NYPD union chief appears on Fox News with far-right conspiracy theory QAnon symbol in background

Ed Mullins, president of the NYPD Sergeants Benevolent Association, appeared on the cable news network with a mug showing the logo

The far-right conspiracy theory symbol was pictured on a mug in the background of the union chief's interview (Fox News)

A New York Police Department union chief made an appearance on Fox News with a QAnon mug featured in the background.

Ed Mullins, president of the NYPD’s Sergeants Benevolent Association, appeared on Fox News to discuss the increased gun violence in New York City and other parts of the US.

Viewers noticed a mug in the background of Mr Mullins interview with a logo on the front representing QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory whose adherents believe in the existence of a “deep state” within the US government that is controlled by a Satanic cabal of child-abusing elites.

Believers of the QAnon conspiracy theory claim that these elites are largely made up of liberal politicians and celebrities whose goal is to oust President Donald Trump.

The mug situated directly behind Mr Mullins in the camera shot has the word “QANON” across the front with the hashtag #WWG1WGA, which stands for “where we go one, we go all”. The phrase is a popular slogan within the QAnon group.

A Trump supporter holds the QAnon logo up at during a rally in Pennsylvania in 2018 (Getty Images)

The 'Q' refers to an alleged government insider who posts clues on the internet to expose the “deep state”, according to the conspiracy theorist supporters.

This was not the first time Mr Mullins has appeared on television interviews with what is believed to be QAnon symbols in the background. Internet sleuths discovered the chief has appeared on at least two other conservative talk shows with something in the background in recent months.

Mr Mullins refused to confirm or deny if the mug in the background was his own when speaking to Business Insider.

“Our country is falling apart, New York City is in crisis, and the only thing the news media is concerned about is a mug,” he told the publication.

When contacted by the HuffPost, Mr Mullins said he had “no idea” what QAnon was and said he borrowed the office for the interview. But he was unable to provide information about the office he borrowed.

Mr Mullins has a contentious relationship with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, a Democrat, and the two have even traded barbs in recent weeks after the mayor decided to transferred $1bn of the city’s budget away from the NYPD.

A spokesman for Mr de Blasio retweeted an image of the mug, calling it “delusional”.