A Huge QAnon Conference Is Happening in a Dallas Hotel Owned by the City

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Just months after dozens of QAnon followers took part in the Capitol insurrection, two major GOP figures are attending a huge QAnon conference in Dallas. 

The “For God & Country Patriots Roundup” event, set for Memorial Day weekend, will feature a who’s who of QAnon celebrities, including former national security adviser Michael Flynn and “Kraken” lawyer Sidney Powell. Also speaking at the event will be sitting Texas congressman Louie Gohmert and Texas GOP chair Allen West.

But despite having a speaker lineup stacked with QAnon influencers, the event’s website doesn’t have a single mention of QAnon—and the organizer, John Sabal, claims the event isn’t a QAnon conference.

That claim might hold more weight if the event logo didn't feature a QAnon slogan, or if Sabal weren’t known online as “QAnon John.”

The event is taking place at two venues in Dallas, Gilley’s entertainment complex and the Omni Hotel, which is owned by the city of Dallas.

Neither venue responded to VICE News’ requests for comment, but it appears that officials in City Hall have no problem welcoming QAnon followers to their city.

“The City of Dallas is a welcoming city, bringing together people of many varied interests and ideas,” Catherine Cuellar, the director of communications for the city of Dallas, told VICE News in an emailed statement. “As always, we will do our best to ensure Dallas residents and guests attending this event are safe while in our city.”

QAnon has been mostly an online phenomenon since it emerged on the fringe message board 4chan in late 2017, but during the Capitol riots on January 6, the movement—which has been labeled a potential domestic terror threat by the FBI—showed its more violent side.

At least 34 of those arrested for taking part in the breach of the Capitol are QAnon supporters, according to a recent study by researchers at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

While Dallas city officials don’t seem too concerned about a QAnon influx to the city next month, some residents are, and they’re attempting to get the event cancelled. An online petition entitled “Say No to the QAnon Con Memorial Day Weekend” has been signed by over 1,400 people.

“This event has no business happening in our city, let alone at our hotel,” the petition reads. “Please, use common sense and decency and do not allow this event to happen.”

General admission tickets for the event cost $500, which covers food and access to a “Block Party” in front of the Omni Hotel as well as a “Patriot Party” at the Gilley’s complex. A VIP package, meanwhile, will set attendees back $1,000. It includes a VIP goodie bag and access to a meet-and-greet with the speakers.

The event will begin on Saturday, May 29, and joining Flynn and Powell on stage will be Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert, who last year opposed a resolution in the House condemning the QAnon conspiracy movement.

Also speaking is West, a former Florida Congressman who is now the chair of the Texas GOP. He recently changed his party’s slogan to “We are the storm,” which many saw as an overt nod to QAnon followers. For years, the movement’s anonymous leader Q has been predicting a coming “storm” that will expose the child sex trafficking ring QAnon followers believe is being run by a group of Democrats.

A growing number of Republicans have either embraced QAnon or failed to condemn it in recent months. QAnon followers were emboldened by Trump’s repeated failure to disavow the movement during his campaign and by the election to Congress of Marjorie Taylor Greene, who posted multiple videos discussing and supporting QAnon. 

Gohmert and West didn’t respond to VICE News’ request for comment about their attendance at the event.

Other speakers will include prominent QAnon influencers like Jordan Sather, Zak Paine (known as RedPill78), and Inevitable ET, who runs one of the most popular QAnon channels on Telegram.

Also slated to speak is George Papadopolous, the former foreign policy adviser to Donald Trump, who was sentenced to two weeks in prison in 2018 for lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries.

Rounding out the speaker card are: Juanita Broaddrick, who accused Bill Clinton of raping her in 1978; Erica Kious, the owner of the hair salon where Nancy Pelosi was seen not wearing a mask; and Jason Frank, whose main claim to fame seems to be appearing in a video at a Trump rally wearing a QAnon T-shirt which was subsequently retweeted by Donald Trump Jr.

On Wednesday evening the organizers released a video promo for the event, and major QAnon groups and channels on platforms like Telegram and Gab began heavily promoting it.

The event is being organized by a group known as The Patriot Voice, which is run by Sabal, aka “QAnon John,” and his partner, who is known only as Amy. The pair have appeared in a series of videos hosted by right-wing figures in recent weeks promoting the event. 

Speaking on a show hosted by Andrea Popa, who also happens to be the MC for the “God & Country Patriots Roundup’ event, Sabal said he wanted to put on the event for those people who felt lost in the wake of Trump’s election defeat and Q’s many failed predictions.

“A lot of people feel lost, confused, lonely," Sabal said. "They feel like the plan didn’t work out. They feel like Trump abandoned us. I’m here to tell you that is not the case. We’ve gotten so many comms from Trump and team since he ‘left the White House.’ I’m totally convinced that the plan is still moving forward. I believe this was actually part of the plan, as crazy as that sounds.”