
1645 1650 1646
1636 1628 1638 1631
1623 1622 1613 1619
1609 1608 1605 1611
1589 1599 1594 1595
1578 1579 1585
1559 1561 1551 1553
1539 1538 1543
1523 1531 1532
1517 1519 1516 1510 1515 1511
1500 1505 1497
1488 1481 1488
1473 1463 1472
1451 1460 1452
1438 1448 1437
1422 1432 1434
1410
1394 1396 1387 1396 1391 1386
1373 1373 1379
1367 1369 1365 1362
1344 1353 1348
1327 1328 1338 1335 1334
1316 1308
1292 1302 1293 1304 1306
1292
1280 1274 1271 1269 1259
1246 1245 1252 1246 1254 1246 1252
1225 1233 1235
1205 1215 1210 1213 1214 1212
1202 1201 1199
1180 1186 1188
1160 1154
1145
1133 1131
1110 1117 1120 1113 1122
1108 1106
1084 1089 1092
1054 1056 1060 1058
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1012 1004
9939 9927 1000 9977
9838 9826 9885
9753 9766 9756 9667 9638
9495 9423
7
5
9188 9211 9286
8988 8901 8897 8904 8907
8717 8746 8709 8690
8541 8566 8531 8511
8356 8357 8348
8141 8211
8031 8079
7954 7932
7787 7745
7654
7423 7457 7430
7274
7137 7098
6545
6264 6187
5987
5425 5355 5332
5199 5154 5138
4759 4823
10
5
4496 4458
4288 4393
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30
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476
7
5
324
10
5
10 7
12
6
4
10
0
Jan 19 Apr 19 Jul 19 Oct 19 Jan 20 Apr 20 Jul 20 Oct 20
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 16From Child Abduction to a Dead Mafia Boss:
QAnon’s Potential for Violence in the USA
Until early 2020, the general public dismissed QAnon as a fringe online pheno-
menon. Even so, its emphasis on the impending apocalypse and the savagery October 28, 2017
of the supposed Satanic elite that QAnon adherents believe in are dangerous
First post by “Q”
concepts for the society in which they are disseminated. These narratives
create a sense of urgency to act that can radicalize its adherents to the point
of committing acts of violence – the incident at Comet Ping Pong was a clear
indicator of this. June 15, 2018
California
In Germany, one incident in 2020 showed how dangerous this kind of conspi-
racy ideology can become: while the perpetrator of the shootings in Hanau is An armed man blocks the Hoo-
not known to be a QAnon follower, he nevertheless spoke about underground ver Dam with a truck loaded with
ammunition to make demands on
pedophilia rings – similar to established QAnon narratives – in some of the behalf of QAnon.10
videos he posted online.
Within months of Q’s first post, it became apparent that these interlinking nar-
ratives could be used to mobilize followers to commit violent crimes in the March 13, 2019
USA. The FBI has classified conspiracy ideologies such as QAnon as a poten-
New York
tial terrorist threat since May 2019 9 due to the fact that QAnon followers in the
USA are being increasingly linked to acts of violence or plots to commit acts A 24-year-old man allegedly kills
of terrorism. What is striking here is that children are repeatedly at the heart of a mafioso who he claims to have
identified as part of the alleged elite
these crimes.
