<p>"We have obtained intelligence that shows a possible plot to breach the Capitol by an identified militia group on Thursday, March 4," the US Capitol Police said in a statement.</p><p><span></span>A handful of conspiracy theorists <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/qanon-followers-fly-from-california-to-dc-watch-trump-inauguration-2021-3" target="_blank">reportedly did show up</a> to watch what they believed would be Trump's "true inauguration." But there was no large gathering of QAnon supporters and the day passed without serious incident. A <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/07/qanon-trap-violence-474034" target="_blank">new report in Politico</a> sheds light on why.<br/></p><p>In the days leading up to March 4, many influential voices in the QAnon movement warned that stories of Trump's true inauguration were a set up and a potential "false flag" operation.</p><p>"FOR ALL YOU SHILLS, MSM LURKERS AND NORMIES VISITING TODAY - Q HAS TOLD US MARCH 4 IS A TRAP," a user posted on GreatAwakening.win, an online forum associated with QAnon. "THEREFORE ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS IS NOT US!!"</p><p>The conspiracy theory about March 4 actually <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/88akpx/qanon-thinks-trump-will-become-president-again-on-march-4" target="_blank">came from another conspiratorial movement</a>: sovereign citizens.</p><p>"The entire thing was based on a misreading of a law from 1871, and even major QAnon influencers weren't buying into it, actively trying to persuade their followers that it was a hoax designed to make their movement look bad," Mike Rothschild, a QAnon researcher, explained to Politico. "It really had nothing in common with the January 6 insurrection — that was the culmination of years of Trump conspiracy theories that voter fraud was the only way Democrats could win the election."</p><p>The acting US House Sergeant at Arms, Timothy Blodgett, reportedly sent a memo to members of Congress last week advising them of potential protests surrounding March 4.</p><p>He said in the memo, however, that the significance of the date "has reportedly declined among various groups in recent days" and that violent protests are no longer anticipated.</p><p>But the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security saw the threat as serious enough to issue a joint bulletin Tuesday night warning of potential unrest on March 4 and March 6, DHS senior official Melissa Smislova testified to Congress.</p><p><em>With additional reporting from AFP</em></p>
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