Title: Condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes.
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
This resolution condemns QAnon and rejects the conspiracy theories it promotes.
The resolution encourages the Federal Bureau of Investigation and all federal law enforcement agencies to continue to strengthen their focus on preventing violence, threats, harassment, and other criminal activity by extremists motivated by fringe political conspiracy theories.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1094 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1094

  Condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            August 25, 2020

Mr. Malinowski (for himself and Mr. Riggleman) submitted the following 
    resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Condemning QAnon and rejecting the conspiracy theories it promotes.

Whereas throughout history, conspiracy theories that falsely blame secret cabals 
        or marginalized groups for society's ills have fueled prejudice, 
        genocide, and acts of terrorism;
Whereas QAnon is a movement promoting a collection of unfounded conspiracy 
        theories that have spread widely on the internet since 2017;
Whereas QAnon initially alleged that prominent Americans are engaged in a secret 
        plot to control the world, while using their power to exploit children, 
        and has expanded to embrace virtually every popular conspiracy theory of 
        the last several decades, from questioning the Kennedy assassination, to 
        believing in alien landings, to denying the safety of vaccines;
Whereas many QAnon followers express anti-Semitic views, and the Anti-Defamation 
        League has said that the movement's central conspiracy theory includes 
        anti-Semitic elements;
Whereas the FBI has assessed with high confidence that ``fringe political 
        conspiracy theories'', including QAnon, ``very likely motivate some 
        domestic extremists, wholly or in part, to engage in criminal or violent 
        activity'', and that these conspiracy theories ``very likely encourage 
        the targeting of specific people, places and organizations, thereby 
        increasing the likelihood of violence against these targets'';
Whereas the FBI bases this assessment on ``events in which individuals committed 
        crimes, plotted attacks, or successfully carried out deadly violence, 
        and who--either before or after their arrests--attributed their actions 
        to their conspiratorial beliefs'';
Whereas QAnon adherents have been implicated in crimes that they claim their 
        QAnon beliefs inspired, including--

    (1) a man arrested in 2018 for plotting to plant a bomb in the Illinois 
Capitol rotunda to make Americans aware of the ``Pizzagate'' conspiracy 
theory;

    (2) a man arrested in 2018 for using an armored car to block traffic on 
the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge;

    (3) a man in Arizona arrested in 2019 for vandalizing a Catholic 
church;

    (4) a woman in Colorado arrested in 2019 for plotting an armed raid to 
kidnap her child, who had been taken from her custody;

    (5) a man charged with the murder of an organized crime boss in New 
York in 2019; and

    (6) a woman arrested in New York with a car full of knives after 
posting a video accusing Joe Biden of participating in child sex 
trafficking and threatening to kill him;

Whereas the FBI further assesses that ``these conspiracy theories very likely 
        will emerge, spread and evolve in the modern information marketplace . . 
        . fostering anti-government sentiment, racial and religious prejudice, 
        [and] increasing political tensions'';
Whereas according to the Combatting Terrorism Center at the West Point Military 
        Academy, ``QAnon is arguably no longer simply a fringe conspiracy theory 
        but an ideology that has demonstrated its capacity to radicalize to 
        violence individuals at an alarming speed'';
Whereas Facebook, Twitter, and Google have removed or blocked QAnon groups and 
        content from their platform for violating their policies against 
        misinformation, bullying, hate speech, and harassment;
Whereas QAnon adherents have been harming legitimate efforts to combat child 
        exploitation and sex trafficking, including by overwhelming anti-
        trafficking hotlines with false reports; and
Whereas the conspiracy theories promoted by QAnon undermine trust in America's 
        democratic institutions, encourage rejection of objective reality, and 
        deepen our Nation's political polarization: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns QAnon and rejects the conspiracy theories it 
        promotes;
            (2) encourages the Federal Bureau of Investigation and all 
        Federal law enforcement agencies to continue to strengthen 
        their focus on preventing violence, threats, harassment, and 
        other criminal activity by extremists motivated by fringe 
        political conspiracy theories; and
            (3) urges all Americans, regardless of our beliefs or 
        partisan affiliation, to seek information from authoritative 
        sources, and to engage in political debate from a common 
        factual foundation.
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