Law enforcement agencies in Washington, DC, are adding extra security out of concern for an upcoming date – March 4, which is Thursday – that circulated online among QAnon supporters.
An internal memo sent by Timothy P. Blodgett, the acting House weapons sergeant, obtained by NBC News, said his office “is working closely with the United States Capitol Police to monitor information related to March 4. and possible protests and demonstration activity around what some have described as the ‘real opening day’. “
Blodgett wrote that there are plans for “additional staff” to “support the safety and protection of members and staff”.
The memo said the Capitol Police “has no indication that groups will travel to Washington DC to protest or commit acts of violence.”
An FBI official said last week that the agency was aware of the discussion among far-right groups that Thursday might be the next meeting place.
The government is still working to deal with the events of January 6, when a rally held by President Donald Trump turned into a riot on Capitol Hill.
The QAnon movement has been largely focused on predicting dates when Trump would initiate a purge of Democrats, journalists and celebrities who he believes are part of a secret conspiracy of child abusers.
President Joe Biden’s inauguration and the Capitol rebellion caused some fractures on the far right; some extremists have turned against QAnon supporters, and even other QAnon followers have begun to question the movement.
Many others remain adept at QAnon, having adopted Thursday as the next day, they believe Democrats will be arrested en masse or on the day Trump will be reopened as president. The “sovereign citizen” movement, a 50-year-old conspiracy movement composed largely of radical tax protesters, believes that there has been no legitimate president since Ulysses S. Grant, which opened on March 4, 1869.
Desperate for an explanation that would allow Trump to remain president, some forums of QAnon conspiracy theorists have adopted the mythology that he would become the 19th president on Thursday, invalidating nearly two centuries of legitimate American government.
Many followers of QAnon participated in the January 6 Capitol rebellion, including Douglas Jensen, who led the first wave of the crowd toward Capitol police officer Eugene Goodman. Jake Angeli, also known as QAnon Shaman, was accused of intentionally entering a restricted building without legal authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Hill after he was onstage on the Senate floor during the riot.
Although users in online QAnon groups are looking forward to Thursday, no specific protests or events are being planned, according to an NBC analysis of the largest remaining forums. Compared to the riot that became a riot on Capitol Hill, an event promoted by Trump and several organizations that support him, Thursday is expected to be quiet. Prominent conspiracy theorists also advised his followers to avoid any events on Thursday, saying they are “false flag” operations organized to arrest QAnon supporters.
Extremism experts warn against the rejection of a continuing threat from extremists led by white supremacists and violent and dejected conspiracy theorists.
“There is little promotion of action around March 4,” said Daniel J. Jones, who heads Advance Democracy, a disinformation research organization.
“Of course, there may be detailed planning going on in closed channels that we are not seeing. Conspiracy theories surrounding the election persist and, surprisingly, are still promoted by political leaders on the right. There should be no doubt now that this kind of rhetoric has consequences – so we continue to worry about the potential for violence. “