described by Q.11
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 17QAnon, Conspiracy Ideologies September 25, 2019
and Antisemitism Arizona
Mit einem Brecheisen beschädigt
In comparison to other conspiracy ideologies, QAnon can be characterized ein QAnon-Anhänger den Altar
by two special features: as well as offering a view into an abyss populated einer Kirche und kennzeichnet das
by alleged conspiracies, pedophilia and doomsday fantasies, it presents a Gebäude als „das Böse“. Dabei
savior and a way out of these horrific scenarios. QAnon’s basic narrative schreit er angeblich, dass die
katholische Kirche Menschen-
states that ever since the election of
handel unterstütze. Online nutzt er
Donald Trump as the president of the QAnon-Hashtags.12
Deep State United States, the alleged conspi-
racy is being defeated piece by piece
In general, the term “deep state” by a counter-conspiracy overseen by
refers to a situation in which
political or military entities act
the president and his followers. This December 30, 2019
is the party line according to Q, at
against the political leader- Montana
least: “trust the plan” and everything
ship. In recent years, it has been will be fine. A mother is arrested on suspicion
appropriated by U.S. conspiracy of planning to abduct her daughter,
ideologues and has become who was in the care of a foster
As a world conspiracy, QAnon is also family. Other QAnon followers are
synonymous with an alleged open to other ideologies and narra- said to have been involved in the
political plot against Donald tives that have little to do with Q’s plan.13
Trump – as a way of discrediting founding myth. Examples include
Trump’s critics. According to 5G cell phone tower conspiracies,
the QAnon conspiracy ideology, forced vaccinations and the restora-
Trump is fighting for good, while
the Deep State is on the side of
tion of the German Reich’s political March 26, 2020
status. Whatever the narrative: in
evil. Kentucky
the eyes of QAnon followers, Trump
will fix it. Esoteric self-improvement A woman is accused of kidnapping
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 18or eschatological concepts linked the world. This is also due in part to
her twin daughters from their
to Christianity can also be effort- a conspiracy like QAnon’s desire to grandmother, the children’s legal
lessly incorporated into the QAnon prompt its followers to take action guardian. The woman shares QAnon
tapestry. via its “no time to waste” rhetoric rat- narratives and sovereign citizen
her than to stop and cultivate a cri- movement content online.14
tical understanding of the world. The
A Focus on Action focus, ultimately, is on destroying
this evil conspiracy swiftly and deci-
However, supporters are not neces- sively. Every possible chance to do so March 31, 2020
sarily content to simply trust in the is framed as the last one to save the California
“plan”. QAnon is not supposed to be world: whether by converting other
A young man drives his truck into
a sleeping pill for its followers; after people through social media chan- a group of peaceful Black Lives
all, the fact that Q’s prophecies regu- nels, slandering the alleged elite as Matter protestors. Nobody is hurt.
larly do not come true demands a pedophilic murderers, creating and Previously, the man had organized
lot from its supporters. A part of the spreading propaganda or even com- a “civil disobedience” training camp
on his family’s land. He had also
movement has therefore dedicated mitting violent crimes. The linguistic
previously shared QAnon conspiracy
itself to deciphering supposedly sec- dehumanization of persons who fit stories with friends.15
ret messages that circulate around QAnon’s image of the enemy allows
29. April 2020
Washington
A QAnon supporter armed with
Doubt is not permitted in the QAnon community. Instead, a motto – knives drives from Illinois to
Washington and threatens to kill US
trust the plan –is repeated ad nauseam. Source: Telegram.
presidential candidate Joe Biden.
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 19its followers to shake off their inhibitions. Scholars refer to this as dangerous
She livestreams the journey and her
speech, something which precedes violent action. The more that people radi- subsequent arrest via Facebook.
calize themselves through conspiracy ideologies, the more they are convinced In the video she openly refers to
of the bloodthirstiness and barbarity of the alleged conspirators, and the more QAnon.16
violence appears to be a justified means of resistance against this evil.21
Antisemitism June 11, 2020
Massachusetts
This tendency is particularly problematic, as conspiracy ideologues go well
A QAnon supporter livestreams a
beyond simply referring to groups as a whole when naming and shaming “the police chase he is involved in across
guilty ones”, as they call them. Prominent Jewish people, such as George Soros two US states. His five children are
or the Rothschild family, are often mentioned by name. This flirtation with anti- in the car. The chase ends when he
semitism is no coincidence. The myth of the “worldwide Jewish conspiracy” rams a police car and drives into a
tree. No one is injured.17
has been propagated in Christian societies since the Middle Ages and has been
repeatedly revised, revisited and updated since then. QAnon also makes clear
