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Why are QAnon believers obsessed

with 4 March?
By Shayan Sardarizadeh
BBC Monitoring

1 day ago

REUTERS

"Q Shaman" Jacob Anthony Chansley has been charged over the Capitol riots
Their hero is no longer president, but some followers of the fringe QAnon
conspiracy theory have latched onto obscure, irrelevant laws in an
attempt to keep the faith.

It's been six weeks since the inauguration of President Joe Biden, and it
would seem that Donald Trump's best chance of regaining the presidency
would be the 2024 election.

But some of his fervent followers who support the baseless QAnon
conspiracy theory believe he'll be coming back sooner - and will somehow
be returned to power on 4 March.

What is the basis of the false claim?

The idea stems from the belief among some QAnon followers that the
United States turned from a country into a corporation aer the passage of
the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871.

It's an odd, unfounded theory drawn from the sovereign citizen movement,
an extreme libertarian fringe that opposes federal laws, general taxation
and even the US currency on the grounds that they restrict individual rights.

Believers in the QAnon offshoot maintain that every US president, act and
amendment passed aer 1871 is illegitimate.
 GETTY IMAGES

The theory refers to laws passed in the 1870s, around the time Victoria Woodhull
became the first woman to run for US president

But the theory is based on a false interpretation of the Organic Act, which
merely turned the District of Columbia into a municipal corporation,
better known as a local governing body, and has no relation to a president
or the US as a whole.

But why 4 March?

Before the 20th amendment of the US Constitution - adopted in 1933 -
moved the swearing-in dates of the president and Congress to January,
American leaders took office on 4 March.

TELEGRAM

Some followers cited the increase in room rates at Trump Hotel in Washington DC
on 3-4 March as evidence for the conspiracy
That's why QAnon followers have latched on to this date to underpin their
latest theory.

What is QAnon?

Biden inauguration leaves QAnon believers in disarray

Tight security amid new threat to breach US Capitol

How are QAnon believers reacting?

The date 4 March began spreading among QAnon followers only days aer
Mr Biden was sworn in on 20 January.

That completely predictable event caused tumult in the world of QAnon - a

wide-ranging, completely unfounded theory that says Mr Trump is waging a
secret war against elite Satan-worshipping paedophiles.

QAnon followers had been promoting 20 January as a day of reckoning,

when prominent Democrats and other members of the alleged "cabal"
would be arrested and executed on the orders of Mr Trump.

When the promised "storm" failed to materialise, there was shock and
despair among many believers.
 TELEGRAM

A major QAnon influencer promoted the 4 March Trump inauguration conspiracy

on his Telegram channel aer Mr Biden was sworn in

"The real POTUS can't get back into office fast enough. March 4 at the
latest... PLEASE GOD!" read a comment in a major QAnon channel on the
messaging app Telegram in late January.

Other QAnon followers on alternative social media platforms such as Gab

echoed the sentiment.

One influencer, with 55,000 subscribers, suggested there was a 150-year-

old clue in the 1871 Organic Act itself. The digits of the act add up to make
17, a symbolic number for the conspiracy's followers - with Q being the
17th letter of the English alphabet. Numerology "proofs" are big in the
world of QAnon.

Why are influencers warning of a 'false flag'?

Authorities have warned of intelligence that an unnamed militia group has
planned an attack in Washington on 4 March.

But some QAnon influencers have moved in recent days to manage

expectations.

They are claiming that 4 March could be a "false flag by the deep state" and
mainstream media to frame the movement and encourage supporters to
engage in additional acts of violence aer the Capitol riots.

QAnon influencers have gone out of their way to distance themselves from
the events of 6 January aer a number of followers took part.

At least two prominent supporters, "Q Shaman" Jacob Anthony Chansley

and Doug Jensen, have subsequently been arrested. Both men have
pleaded not guilty to the charges
pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A major QAnon online forum warned followers to "stay home, stay alert,
and stay safe" on Thursday.

Alex Kaplan @AlKapDC · Feb 24, 2021

Replying to @AlKapDC
More QAnon influencers have come out against the March 4
conspiracy theory, with these influencers suggesting it's some kind
of set up against QAnon supporters.

Alex Kaplan
@AlKapDC
More QAnon influencers have come out claiming that the
March 4 conspiracy theory is a false flag -- at least one of
whom had seemed sympathetic to the conspiracy theory
previously.
 8 22 AM · Feb 25, 2021

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

View original tweet on Twitter

"QAnon influencers are doing damage control," says Julian Feeld, co-host of
the QAnon Anonymous podcast, which investigates the movement.

"Influencers are attempting to insulate themselves from less media-savvy

QAnon followers who will say or do things on camera that aren't strategic
for the longevity of QAnon."

'Shiing goal posts'

Despite the recent pushback from influencers, some followers remain
convinced that the promised "storm" or reckoning is set to be fulfilled on 4
March, with some warning that without a major event on Thursday, they
might take matters into their own hands.

"I'm giving this... till March 4 I am packed and ready for civil war," one
supporter said in a Telegram chat.

"March 4 better yield results or some of us are going rogue," read another
post.

Twitter suspends 70,000 QAnon accounts

The 65 days that led to chaos at the Capitol

How did QAnon take off in the UK?

But with 4 March set to be yet another disappointment and no new posts by
"Q" since 8 December, followers are floating new potential dates for Mr
Trump's supposed return to power, ranging from 20 March to April to later
in 2021 or even some time before the next election.
 TELEGRAM

Growing impatient with failed promises, some supporters say they might take
matters into their own hands aer 4 March

And experts believe these failed prophecies are unlikely to change the views
of the most faithful supporters.

"Shiing goal posts have defined the movement from the very beginning
and I believe they will continue to," Mr Feeld says.

"Weakened as it may appear from the outside, the alternate realities of

QAnon won't just go away," says Sarah Hightower, an independent
researcher and expert in conspiratorial movements.

"As long as there are still people holding on to those alternate realities,
QAnon will continue to exist in some form."

Follow Shayan on Twitter

Subscribe to the BBC Trending podcast or follow us on Twitter

@BBCtrending or Facebook.
Related Topics

Joe Biden BBC Monitoring Conspiracy theories Donald Trump

United States QAnon Fake News Social media

More on this story

QAnon in disarray aer Biden inauguration

21 January

Twitter suspends 70,000 accounts linked to QAnon

12 January

The 65 days that led to chaos at the Capitol

10 January

Capitol riots: Who has the FBI arrested so far?

5 hours ago

Who stormed the Capitol?

7 January
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