Ron Watkins, one of the world’s most influential conspiracy theorists and QAnon promoters, has been spotted in Australia, with some evidence suggesting that he may be planning on making a permanent move.
Watkins is an American administrator of 8kun, a website home to conspiracy theorists and the far right. Under the alias Code Monkey, he also runs multiple social media accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers that have run misinformation campaigns around events such as the 2020 United States presidential election and COVID-19.
Watkins is also widely believed to be one of the people behind Q, the anonymous account whose posts on 4chan, 8chan and 8kun websites launched the QAnon conspiracy theory. Multiple QAnon researchers and journalists have produced evidence that links Watkins to Q, including an inadvertent confession from Watkins himself in a documentary.
On Wednesday, host of the QAnon Anonymous podcast and researcher Julian Feeld tweeted that Watkins had been seen in Sydney late last month.
“Ron Watkins was in Sydney, Australia with the apparent intention to settle there on July 26th,” he tweeted.
Crikey spoke with Feeld and was provided evidence corroborating Watkins’ presence in Sydney that also suggests he may be looking to reside in Australia. Crikey has chosen not to publish this information to avoid revealing the identity of Feeld’s source, which would place them at risk of harassment and violence from Watkins’ supporters and QAnon believers.
Watkins did not respond to an email sent to the email account linked on his website.
Following Crikey‘s reporting, Ron’s father, Jim Watkins, confirmed that Ron was in Australia but said he didn’t think he was planning on “permanently” moving to Australia. Jim Watkins has also been identified as one of the people likely to have run the Q account.
“They’re putting Ron Watkin’s good name […] with a bunch of whacko stuff to try and smear him,” Watkins said.
Watkins’ presence in Australia raised eyebrows for a few reasons. The 8kun administrator was in the middle of contesting the Arizona GOP primaries when he was spotted (Watkins finished dead last in the field of seven last week).
Watkins didn’t post to his social media channels about being in Australia. Usually posting multiple times a day, Watkins was silent on July 26 but continued to post the next day to urge his followers to donate to his campaign.
“My fellow Americans, it is time for us to take control of our destiny and take back our country,” he wrote.
Much like other conspiracy and far-right influencers, Watkins has previously cast Australia as a dystopia due to its COVID-19 response. He posted dozens of times last year about Australia, spreading misinformation about lockdowns and vaccine mandates, as well as lamenting the lack of gun rights or “freedom of speech”. It’s not clear why Watkins, who has also lived in the Philippines, might choose to live in a country he seemingly despises.
Extremism researcher Dr Kaz Ross suggests Australia may be attractive as a landing spot for Watkins because of our place in the international far-right and conspiracy-theory ecosystem.
“We know that [far right and conspiracy groups] are internationally connected and we know that Australia is one of the major places for QAnon supporters,” she said.
Dr Ross pointed to visits by Lauren Southern, Gavin McInnes and Stefan Molyneux as examples of other international alt-right and far-right figures who’ve toured or lived in Australia. Alex McKinnon wrote about the phenomenon in Gawker, describing Australia as “the image-rehab facility of choice for professional bigots across the English-speaking world”.
If Watkins does in fact make Australia home, he could have a massive impact here if he chooses to turn his sights to Australian politics, Dr Ross warns.
“Someone like Ron Watkins, with his wealth, his technical abilities and his audience? He could pick and choose which Australian voices to elevate. He could give a lifeline to our dying anti-lockdown movement here,” she said.
Whether or not Watkins moves here, Dr Ross questioned how Watkins was able to obtain a visa to travel to Australia.
The Department of Home Affairs did not immediately respond to Crikey regarding Watkin’s visa application.
Update: This story has been updated to include comment from Ron Watkin’s father, Jim.