references to Christian fundamentalist messages and old antisemitic stereo-
types. Blood libels – conspiracies about the ritual murder of children – can be
found in a modernized form in QAnon narratives (such as Pizzagate/ Pedo- August 12, 2020
gate). In addition, followers rely on classic antisemitic accusations in por- Texas
traying Jews as servants of Satan. Furthermore, the myth of the “worldwide
A 30-year-old woman pursues two
Jewish/Zionist conspiracy” is also openly communicated in group chats on cars and eventually rams one of them
Telegram. several times. She tells the police
that the victim had “kidnapped a girl
for human trafficking”. She explains
that she wants to “save the child from
pedophiles”. Multiple sources state
that she is a QAnon supporter.18
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 20Blood Libel October 1, 2020
Utah
The antisemitic conspiracy narrative of blood libel
A mother is arrested for the alleged
originates from the Middle Ages. It claims that Jews abduction of her own son, who was
cruelly murder Christian children for ritual purposes, in the custody of Child Protective
one of which involves harvesting their blood to make Services. On Facebook, the woman
matzo (an unleavened flatbread) for Passover. This distributed QAnon content that spe-
cifically referred to Child Protective
purely fictitious conspiracy narrative contributed
Services.19
significantly to the murder of hundreds of thousands
of people of Jewish faith during the Black Death
pogroms and has been revived in modified forms in
the centuries since. October 7, 2020
Michigan
Thirteen men are charged with an
alleged kidnapping plot. According
to the charge, they wanted to kidnap
US Governor of Michigan Gretchen
Whitmer. At least one of the accused
was said to have distributed QAnon
content.20
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 21The Overlap Between QAnon Followers and
“Reichsbürger” Groups
In addition to clear references to “Q” At first glance, these concepts are
that were evident at the protests on difficult to reconcile with the belief in
August 1 and 29, 2020, against the Donald Trump as a savior. In spring
German government’s COVID-19 2020, however, Reichsbürger follo-
measures, one other symbol was wers and other sovereignists began
continually in attendance: the black, to make favorable comments about
white and red imperial tricolor flag QAnon as a result of the NATO exer-
(known as the “Reichsflagge”) used cise “DEFENDER-Europe 20”, which
by supporters of the “Reichsbür- was scheduled to take place in
ger” conspiracy ideology and by the first half of 2020. The exercise
sovereigntists. was supposed to entail the largest
deployment of US troops in 25 years.
Reichsbürger groups believe in the However, the outbreak of the COVID-
continued existence of a German 19 pandemic in Europe prevented it
“Reich”, or empire, and conclude that from taking place.
the Federal Republic of Germany is
not a legal state. Instead, they believe However, sovereignists flocking under
Germany is still at war with the Allies, the QAnon banner on Telegram were
and it is this fictitious state of affairs not deterred by this: both the QAnon In early 2020 QAnon, followers mixed with
that the “citizens of the Reich” seek and Reichsbürger conspiracy ideolo- Reichsbürger groups on Telegram.
to change. Their main concern is to gies showed up in relevant channels Source: Telegram.
establish what they see as a lack of and groups – some consisting of
sovereignty in Germany.22 several thousand members – starting
in February/March 2020. Meanwhile,
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 22an increasing number of celebrities
have publicly embraced QAnon and Antisemitism: QAnon followers often believe in antisemitic stereotypes
Reichsbürger narratives, not least and the myth of the “worldwide Jewish conspiracy”. Reichsbürger groups
celebrity chef Attila Hildmann. What share these beliefs.
do the followers of the two conspi-
racy ideologies have in common? Government criticism: The state and the government serve as bogeymen
for both conspiracy ideologies. This has become especially evident during
the COVID 19 crisis: to the followers of both ideologies the pandemic is
a secret government-controlled conspiracy against “the people”. In their
conspiracy ideologies the state is controlled by a foreign power.
Promises of salvation: In contrast to purely doom-oriented conspiracy
ideologies, ideological sovereignism and QAnon offer promises of sal-
vation: Reichsbürger groups offset the hopelessness of their world view
with concrete tips on how to achieve the goal of regaining the sovereignty
they crave. QAnon builds on this ideology by presenting its followers with
the prospect of power, eschatological Christian fundamentalist ideas, and
Trump as a savior.
These points are explained in detail on Belltower.News. There remains a
lack of clarity as to why the US president is recognized as a savior figure
by Reichsbürger groups. It is similarly unclear how the QAnon commu-
nity can view this man – so obviously part of the actual US elite – as
an opponent to a hated fictitious elite. What is certain, however, is that
Trump has presented himself as an outsider ever since his first election
campaign, and this narrative is likely to have solidified his acceptance in
these circles.
