Major QAnon influencer Ron Watkins compared himself to civil rights icon Rosa Parks during a convention hosted by conspiracy theorists in Nevada.
Watkins, who has been sued of being behind the QAnon conspiracy, gave his speech on Saturday at the For God & Country: Patriot Double Down in Las Vegas.
During his speech, Watkins took aim at the cancel culture and efforts by big tech companies, such as Facebook, to remove QAnon and other conspiracy theorist accounts.
Watkins also compared himself to Parks, who is best known for her refusal to give up her seat for a white passenger on a racially segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.
Speaking to the audience, Watkins said: “We are living now through a modern digital civil rights movement and you could call me the new Rosa Parks, ” Watkins said, before being interrupted by applause.
“I’ve been out there [online], getting canceled left and right over the past few years.
“And you might say, ‘Oh, why is Ron the new digital Rosa Parks?’ Well, I want to get on the bus. I want to get on the Twitter
bus. I want to get on the
The audience applauds. have to keep mentioning there are sitting members of the @AZGOP
here. pic.twitter.com/9OvGBrGHkj
Watkins is one of several figures to attend the event who have shared pro-QAnon content and spread the baseless conspiracy theory online.
Among the QAnon conspiracy’s more outlandish claims is that the global cabal of politicians and celebrities is operating a child sex trafficking ring and that somehow former President Trump will expose them before they are arrested and executed.
The weekend convention was organized by John Sabal, known on Telegram as QAnon John, who has worked to promote the conspiracy theory both online and offline.
Sitting Republican lawmakers and Secretary of State candidates endorsed by former President Donald Trump were also listed as the Usage QAnon convention.
All the Republicans
Watkins has also latched onto claims the 2020 Presidential Election was somehow stolen by President Joe Biden
Earlier this month, Watkins announced his intention to run as a Congress candidate for Arizona and repeated the baseless claim of widespread voter fraud in a video shared on Telegram
“President [Donald] Trump had his election stolen, not just in Arizona but in other states, too,” Watkins said in his video campaign announcement. “We must now take this fight to Washington, DC to vote out all the dirty Democrats who have stolen our republic.”
Newsweek has contacted the organizers of the For God & Country: Patriot Double Down for comment.
Ron Watkins compared himself to civil rights icon Rosa Parks. In this photo, David Reinert holds up a large “Q” sign while waiting in line to see President Donald J. Trump at his rally on August 2, 2018 at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania. Rick Loomis/Getty