Jump to content

Jacob Chansley

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Comtebenoit (talk | contribs) at 21:46, 9 January 2021 (→‎Participation in Capitol riot: add detail on visible tattoos). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jake Angeli
Angeli in his shaman dress on a sidewalk, holding a "Q sent me" sign
Angeli in 2020
Born
Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley

1988 (age 35–36)
Other names
  • Q Shaman
  • QAnon Shaman
  • Yellowstone Wolf
CitizenshipAmerican

Jake Angeli (born Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley; c. 1988),[1] also known as the "QAnon Shaman", "Q Shaman" and "Yellowstone Wolf",[2] is an American conspiracy theorist and far-right activist who participated in the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. He is a supporter of President Donald Trump, and a proponent of QAnon, a false conspiracy theory that says that Trump is fighting a cabal of Satan-worshipping Democratic pedophiles.[3][4]

Following the storming of the Capitol on January 6, Angeli was posted as a person of interest with the Washington DC Police.[5] On January 8, Angeli told an Arizona news station that he "wasn't worried" about possible charges.[6] Misinformation spread on the Internet that Angeli supports movements such as Antifa or Black Lives Matter.[7][3] On January 9, Angeli was arrested on federal charges of "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds".[8]

Early life

Jake Angeli was born c. 1988,[1] to Martha Chansley.[9] He attended Moon Valley High School in Phoenix, Arizona.[10] When asked about her son's views, Chansley told ABC15 Arizona that "it takes a lot of courage to be a patriot",[9] and says he is a Navy veteran.[10] Angeli says that prior to his political activity he worked as an actor and voice-over artist.[11]

Protesting

Angeli supports Donald Trump,[12][13][14][15] has a social media following, and attends rallies supporting QAnon mostly in and around Phoenix.[12] At various rallies in Arizona he was seen shouting about QAnon conspiracy theories and carrying a sign that says "Q Sent Me."[16]

Before attending far-right rallies, Angeli was noticed in 2019 for frequently protesting alone outside the Arizona Capitol, espousing various conspiracy theories.[17] He was reported as a shamanic practitioner when attending a climate activism protest in Arizona.[18] He began wearing his distinctive fur hat and face paint to attract attention so that he could then talk about QAnon and "other truths", he told The Arizona Republic in early 2020;[12] in 2021 he called his outfit "Shaman" dress.[17]

Besides appearances at Trump rallies, Angeli protested COVID-19 lockdowns in Arizona. Following the 2020 United States presidential election, Angeli's protests focused on challenging the results of the vote in Arizona.[12][19] He camped outside the Maricopa County Courthouse during the vote counting process,[20] and gave a speech at a rally there on November 7, the day that president-elect Joe Biden announced his win, declaring, "This election has not been called! Don't believe that lie! They got their hands caught in the cookie jar and we're going to the Supreme Court! Trump always looks like he's going to lose. And then he wins."[21]

Angeli had no criminal record in the state prior to the 2021 Capitol riot.[16]

Participation in Capitol riot

During the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol on January 6, Angeli entered the United States Senate floor in the Capitol, wearing his self-styled symbolic shamanic attire, including a buffalo-horned coyote skin headdress, and war paint in red, white, and blue, as well as carrying a six foot high spear, with an American flag tied below the blade.[22] He was also captured in photographs standing on the dias in front of Vice President Mike Pence's chair. Following the riot, Angeli told reporters, "The fact that we had a bunch of our traitors in office hunker down, put on their gas masks and retreat into their underground bunker, I consider that a win."[2] In addition to his choice of clothing, media sources speculated regarding Angeli's choice of tattoos, which include a Valknut, a Yggdrasil, and a Mjölnir.[23] He said that police had initially blocked the crowd from entry, but had then specifically allowed them entry, at which point he entered.[24] On January 8, Angeli was posted as a person of interest with the Washington DC Police.[5] Interviewed while wanted, Angeli said that he believed he did nothing wrong, telling NBC: "I walked through an open door, dude."[25]

On January 9, Angeli was arrested and brought up on U.S. federal charges of "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds". A Capitol police special agent was quoted as saying that he pegged Angeli by his “unique attire and extensive tattoos covering his arms and left side of his torso".[26] Angeli voluntarily spoke to the Washington Field Office of the FBI and confessed prior to his arrest.[27]

Conspiracy theories

Following the riot, rumors circulated among conspiracy theorists that Angeli was associated with the decentralized anti-fascist movement Antifa or the anti-racist Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and had infiltrated the event as a fifth columnist.[7] In a January 6 tweet from his Twitter account, USAwolfpack, Angeli responded to speculations made by Trump campaign lawyer Lin Wood: "Mr. Wood. I am not antifa or blm. I'm a Qanon & digital soldier. My name is Jake & I marched with the police & fought against BLM & ANTIFA [in] PHX."[28][29] Snopes investigated the statement, concluding that he was not affiliated with Antifa and was an active Trump supporter.[7]