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 23Down the Rabbit Hole – Radicalization in
the Time of COVID-19
The numbers clearly show that during the COVID-19
crisis, many people have fallen prey to conspiracy nar-
ratives. The support for QAnon is particularly dange-
rous, as shown by the cases of violence in the USA. For
its followers, the conspiracy ideology is not a hobby or
an entertaining paper chase on the Internet; it is an all-
encompassing worldview that does not allow for any
counterarguments. Its impact is only intensified through
the echo chambers of social media and may ultimately
lead to violent outcomes.
The video showing Marco L. damaging the cell phone tower is
shared in QAnon Telegram groups. Source: Telegram.
Conspiracy myths can prompt their followers to lose touch
with reality. This can be clearly seen in the case of Marco
L.IV, who can serve here as a case study for many other with a bleeding wound on his forehead who is using a pair
relatively prominent people. L. radicalized himself to the of garden shears to cut the wires of a cell phone tower.
point where he believed filming his face while committing Afterwards, he looks somberly into the camera and says:
an obvious crime would be a good idea. His is not an iso- “I expect you to go out and destroy this shit, too. I’m going
lated case – it serves as an example of a very real danger to find the next one right away and cut that one up as
in society today. well.” The man in the video is Marco L. – and he is far
from the only one to destroy cell phone towers and call on
In April 2020, a video was shared in several German others to do the same. During the COVID-19 pandemic in
QAnon Telegram groups. The video showed a young man particular, various conspiracy narratives surrounding 5G
telecommunications technology have prompted followers
IV
Name has been changed by the editorial staff. worldwide to commit similar acts of vandalism.
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 24and the fine he had to pay, which he said was EUR 30,000.
He repeatedly urged his Facebook followers to take action
against 5G masts as well.
A look at Marco L.’s timeline reveals that he appears to
have radicalized himself during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prior to February 2020, he rarely posted on Facebook. Like
many others, he seems to have used the social media
platform mainly to send birthday wishes. His content prior
to his radicalization mainly consisted of shirtless selfies
or “funny” misogynistic quotes about sports and women.
Then something changed. First, he started to post con-
tent indicating that he was mentally unwell. These posts
In early April 2020, L. shares a Q-drop on Facebook.
Source: Facebook.
Marco L. posted this video on Facebook himself without
heed for the legal consequences. A short while later, the
police searched his apartment, during which Marco L.
supposedly told the officers present that he wanted to Other Facebook users ask L. about his whereabouts. He replies
destroy more cell phone towers as they “endangered his that he was released. Another user wants to know how high
health”. He then spent a brief period in a psychiatric ins- the penalty L. had to pay was. L. shares the information freely,
titution. Later he used Facebook to boast about the crime stating that the fine was EUR 30,000.
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 25chemtrails to openly anti-migrant and racist sentiments.
On March 19, he wrote a post referring to the German
government’s measures taken against the pandemic: “I
have always managed to not let myself be frightened and
to get through life as well as I could. But now I am afraid!
[...] I’m not afraid of the COVID-19 virus; I’m afraid of what
the state powers are making of it.”
Marco L.’s profile clearly shows that he is a QAnon follo-
wer. On March 24, he started posting QAnon-related con-
tent. In this instance, it was a text he had written himself
about the COVID-19 restrictions, Donald Trump and the
deep state. Marco L.’s profile shows that the worldview
propagated by QAnon is highly adaptable as it is open to
At the end of February, L. begins to share disinformation about so many other conspiracy myths; it is a puzzle whose pie-
the government: “Our people have never been so divided and ces consist of actual crimes (like the cases of abuse in the
hateful, and never has there been more terror, more crime, more Catholic Church), established conspiracy narratives and
rape, and more knife stabbings, as with this government.” the more recent fictitious development of Donald Trump
as a savior.
touched on isolation, depression and being shunned
by society at large. At the end of February, the first post In the weeks prior to the attack on the cell phone tower,
appeared that was critical of the government. Marco L.’s social media output underlined that he was
becoming increasingly radicalized. As well as repeatedly
In mid-March, L. began to post more ideological narrati- sharing videos of popular QAnon groups, he produced his
ves – at virtually the same time as the contact restrictions own videos containing ideological content, which were
were imposed by the Federal Government (March 2). From there shared within the community. He also repeatedly
this time on, he posted on Facebook several times a day. shared the sources of his radicalization, including alleged
The content ranged from conspiracy myths about 5G and “documentaries” that were available on YouTube (a staple
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 26L. further radicalizes himself, as the passages in blue indicate: “I am not scared of the coro-
navirus; I am scared of what the state authorities will do with it. I am scared of our policies.
