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aristarchus [soylentnews.org] writes:

In The Sun [thesun.co.uk]:

Why white nationalists are spreading conspiracy theories that Trump is being controlled by the “deep state” and the chemical attack in Syria didn’t happen

For years, as a journalist looking deep into social media as part of the team at BBC Trending, I’d been watching as this group of vitriolic culture warriors flared into something like a political movement.

As an American who grew up in the unfashionable middle of the country, far from the coast, I became fascinated as forces which I knew had always been hidden beneath the surface were suddenly propelled towards power. They were fuelled by online culture and social networks.

This week, many of them are spreading kooky conspiracy theories: that Donald Trump is being controlled by shadowy un-elected forces they call the “deep state”, or that a secret insider called “Q” is leaving Nostradamus-like predictions on alt-right message boards.

"Q" leaves cryptic clues on 4chan, such as: “Past Booms - TX bombs … Attempt to prevent drops / awakening”.

This gibberish is interpreted online in countless ways, for instance to refer to current news like negotiations with North Korea, the ongoing investigation by Robert Mueller, and even extreme weather events.

Original Submission