There was also speculation that Angeli colluded with Nancy Pelosi's son-in-law, Michiel Vos, seen in a photo with him outside the U.S. Capitol Building. Snopes wrote that Vos is a reporter with RTL, and the image is from a story on the protests which Vos wrote for Dutch news program RTL Boulevard.[30]

False rumors spread as users on social media mistook Angeli for Jay Kay, the lead singer of Jamiroquai. On the day after the Capitol attack, Kay released a short video telling his fans that he was not associated with the protest, stating "It wasn't my crowd".[17][31][32]

References

  1. ^ a b "¿Quién es Q-Shaman, el joven con cuernos que entró en el Capitolio?". euronews (in Spanish). January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  2. ^ a b Schapiro, Rich; Kosnar, Michael (January 7, 2021). "Capitol rioter in horned hat gloats as feds work to identify suspects". NBC News. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b McCarthy, Bill. "Face-painted man in horned fur cap at Capitol riot supports Trump and QAnon, not antifa". Politifact. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "El asaltante disfrazado de búfalo, un partidario de Trump que defiende la conspiración QAnon". ABC (in Spanish). January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Jake Angeli: The story behind the horned Arizona protester in the Capitol unrest". KVOA. January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  6. ^ Stapleton, Erica (January 8, 2021). "Jake Angeli: The story behind the horned Arizona protester in the Capitol unrest". 12 News. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c MacGuill, Dan (January 7, 2021). "Was Capitol Rioter in Horns and Furs an Antifa Instigator Who Took Part in BLM Protests?". Snopes. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  8. ^ "Three Men Charged in Connection with Events at U.S. Capitol". United States Department of Justice. January 9, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Multiple "QAnon Shaman" videos resurface after Jake Angeli leads siege of Capitol". Newsweek. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Mom of furry-hatted Capitol rioter from Arizona defends his patriotism". KNXV. January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  11. ^ "What we know about the 'QAnon shaman' who stormed the US Capitol". The Independent. January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d Ruelas, Richard (January 7, 2021). "Longtime Arizona QAnon supporter in horned helmet joins storming of U.S. Capitol". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  13. ^ Johnson, Jamie (January 7, 2021). "Jake Angeli: The 'QAnon shaman' from Arizona at the heart of the Capitol riots". The Telegraph.
  14. ^ "Horned, shirtless man at the Capitol demonstration identified". ABC News 8. January 6, 2021.
  15. ^ Snow, Anita; Goldman, David; Pane, Lisa Marie (November 7, 2020). "Biden win sparks smattering of protests; most stay peaceful". Daily Herald. Chicago. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  16. ^ a b Stapleton, Erica (January 7, 2021). "Jake Angeli: The story behind the horned Arizona protester in the Capitol unrest". KPNX. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  17. ^ a b c Matthews, David (January 7, 2021). "Jamiroquai singer Jay Kay denies being at D.C. riot: 'I wasn't with all those freaks'". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  18. ^ "Hundreds march in Arizona in solidarity with climate strikes around the world". AZ central. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  19. ^ "Hundreds gather outside state Capitol to protest Ducey stay-at-home order". AZ central. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  20. ^ "Scenes from Election Protests in Maricopa County Arizona". Time. November 6, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  21. ^ "Biden win sparks smattering of protests; most stay peaceful". Daily Herald. AP. November 7, 2020. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  22. ^ Barnes, Sophia (January 9, 2021). "Capitol Rioter Seen in Horned Hat, Carrying Spear Arrested: US Attorney". NBC Washington 4. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  23. ^ "Jake Angeli: Wer ist der Mann mit den Büffelhörnern?". welt. January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.Löwe, Philipp. "Jake Angeli: Was über den "QAnon-Schamanen" aus dem US-Kapitol bekannt ist - DER SPIEGEL - Stil". Der Spiegel. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  24. ^ Gabbatt, Adam (January 7, 2021). "Faces of extremism: the rioters behind the attack on the US Capitol". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  25. ^ "Capitol rioter in horned hat gloats as feds work to identify suspects". NBC News. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  26. ^ https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/01/09/jake-angeli-qanon-man-fur-hat-horns-capitol-riot-arrested/6609039002/
  27. ^ Lonas, Lexi (January 9, 2021). "Fur-clad man who entered Capitol says he acted after Trump put out call to 'patriots'". TheHill.com. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  28. ^ USAwolfpack tweet, January 6, 2021.
  29. ^ Palmer, Ewan (January 7, 2021). "'QAnon Shaman' Who Stormed Capitol Denies He Is Antifa as Conspiracy Theorists Turn on Him". Newsweek. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  30. ^ MacGuill, Dan (January 7, 2021). "Did 'Antifa' Jake Angeli Collude With Nancy Pelosi's Son-in-Law?". Snopes. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  31. ^ McCarthy, Tyler (January 7, 2021). "Jamiroquai lead singer Jay Kay denies he was at Capitol riots after fans mistake him for man in horned helmet". Fox News. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  32. ^ Sutton, Candace (January 7, 2021). "Horned man who stormed the Capitol revealed as actor and hardcore Trumpist". News.com.au. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jacob_Chansley&oldid=999378898"