For the first time in my life I am scared of the people at the top! [...]”
“[...] Those who make decisions. I am scared about never being able to leave my house
without fear again. I am scared they may forbid me from hugging my grandma and grandpa.
What will be next? I want to be free! For the first time I can feel what those in power are
capable of. They can make us scared of the virus and lock ourselves inside. People, we are
under house arrest. They don’t just lock us up – they do so in a way that makes us feel gra-
teful for being locked up. It is unbelievable to me that we let them do this to us when we’re
scared of a virus. I was surprised, but those in power were not. [...] Those in power know the
power we have, which is why they need to make us scared of the virus. This is what allows
them to divide us and govern us. Your neighbor or you friend suddenly becomes someone
who could infect you. We’re all supposed to stay at home by ourselves. We’re only suppo-
sed to go outside if necessary. I say: now is the time to go out on the streets and not stay
home. We should go out and prove our own power to the powerful. We should scare those
who scare us! We cannot let them do everything and anything to us just because a flu called
corona is going around.” Source: Facebook.
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 27about what I say, I don’t want anyt- followers on his timeline. On August
hing to do with you when it’s all 20, he began to share ideological
over!”. This post generated a great content again. At present, he occa-
deal of encouragement, with virtually sionally issues over 20 posts per
none of his Facebook friends contra- day, primarily containing ideological
dicting his poorly sketched out theo- content.
ries. His actions were praised in the
ideological scene: his video showing
the damage to the cell phone tower
was shared by QAnon supporters on
Like many other QAnon followers, Marco L. Telegram and Facebook. Under anot-
shares content about the NATO exercise. her user’s post referring to the attack,
Source: Facebook. Marco L. confessed the crime and wil-
lingly shared a newspaper clipping.
for many QAnon followers), many
of which are standard resources for In the weeks following the crime,
radicalization. Marco L.’s behavior on Marco L. was extremely active on
Facebook was also striking in the way social media. On May 6, the German
that he “liked” some pages referring government loosened the COVID-19
to the Reichsbürger scene – among measures substantially. Eleven days
them groups focusing on the DEFEN- later, L. posted 22 times in one day,
DER-Europe 20 exercise. commenting on various conspiracy
myths, sharing selfies and uploading
The increasing frequency of his posts nature photos.
as well as the intensity of his state-
ments serves as proof of Marco L.’s After this time, he became less active
radicalization. On April 2, he announ- L. shares “Out of Shadows”, an ideological
online, even going so far as to ignore video promoted by many QAnon followers.
ced: “For those who think I’m joking many posts from other conspiracy Source: Facebook.
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 28In mid-May L. shares explicit QAnon content. Source: Facebook.
A Facebook post by L. reads: “If you think you’re too small to
change anything, go ahead and switch off a 5G cell phone tower”.
Source: Facebook.
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 29“Trust the Plan Soon Becomes
Be the Plan.”
Interview with Miro Dittrich
Miro Dittrich is the head of the de:hate project, which presents its
findings on right-wing alternative online spaces and QAnon in this
fourth monitoring report. Anne Grandjean spoke with him a few
days before the US elections in 2020.
Why do conspiracy narratives find such fertile ground in our society today?
People live in fragmented societies where opportunities to meet others in
traditional settings are dwindling in general – and in particular in the throes
of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite this, people long to be part of a com-
Miro Dittrich munity, and some find them online. They also long for narratives that give
meaning to their lives – a meaning that many no longer find in everyday
life. These people feel they are merely doing their job, without any dee-
per significance attached. As a result, they feel lost in the world, and this
can lead them to find comfort in right-wing extremist narratives. Examples
include the fight against Islam, migration and the Jewish community. We
are now seeing a move toward conspiracy ideologies, which position the
recipient as a great warrior helping in the fight against Satanists and the
sexual molestation and torture of children. Ultimately, though, the fight is
also against the Jews, as much of it is based on antisemitic prejudice.
