Countering conspiracy theories – The rise of extreme right-wing radicalisation

Epstein Files

In late 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice initiated a series of document releases under the provisions of the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The initial release, which took place on 19 December 2025, encompassed a substantial volume of documentation, amounting to over 100,000 pages.

This release included a wide range of materials, such as correspondence, flight logs, photographs, and redacted files pertaining to Epstein and numerous high-profile individuals. Subsequent releases over the following months expanded this archive to approximately 3 million pages, alongside thousands of videos and images, revealing detailed connections and communications.

These documents comprised previously undisclosed evidence, naming many high-powered, prominent figures, and in some cases directly linking them to Epstein’s activities.

These files were released to the public for everyone to access, resulting in a surge of attention in the beginning of this year, with individuals researching the files directly, as well as content created about the released files.

While releasing the files could be framed as an act of transparency, the full data pool on this matter is still unknown and were made available for anyone to freely search for names and terms without knowing the full context, affording an opportunity for many extremists to reinforce existing beliefs and conspiracy theories.

Even before the release of these set of files, the case of Jeffrey Epstein was a focal point for conspiracy theories, particularly within communities aligned to the far-right and groups such as the conspiracy theory movement known as QAnon, which emerged on the internet in late 2017 in the United States. These communities allege systemic elite involvement in child trafficking and cover-ups and challenge the prevailing accounts of the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death.

In the aftermath of Epstein’s death in August 2019, alternative theories began to surface, proposing that his death was in fact a premeditated murder, orchestrated to obfuscate evidence of clandestine networks involving elite individuals engaged in paedophilia.

The credibility of these claims was further bolstered by Epstein’s notable network of connections, which included prominent politicians, billionaires, and members of the royal family. Additionally, there were inconsistencies observed in the official autopsy report and subsequent investigations.

Such theories are characteristic of the “Deep State” and “elite cabal” narratives prevalent in far-right circles, including QAnon, which posit that a clandestine, powerful group manipulates societal institutions to protect their interests. In recent times, these theories have experienced a notable increase in prominence, particularly within the context of online discourse and social media platforms.

Held to account

According to the Vox-Pol study, the Epstein files were released into an information environment that rewards speed and emotional salience over accuracy and context, meaning that the conditions for accountability and the conditions for radicalisation were activated simultaneously.

To address these problems institutions must take decisive action against perpetrators, provide support for victims, and commit to transparency. They must also develop mechanisms designed to prevent such activities in the future. Additionally, professional journalism is needed to contextualise the published documents, ensuring that free speculation and unfounded associations with the vast amount of information are curbed and genuine accountability emerges. 

The Vox-Pol study provides an excellent example of the work carried out by this global network, with 30 member institutions from 12 different countries across Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australasia.

VOX-Pol researchers have expertise in jihadism, the extreme right and left, nationalist-separatist actors, and emerging forms of extremism, and this year, they are a partner in delivering the Terrorism and Social Media (TASM) 2026 conference hosted at Swansea University on 16-18^th June.

Members of Vox-Pol will be joined at TASM 2026 by 250 delegates from countries around the world. As one of the leading international conferences on extremist and terrorist use of online platforms, there will be a wide range of stakeholders, including tech companies, governments, law enforcement, regulators, civil society and researchers from many different academic disciplines, featuring keynote presentations from leading experts.

Of interest to policing at TASM this year, Vox-Pol are joined by the NOTIONES  (Interacting Network of Intelligence and Security Practitioners with Industry and Academia Actors), a pan-European network of practitioners funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation of the European Commission.