Trump's Insane Tweet About the 75-Year-Old Protester & the Whole ANTIFA Conspiracy Theory

Even Republicans in Congress are distancing themselves today from President Trump's deranged tweet yesterday about an elderly protester in Buffalo, NY. Trump tweeted a conspiracy theory that he had heard about the man.

Trump, Twitter: "Buffalo protester shoved by Police could be an ANTIFA provocateur. 75 year old Martin Gugino was pushed away after appearing to scan police communications in order to black out the equipment. @OANN

I watched, he fell harder than was pushed. Was aiming scanner. Could be a set up?"

Trump was repeating some nonsense he had heard on the wacky right-wing news channel One America News Network. There is no evidence for OANN's story or Trump's tweet, but, as usual, the President just wanted to stir the pot for his supporters, the truth be damned.

The story probably caught Trump's attention because it includes a reference to ANTIFA as a "provocateur" behind the protests. As we have mentioned before, ANTIFA isn't an organization like the NAACP or your local Lion's Club, it's a philosophy, a movement, and stands for anti-fascist. It's generally associated with individuals who oppose "white nationalism" in the United States.

However, Trump, his Attorney General, Bill Barr, and others on the right refer to ANTIFA as if it's the Black Panthers of the 1960s in order to frighten people. It's much easier to instill fear if you can create the illusion of a powerful organization pulling the strings of the protesters on the street. But it's simply not true. Demonstrators are taking to the streets because they are incensed by what happened in Minneapolis, and they don't need any organization to tell them that they should be upset.

NPR looked into Trump's and Barr's claims that there is an organization behind the George Floyd protests nationally.

NPR: "U.S. Attorney General William Barr has repeatedly blamed anti-fascist activists for the violence that has erupted during demonstrations over George Floyd's death, but federal court records show no sign of so-called antifa links so far in cases brought by the Justice Department."

However, federal authorities have identified a right-wing group that is apparently using the Floyd protests to advance their ideology by fomenting violence between demonstrators and police.

Reuters: "Only one group was called out by name in a federal complaint: the so-called boogaloo movement, whose followers, according to prosecutors, believe in an impending civil war."

"Hate group experts say boogaloo’s followers are largely an assortment of right-wing extremists. Prosecutors alleged three men affiliated with “the movement” plotted to set off explosives in Las Vegas in the hopes of touching off rioting before a protest."

You can read more about the "boogaloo bois" here; some seriously deranged folks.

#news #Trump #conspiracytheories

By: Don Lam & Curated Content