The question that remains is: Can we counteract this by weaving a grand
democratic narrative? Can we strengthen communities again and combat
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 30the fragmentation of our society? which are now being placed side by side. Because of
this and the fact that followers do not have to believe
You have observed radicalized groups on the Internet for in every single story, QAnon is very successful.
years. What do you find striking about QAnon?
In addition, the topic of children is always a success-
Up to now, I had only seen this rejection of reality ful mobilization tactic, because it puts the followers on
among Reichsbürger groups. Even in that scene, the side of the alleged good guys. Similarly, the topic
however, it was not to the extent of QAnon and not in a of peace is one proven to have worked at the Vigils for
manner so difficult to fathom. In any case, the height- Peace in 2014: “If you are against us, you are against
ened cult status, the notion that a surrogate family is peace. And if you are against peace, you are a bad per-
created for Q’s followers and the speed of radicaliza- son”. QAnon’s logic is similar: “If you are against us,
tion are all noteworthy. The ability to link QAnon to you are against the protection of children. That makes
many other conspiracy narratives is also striking, as you part of the pedophile ring. You support them”.
is the inclusion of topical issues. For the first time, an
ideology also features a powerful person who appears Finally, QAnon works as a game that you can follow,
to be taking a stand with the followers of the conspi- with new puzzles, tasks and characters that can be
racy ideology. They see President Trump as a warrior engaged with online. This self-acquired “knowledge”
in their own ranks. leaves a strong impression on QAnon followers.
What makes QAnon so palatable for the masses? In what way is COVID-19 contributing to the spread of
QAnon in Germany?
QAnon draws on the work of many groups and indi-
viduals, including numerical codes, general gimmicks History has shown that during every crisis people fall
and already established narratives, such as Pizza- prey to conspiracy ideologies. This tends to be due to
gate – all elements echoed by QAnon. In other words, a perceived loss of control, which occurs when tradi-
QAnon can be compared to a puzzle made of many tional authority figures do not know how to act. This
functioning pieces that had already been created and creates uncertainty. People who fall prey to conspiracy
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 31ideologies are the final believers in an ordered world. Q’s predictions never come true. Why doesn’t this lead to
An escape into an ideological world can also be seen the disillusionment of their followers?
as a coping strategy: their followers are overwhelmed
by the fact that an accidental mutation of a virus in QAnon narratives fulfill certain functions that remain in
China has paralyzed the whole world. They need cen- place even if the statements themselves are falsified.
tral actors who are remain in control and who actually In any case, predictions that were demonstrably incor-
control everything. This is a narrative that gives people rect are confined largely to the beginning of the move-
a sense of security. ment. At some point, Q learned that vague prophecies
are more difficult to verify or dispute. Many safeguards
Even if the stories of QAnon sound very complex and have been put in place by the community and Q. For
impenetrable, they are based on a simple black-and- example, if a statement does not come true on a cer-
white world with clear “bad guys” and “good guys”. tain date, but does so two years later, it still has come
According to them, instead of solving structural pro- true according to Q’s followers. In other words, they
blems, everything will be fine if, say, 10 bad people are try to interpret Q’s older posts by analyzing current
eliminated. This provides grounds for hope. events.
At the same time, COVID-19 is a special case in that Furthermore, Q claims that some of their posts are not
people were isolated from their traditional environ- addressed to their own followers, but, for instance, to
ments, resulting in a strong desire for community. In security authorities. According to this theory, by rai-
essence, conspiracy communities are communities sing awareness of the issue Q prevents certain things
in which ideas are exchanged. I think people felt like from happening or triggers other events. In principle, it
they were alone. Then there is the fact that we have all is true that failed prophecies lead followers of conspi-
been spending more time online. These figures have racy communities or cults to turn away from it.
increased across the board, and this is partly how
people have come into contact with such conspiracy However, we also see that communities that survive
narratives. false prophecies have very strong social skills and
coping mechanisms, allowing them to endure frustra-
tion and protect themselves and their beliefs. In fact,
de:hate report #01 QAnon in Germany 32You can also read
