"Alaskan Patriots" Telegram Group Deplatformed

After covering the "Alaskan Patriot" Telegram group on June 9, 2021, which shared dangerous QAnon conspiracy theories, the group was de-platformed by the service on July 16, 2021.

In the roughly one month I covered the group, membership had increased to over 300 members, although the group's administrator wrote after the group's deplatforming that the membership number was 256.

Separately, the Worldwide Alaska Telegram group, part of a larger movement, has tripled its membership roster as it seeks to organize a July 24 "Freedom Rally." The Alaska rally aims to join over 200 cities in over 40 countries worldwide, taking a stand for "medical freedom." They are opposed to mask and vaccine mandates, even for healthcare workers.

The Worldwide Alaska Telegram group now boasts members from Anchorage, Fairbanks, Homer, and Wasilla.

In Anchorage, the purported owner of the Bird Creek Motel has offered their large room as a place to "host a meet and greet for Patriots to gather and schedule planning." Another group member who claims to be from Anchorage wrote that the last election needs to be audited because "lots of dems supposedly got voted in," whatever that means.

With only five days left until the 24th and lacking a supporting organization, it seems unlikely the rally will happen.