Two Texas Republicans Set to Appear at Dallas QAnon Event as Petition Seeks Cancellation

PLANO, TX – Two Texas republicans are set to appear at a three-day QAnon affiliated event, which also features some of the most prominent supporters of the conspiracy theory.

Rep. Louie Gohmert and Texas GOP chairman Allen West are promoted as special guests for the For God & Country Patriot Roundup, scheduled to take place over the Memorial Day weekend at the Gilley’s Dallas complex and the Omni Dallas Hotel.

The conference is being organized by a QAnon group known as The Patriot Voice—a.k.a “QAnon John” (real name John Sabal) and his wife, Amy.

Keynote speakers include prominent QAnon figures such as former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who had the hashtag #WWG1WGA—an abbreviation of the QAnon slogan “where we go one we go all—in his now suspended Twitter account. Flynn is also accused of taking a makeshift oath of office in his backyard that ended with “where we go one we go all” in July 4, 2020.

Others who will be appearing at the three day event in May are “Kraken” lawsuit attorney Sidney Powell, who is heavily linked to the movement, and key QAnon advocates such as Jordan Sather, “IET” and “RedPill78,” whose real name is Zak Paine.

Despite major QAnon influencers attending and QAnon language and imagery being used in its promotion, the organizers of the event have denied that it amounts to what is essentially a QAnon convention.

Elsewhere, a Change.org petition has been set up urging the City of Dallas to cancel the event organized by supporters of a movement the FBI lists as a domestic terrorist threat.

“Please, use common sense and decency and do not allow this event to happen,” the petition states. “There is a difference between free speech and perpetuating dangerous lies from the mouths of dangerous people.”

The petition has so far attracted more than 1,600 signatures.

A spokesperson for the City of Dallas told Newsweek: “Dallas is a welcoming city, bringing together people of many varied interests and ideas. As always, we will do our best to ensure Dallas residents and guests attending this event are safe while in our city.”

This is not the first time that West has been linked to QAnon. In January, the Texas GOP were heavily criticized for tweeting an image using the phrase “we are the storm” while urging people to follow the party on “free speech” social media app Gab.

The wording is similar to slogans used by QAnon supporters, with “the storm” in QAnon terminology referring to the moment that Donald Trump would arrest and execute high-profile satanic pedophiles.

The “we are the storm” slogan had been used by the Texas GOP since August, but gained attention after it was still being used in the wake of the deadly January 6 attack of the Capitol, which QAnon supporters were a part of.

The Texas GOP denied the phrase “we are the storm” had any connection to QAnon, stating it comes from a favorite poem of West’s, which he’s been quoting in public appearances as far back as July 2020.

In a previous statement to Newsweek, the Texas GOP said: “How many times do we have to answer this question? The Texas GOP slogan is drawn from scripture as cited in early interviews, which you are aware of. Chairman West does not need to condemn a movement he was never a part of.”

In October 2020, Gohmert opposed a resolution in the House condemning QAnon and repeatedly backed Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud. West and Gohmert have been contacted for comment.