Biography
axolotl_peyotl was, under that Reddit handle, the head moderator of r/conspiracy, one of Reddit's largest conspiracy-focused communities, for close to seven years; no real name has been published in reputable sources. On January 7, 2021, in the days following the January 6 United States Capitol riot, Reddit administrators permanently suspended the account and removed it as a moderator, citing repeated violations of the platform's content policy and concern about moderators inciting their communities. Before the suspension, the account had promoted the baseless 'Italygate' theory alleging foreign interference in the 2020 United States election. Watchdog and press coverage noted that the moderator had been criticised for aggressively banning dissenting users and for permitting or promoting anti-vaccine, pro-Trump, and antisemitic content during their tenure. The removal is cited as an example of Reddit acting against an entrenched moderator of a large community in the wake of the Capitol attack.