Far-right conspiracy theorist Ron Watkins was the administrator of 8chan, also known as 8kun—the visual message board boasting its complete lack of moderation.
On this site, white supremacists routinely posted vile memes, mass shooters shared their manifestos before committing atrocities, and an anonymous poster claiming to be a government insider with "Q" level clearance continued to foment a conspiracy theory that would drive hundreds of thousands of Americans to delusion.
The QAnon conspiracy web hinges on the deranged belief that former President Donald Trump was sent to expose a covert "Deep State" of satanic cannibal pedophiles secretly controlling the United States government. Once relegated to dark corners of the internet like 8chan, QAnon has made its way to the halls of Congress.
As the administrator of 8Chan, Watkins played a key role in amplifying QAnon. Some—like Cullen Hoback, who had unprecedented access to the Watkins for his HBO documentary on QAnon, Into the Storm—believe Ron Watkins himself was "Q."
Now, Watkins is ingratiating himself among far-right circles. He's partnered with MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell to lie that the 2020 election was stolen. He recently announced a run for an Arizona seat in the House of Representatives. And this past weekend, he addressed the crowd at "For God and Country Patriot Double Down," a conspiracy theorist convention.
In a bizarre speech, Watkins likened himself to Civil Rights Movement hero Rosa Parks, whose refusal to release her bus seat to a white man in segregated Alabama sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Watch below.
AZ congressional candidate, QAnon Ron Watkins today: \u201cWe are living through a modern, digital civil rights movement. And you can call me the new Rosa Parks .. the digital Rosa Parks ..I want to get on the twitter bus.\u201dpic.twitter.com/ZE06u1pzIa— Ron Filipkowski (@Ron Filipkowski) 1635127117
Watkins told the crowd:
"We are living now through a modern digital Civil Rights Movement, and you can call me the new Rosa Parks, because I've been out there, I've been getting canceled left and right over the past few years, I've been on the frontlines fighting so you guys can have a voice. ... I want to get on the bus. I want to get on the Twitter bus. I want to get on the Google bus. I want to get on the Facebook bus. I want to get on the Chase Bank bus. We have all been kicked off the bus."
Astonishingly enough, they applauded.
The reception on social media was much colder—especially to his absurd Rosa Parks comparison.
Notice how White Supremacists love to steal things from Black Movements\u2014 this, throwing up the \u201cBlack Power Fist\u201d on J6, etcetera. \n\nThey\u2019re desperate and clearly lack originality.https://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1452454518319456257\u00a0\u2026— RazzLi (@RazzLi) 1635175466
Ron Watkins: *runs site peddling explicit images of children, also plays huge role in sparking dangerous conspiracy theories online*\n\nAlso Ron Watkins: "I'm being cancelled left and right, just like Rosa Parks!"https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1452454518319456257\u00a0\u2026— Brandon Billings\u2018 Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (@Brandon Billings\u2018 Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow) 1635178589
Rosa Parks was fighting against segregation because the law made it difficult for black people to live peacefully in America.\n\nRon Watkins wants to harm Americans to protect his fragility.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1452454518319456257\u00a0\u2026— Reggie T. #Blacklivesmatter (@Reggie T. #Blacklivesmatter) 1635170513
Pretty sure Rosa Parks wasn't kicked off that Montgomery bus for spraying poison all over the bus...https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1452454518319456257\u00a0\u2026— Politics1.com (@Politics1.com) 1635169613
QAnon Ron is not Rosa Parks. He is the guy who takes a s*** on the bus seat every time he gets on board (then encourages his creepy friends to do the same). Now they can\u2019t ride the bus anymore.https://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1452454518319456257\u00a0\u2026— Robbie Sherwood (@Robbie Sherwood) 1635167777
Ron Watkins and Rosa Parks in the same sentence\u2026.um NOhttps://twitter.com/ronfilipkowski/status/1452454518319456257\u00a0\u2026— DTrop \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udf1e\ud83c\udf38\ud83c\udf3a\u262e\ufe0f (@DTrop \ud83c\udf0e\ud83c\udf1e\ud83c\udf38\ud83c\udf3a\u262e\ufe0f) 1635165249
The fantasies Watson has platformed and possibly even invented have repeatedly proven to be dangerous and even deadly.
Before long, just like QAnon, @GOP could be formally classified by the FBI as a national security threat. \n\nTrump\u2019s Pick for Arizona Governor Just Had Dinner With QAnon\u2019s Ron Watkins - VICEhttps://www.vice.com/en/article/akg5jz/trumps-pick-for-arizona-governor-just-had-dinner-with-qanons-ron-watkins\u00a0\u2026— wilfidde (@wilfidde) 1634131488
If Ron Watkins isn't Q, he has the closest access to find out who is, or he already knows. Qanon is a domestic terror threat and Ron is either the leader of that terror group, he's involved, or he has critical info. In any case, he should be officially investigated.— Modern Trailhead \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Modern Trailhead \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8) 1616168551
Most Republican elections are going to be these nutters going forward. They'll just get crazier too.https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1452454518319456257\u00a0\u2026— Todd Poirier (@Todd Poirier) 1635128106
