Ghislaine Maxwell court hearing disturbed by apparent QAnon followers

A hearing involving British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of sex trafficking of minor girls, was apparently hijacked by QAnon supporters on Tuesday. According to The Guardian, the hearing, which was being conducted online due to COVID-19 concerns, was being live-streamed on YouTube and the comments showed hundreds of QAnon supporters were listening to it. As soon as Judge Loretta A. Preska was informed about the unlawful live stream by a clerk, she asked those behind it to immediately stop. 

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"Whoever is doing it, you are operating against the law. I suspect there is a way to find out. So I will ask you, most respectfully, to stop doing it. We have had enough of lack of the rule of law around here. Let’s try to observe it," Judge Preska said. The live stream shut down after Judge Preska's warning. The comment section of the live stream showed the listeners were sympathisers of QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory, whose supporters believe that Democrats and Hollywood actors are running a 'global sex-trafficking ring' and plotting against Donald Trump. 

Read: Judge Rejects Epstein Associate Ghislaine Maxwell's Bail Bid

What was Tuesday hearing about?

The Tuesday hearing was held to discuss whether more documents in the case of Ghislaine Maxwell needs to be unsealed. Judge Preska ruled that documents relating to Maxwell's testimony about her consenting sexual relationships with other adults will remain sealed as per her request. However, she allowed other documents to be released after Maxwell's lawyer failed to establish how the unsealing of those transcripts will jeopardize her pending trial. 

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Maxwell was the former girlfriend of the convicted sex offender and millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who killed himself in 2019 while in prison. Maxwell is accused of hiring and grooming minor girls as sex slaves for Epstein. Maxwell is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn, New York and has been denied bail on multiple occasions. 

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