Langer, A. (2022) “Deep state, child sacrifices and a ‘plandemic’: Antisemitic tropes in the online conspiracy collective QAnon.” In Antisemitism on Social Media, edited by Sabine von Mering and Monika Hübscher, pp. 18-34. Routledge.
Abstract
QAnon is a conspiracy collective detailing a supposed secret plot by the “deep state” against US President Donald Trump and his supporters. Their story began with a 2017 post on the anonymous imageboard 4chan by someone using the name Q, generally referred to as QAnon. Since this first post, Q gained followership in the United States and throughout the “Western” world. Although QAnon followers do appear in public, most of their activities focus on social media. This chapter will argue that some of QAnon’s archetypical elements – such as notions of secret elites and kidnapped children – reflect historical and ongoing antisemitic conspiracy myths. This chapter will first provide an overview of the history and presence of QAnon and investigate the most prevalent forms of antisemitism related to QAnon. Since the antisemitic content of QAnon is often not explicit, the chapter will offer a closer analysis of the antisemitic tropes and give the historical background and context behind this online collective’s narrative.