Jo Chase
QANON, the controversial, pro-Trump conspiracy theory that originated in America, has arrived in La Alpujarra and Costa Del Sol.
For its supporters, known as ‘qanons’, Q is something to grasp during the Covid crisis.
For others, it is a lucrative business opportunity, with Q-themed events popping up in luxury venues on the costa.
Residents of Alpujarran market town, Órgiva, are reporting ‘Q’ and ‘WWG1WGA’ (where we go one, we go all) graffiti splashed across local walls, while some members of the community have been visiting ‘conspiracy theory picnics’ in an Estepona mansion, where they can listen to Qanon ‘red pill’ speeches with ‘private intel’ from British expat oil magnate, Charlie Ward – the most prominent person in Andalucia’s Q scene.
For those who have missed the fuss on social media, Qanon originated on the 4Chan chat forum. Its premise is that a high-ranking officer from the US secret services – named Q – drip-feeds cryptic information, or ‘Q drops’, about a ‘Great Awakening’ or a ‘storm’ that is supposedly coming soon.
It centres on Trump’s ‘crusade’ to save the world from a Deep State, where a satanic cabal of influential people, including Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama, hide children in tunnels for the purposes of paedophilia and cannibalism. It also involves the gold standard being restored and, following a mysterious ‘reset’, a basic income being paid to all world citizens – known as ‘NESARA/GESARA’ (National Economic Security and Recovery Act).
This might seem far fetched, with Trump struggling to be credible, coherent or even walk down a ramp without tripping over.
Qanons also claim that JF Kennedy started the concept. Conveniently, JFK is unable to answer any questions about Q, as he was shot dead in 1963.
Despite the concept resembling the plot of a B-movie, Qanon has gained traction worldwide, with its supporters trying to decipher ‘Q drops’ and wanting to fight against the satanic cabal.
While critics say that Q fans are delusional, the qanons claim that the public has been brainwashed by the ‘mainstream media’ (MSM). People are, in this respect, polarised in their opinions. Many describe Qanon as being ‘cult-like’.
One of the main criticisms of Qanon is that the underlying concept is loosely based on the theories promoted by the Nazis to encourage anti-Semitism and justify the holocaust.
The Nazis were interested in esoterism and magick, as well as Eastern religions.
This helps explain why this newer version of the conspiracy theory proves popular with the ‘cosmic right’ – a catch-all term that includes ex-new age travellers, yogis, spiritualists and the alternative community.
Órgiva is a town that has a thriving alternative community, some of whom are posting messages promoting Q on Facebook and sharing pictures of the Estepona ‘conspiracy picnics’.
For qanons, Trump is a James Bond-like figure, fighting with the good guys against the Deep State as part of a wider ‘Earth Alliance’.
This alliance rather frighteningly comprises: the ‘Q’ team; Trump; ‘loyal generals and other high-ranking members of the armed forces’; ‘the white hats of the National Security Agency (NSA)’; numerous global military leaders; Vladamir Putin; Xi Jinping of China; India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi; and crown prince Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia (the one who ordered the killing and chopping up of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018).
According to Q bigwig, Charlie Ward (https://drcharlieward.com/), the main purpose of the Earth Alliance is the dismissal of the 13 ‘demon bloodline families of the illuminated Deep State clique’.
This world transition is, apparently, being financed by the Chinese Dragon Family. Confused? You ought to be!
The 60-year-old oil magnate, money trader and self-stated ex-cult member claims that he has been down subterranean tunnels where unregistered gold was stored, where shops and houses exist, and people ride around in golf carts.
Such is the current popularity of Q – and related theories – that Charlie has gained 166,000 online subscribers in five months and 11.5 million views (https://www.youtube.com/user/drcharlieward). He also charges an entry fee for his ‘club’.
For some entrepreneurs, Q is a boost for business. Peggy Boer runs regular Q parties at Cortijo Los Caballos, in Estepona, where guests pay €22 a ticket and €80 for a night’s accommodation to hear speakers such as Charlie Ward.
One such event, branded ‘Conspiracy Protocol’, attracted 95 guests and was attended by the Policia Nacional but, apparently, they were sent packing by the mask-less conspiracy theorists (https://www.facebook.com/david.omahon.52/videos/183117360047336/). Maybe the police fled because they didn’t want to hear about Q?
Other themes that are popular with the qanons – as seen in their videos – include anti-vaccination, Christian religion, hydroxychloroquine as a cure, the ‘plandemic’, Trump not being a woman-molester, the evil of Bill Gates and George Soros, the dangers of 5G, and a choice between ‘one world government or Trump’.
There is also an element of supporting Brexit.
With these right-wing views seeping into the local community, some members of Órgiva are unimpressed with Q propaganda landing on their doorstep.
Tanya Grenfell Williams, a resident of Tijola, Órgiva, told the Olive Press: “Qanon is tapping into people’s fears by providing something concrete in these precarious times, even if it is false and feeding Qanon’s own agenda. Unfortunately, these more liberal thinkers, normally left leaning, are finding comfort in these dangerous conspiracy theories and naively promoting them to other people.”
Sorrell Badger, an administrator of the ‘Orgiva and Alpujarra Covid Group’ on Facebook, is less polite about Q.
She told this paper: “It’s such a transparent load of b*llocks. I don’t know how anyone with a functioning brain can fall for it. I also find it worrying that the same people downplay Covid and call it a ‘plandemic’. Just look at the death toll in the US – 210,000 and rising.”
Órgiva resident, Nick Chambers, said: “Qanon is a massive distraction for people who really should know better. It is taking attention away from the real issues of today – the massive inequity of global wealth, the military industrial complex and, the really big one, global climate chaos.”
“QAnonsense”, says Órgiva-based photographer, Fred Shively, who hails from the US.
However, with Qanon hijacking the #SaveTheChildren hashtag for its own purposes, some people have been attracted by the undeniable public evidence that institutionalised paedophilia does exist.
Solomon Cardy, of Órgiva, explains: “There’s definitely a paedo cover up. Do you believe that Epstein killed himself? I don’t subscribe to Qanon but I do subscribe to there being a massive paedo ring involving many politicians and I’m glad it’s finally coming to light.”
With qanons pointing out that Jimmy Savile was connected to the UK royal family, and that Epstein is proof of the pudding, this area of debate has some credence. However, it does not validate the rest of the Qanon theories or that Trump – a friend of Epstein and on record discussing ‘grabbing p*ssy’ – is crusading for the benefit of humanity.
With Covid on the increase and people clearly wanting to be ‘saved’, it seems that crackpot theories – such as Qanon – are here to stay with us, for now.
