A recent anti-human trafficking event at the Statehouse proclaiming to #SaveTheChildren was not entirely about saving children and more about promoting and recruiting for the surreal and disturbing QAnon “theory” that believes prominent lefties such as the Clintons, the Obamas, Oprah and Tom Hanks, are part of a secret pedophile cabal sacrificing children to Satan and drinking their blood.

About a 100 or so attended the event on August 29th and pictures from the event show people wearing “Q” masks, camo gear (holding automatic rifles of course), and some carrying pizza-slice signs.

Many of our readers are familiar with the QAnon bat-shit craziness, which is gaining serious traction with more and more people who are obviously in need of mental health services. But if you are not aware of Q, let us be absolutely clear and say it again: They believe high-profiled liberals are sacrificing…children…to drink their…blood.

The theory is baseless (as if), but as we all know, embraced by Trump and his minions who hate the Obamas and others so much they will believe anything in the hopes to lock them up and put to death. And this makes us wonder – do many Q supporters lust for putting all liberals in detention camps or worse? Have us bleeding-heart lefties garnered that much hatred? Yes, apparently.

Here is a snippet of what the local #SaveTheChildren event planners stated after their rally.

“Yesterday some amazing people from all over the country gathered together at the Columbus State House to raise awareness and support the #savethechildren movement! These people included members from all walks of life, different political parties, victims, advocates all with one common interest.... PROTECTING THOSE WHO CANNOT PROTECT THEMSELVES! The media might choose to remain silent but we will not! WE ARE THE NEW MEDIA!”

Sure sounds worthy and inspirational. But what better way to recruit (uneducated?) women to Trump’s side by tricking them into thinking Hillary and Michelle aren’t actually sipping on a robust Pinot Noir.

The Free Press was totally unaware the #SaveTheChildren event was Q until one of our dedicated and super intelligent female readers tipped us off after we posted the event to our Facebook page and website, which we quickly removed.

To be clear, the Free Press is fully aware of how serious and terrible trafficking children is. Several of us at the Free Press work with at-risk youth – and from those of us who are actually on the frontline of our state’s foster care crisis, the job is 24-7 stressful, challenging, full of pitfalls, but also rewarding. And it involves a lot more than holding up a sign in the shape of a piece of pizza.

But even in this beyond disturbing situation we found a silvering lining.

The Columbus group behind the Statehouse #SaveTheChildren event utilized the Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) in their promotions of the event. The nonprofit which mans this hotline did not know that QAnon believers were heavily promoting their hotline. This nonprofit is contracted by the US Department of Health and Human Services to run it.

The nonprofit refused to allow us to publish their name for this story, but they did say because the Free Press had alerted them, it is all-hands-on-deck and a statement or some type of action to distance themselves from QAnon will soon be forthcoming. The major obstacle is, the hotline’s title and number are public domain and there may not be much they can do to stop their unwanted association with QAnon.

The QAnon’s #SaveTheChildren movement contends 8 million children are reported missing each year. The nonprofit said to us this number is far exaggerated.

What’s not an exaggeration is the hatred for good people like the Obamas and Tom Hanks. We have to ask, what did the Obamas and Tom Hanks do to make millions accuse them of worshipping Satan and drinking the blood of children?

Defunding the police so the money can be used for mental health services has never sounded more needed than now.