Despite Twitter crackdown, QAnon moves into conservative mainstream

A file photo of a person holdIng a banner referring to the Qanon conspiracy theory during an alt-right rally in Portland, Oregon. Twitter’s decision to crack down on the conspiracy-theory mongering of QAnon underscores the loose-knit group’s increasing reach into the mainstream of US politics. — AFP

WASHINGTON: Twitter’s decision to crack down on the conspiracy-theory mongering of QAnon underscores the loose-knit group’s increasing reach into the mainstream of US politics.

From an anonymous 2017 posting claiming bizarre child exploitation and deep state plots, the headless and bodiless movement has earned a place in US president Donald Trump’s Twitter stream.