I've seen people RTing news about recent demonstrations in the UK without realising it’s QAnon stuff, so here's a quick explantory thread:

Like all conspiracy theories the actual "beliefs" are fuzzy cause it's more of a v i b e but… 1/9

In a nutshell, QAnon is an apocalyptic fascist cult who believe the world is secretly run by Satan-worshipping paedophiles/child eaters, against whom Donald Trump is waging a secret war 2/9 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/53498434 

They claim to know this because ‘Q' is leaking top-secret information to them from within the US government via cryptic posts on anonymous messageboards that "Patriots" must decode 3/9

Believers look forward to "The Great Awakening” when this "truth” will be revealed, changing the world (the apocalyptic bit), and that network and all their supporters will be violently purged (the fascist bit). Many though not all believe Trump will be the instrument of this 4/9

Tthere's overlap with antisemitic conspiracy theories, anti-vax, COVID denialism, and distrust of mainstream media. In the UK there’s plenty of potential overlap with Islamophobic narratives about “grooming gangs” 5/9

I've only observed it casually but there doesn't seem to be any engagement with actual evidence on how many children go missing (or are subsequently found). Like, some believe there are secret underground military bases specifically to hold them - that's the level we're at 6/9

Much of the recruitment happens online and may not appear to be explicitly right-wing at first. Like all conspiracy theories it preys on people of all ages and genders, exploiting anxiety, curiosity, and the instinct to question authority 7/9

Lord knows Britain has its share of actual nonces and like all abusers they are occasionally protected by folks looking the other way! At the same time, 'saving children' unfortunately seems to be an effective recruitment tactic for what is, again, an apocalyptic fascist cult 8/9

If you see this stuff on your timeline, maybe take an extra moment to click through and check the other tweets of the people pushing it? People genuinely lose their lives to this stuff, just like they do to pyramid schemes, and you don't wanna help that happen! 9/9