Social media users shared posts that made various claims related to the QAnon conspiracy theory, including that the martial law and the Insurrection Act had been enacted; power has been transferred from outgoing President Trump to the military, not President Joe Biden; there were mass arrests; Biden is not president; and Trump will return to power on March 4. There is no evidence to support any of these allegations linked to the widespread QAnon conspiracy theory.
Examples of the postings can be seen here, here, here, here and here.
Supporters of the sprawling QAnon conspiracy have been searching anonymous websites for three years for a figure named “Q” (claiming to be a government insider with a secret security clearance) and analyzing statements by former US President Donald Trump their champion secretly fighting a riot of child predators that includes prominent Democrats, Hollywood elites and ‘deep-state’ allies (here).
Supporters of QAnon expected that January 20 would be the day of ‘Great Awakening’ or ‘The Storm’ when Trump would expose the alleged cabal of the satanic pedophile cannibal elite and declare martial law, meaning he would remain in power and would lead to mass arrests and executions of top Democrats or other alleged members of the cabal (here, here, here).
None of this happened on January 20, 2021, when the world watched as Joe Biden took the oath and was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States (here, here, here).
INSURRICATION ACT
The posts claim: ‘Trump signed the resurrection law on January 11th. It suspended the three branches of government and gave the army full control ”(here) and” Insurrection Act was under. “(Here)
The Insurrection Act of 1807 allows the US president to deploy the military to suppress domestic insurgency (here, here). As an exception to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which uses military force for domestic law enforcement, the 1807 Act has been used in the past to stem civil unrest. The last time was in 1992 when deadly riots broke out after Los Angeles police officers were acquitted of allegations about their alleged beatings to black motorist Rodney King.
Reuters has already debunked false allegations that Trump appealed to the Insurrection Act here. After the president’s former security adviser Michael Flynn suggested that the act could also be used to block the election (here), Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy and General James McConville of the staff said in a joint statement: ‘There is no role for the US not military to determine the outcome of a US election. Trump and his senior legal adviser Jenna Ellis also rejected the proposal (here).
At the time of publication, there was no credible confirmation that the act was appealed to by any official sources, including the relevant government departments, legislators, the military or the White House itself.
A U.S. government defense official told Reuters in an email that neither martial law nor the Insurrection Act had been declared.
FLAGS AS PROOF
As ‘evidence’, some of the allegations say that flags are evidence that power was transferred to the military and that the Insurrection Act or martial law was enacted, meaning that Biden’s inauguration was not valid and that Biden was due to treason. would be arrested. The reports say, for example: ‘If no flag is flown over the White House, it means that power has been transferred to the army. It means selective martial law or that the president signed the Resurrection Act ‘(here, here) and’ Trump signed the resurrection law or we are in a martial law. The flag behind Trump had a golden edge this morning and that means martial law. You can look it up. Biden’s entire inauguration was not valid and he will be arrested later for treason. ”(Here)
The American Legion (which describes itself as the United States’ largest wartime organization in wartime, chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919) explains on its website the meaning of the golden edge on the American flag and explains that the gold edge in 1895 was officially added to the national flag for all regiments of the Army as an “honorable enrichment”. They add: “the courts, without merit and frivolous lawsuits, believe that the golden edge of the flag has been granted Admiralty / Maritime jurisdiction.” (here). The gold border is not mentioned in the US flag code (here, www.legion.org/flag/flagmyths), not banned or approved.
Regarding claims about the flag not fluttering over the White House, the flag was waved throughout the day on January 20 and the flagpole is visible here, here, here, here.
A presidential proclamation by former president Richard Nixon in 1970 states that the American flag must be flown 24 hours a day, seven days a week, across the White House, regardless of whether the president is at home (here).
Factcheck.org tracked down the image used in some of the reports on Fox News on January 19 at 3:51 p.m. (as seen here), where staff members could be seen on the roof working on the flagpole, which was not removed not. They said that in the next segment the flag could be seen again over the White House (here, here). Reuters photos also show the flag fluttering on January 19 (here, here).
WAR LAW
The posts claim that the US is under martial law.
Late last year, Reuters denied false allegations that Trump had invoked a martial law (here). Trump tweeted on December 20, saying ‘Martial Law = Fake News’. (here).
Although martial law has no fixed definition, it usually refers to the “displacement of civilian authorities by the military,” as the Brennan Center for Justice explains here in more detail. They say that Trump, even when he was president, did not have the authority to declare martial law.
At the time of publication, there was no sign or credible evidence that any form of martial law was invoked from any official sources, including the relevant state departments, legislators, the military or the White House itself. A defense official confirmed that martial law had not been declared.
MILITARY GOVERNANCE
The posts claim that the army has “full control” or that the power has been transferred to the army. Many of the posts say that the transition to military power was facilitated by the Insurrection Act of Martial Law, which was not argued, as set out above.
At the time of publication, there was no confirmation that the military had taken over power from any official sources, including the relevant government departments, legislators, the military or the White House itself.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Department of Defense published news here on Jan. 20 about Biden’s oath as U.S. president.
ARREST
Reuters has found no evidence of mass arrests in recent media reports or official sources, including police force websites and the White House website. This is a principle of the QAnon conspiracy, which is unfounded and unfounded.
The posts also claim that President Biden will be arrested on January 20. Photos, videos, articles and publications from the White House show that Biden was expected to perform his presidential duties on January 21, the day after his alleged arrest, as seen here, here, here, here.
Reuters dismissed other false allegations that Obama (here), Nancy Pelosi (here) and the pope (here) had been arrested.
COMMANDMENT NOT PRESIDENT
Some reports claim that ‘Biden is president of nothing’ and ‘that the whole inauguration of Biden was not valid’.
Article 2, Article 1 of the United States Constitution, the person with the most votes of the Electoral College is the President (here) and before entering ‘in the performance of his duties’, he shall take the oath. According to the National Archives Electoral College Timeline of Events, the elected president will become the president of the United States on the afternoon of January 20, 2021, after taking the oath of office (here).
Biden received the most election college votes, with 306 against Trump’s 232, a result that was later certified by the US Congress. A video of Biden taking the Oath during his inauguration on January 20 can be seen here and here.
The official library list of past and present presidents (here) and the White House website (here) show that Biden is the current president.
BACK BACK IN MARCH 4
Some posts say that Trump will return to power and be sworn in on March 4.
QAnon experts report how March 4, according to his fans, is a new deadline for the group (here) who watch the inauguration come and go without the events they expected (here). More about the significance of March 4 for QAnon believers can be seen here .
Trump has repeatedly made false allegations that he won the election, along with unfounded allegations of voter fraud. Despite many legal challenges, he could not overturn the outcome of the election (here, here).
In his farewell speech, Trump congratulated the new administration and prayed for its success www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-farewell-idUSKBN29O2I8. After his supporters stormed the Capitol, Trump said in a statement on Twitter: “Now Congress has confirmed the results. A new administration will be inaugurated on January 20th. My focus now is to ensure a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power. This moment calls for healing and reconciliation ”(here, archive.vn/U36Z5).
VERDICT
Untrue. There is no evidence that these allegations stem from the QAnon conspiracy theory.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work here.