Debunking Right-Wing Claims that Capitol Hill Terrorists were ANTIFA
Soon after a violent coup attempt broke out in Washington D.C., conspiracies started to spread that the perpetrators were ANTIFA.
Earlier today, a Trump protest broke out into a violent riot on Capitol Hill. White supremacists and Qanon groups overwhelmed the police and ran amuck in the halls of Congress. A conspiracy quickly spread through social media accusing ANTIFA — people who believe in opposing rising fascism in the U.S — of disguising themselves as Trump supporters as a stunt. These baseless claims fell flat after some of the identities of the Terrorists have been identified.
Pictures of this guy have been going around insisting he’s ANTIFA. His name is Jake Angeli, and he is known as the “Q-Shaman” and is a well known QAnon conspiracy influencer. Photos and articles are easily found online of him at multiple Trump and QAnon protests. Qanon is a well-known conspiracy that is mainly followed by Donald Trump supporters. He has since admitted to not being ANTIFA on Twitter.
These two were also falsely accused of being ANTIFA. A closer look reveals one of the men’s identities as Matthew Heimbach on the left. Heimbach has been associated with neo-Nazi groups and has been a long-time supporter of President Trump.
The woman who was shot and killed by police preventing the mob from entering the Capitol was Ashli Babbit, a 14-year veteran. Her husband says she was a strong supporter of President Trump. She also has a history with the Qanon conspiracy.
Richard Barnett was photographed sitting in Nancy Pelosi’s office and was later admitted in an interview that he stole a letter from her office. It turns out Richard is the head of a gun rights organization and has hosted and attended QAnon protests.
Another man involved in the events on Capitol Hill was Derrick Evans. Evans is a Republican lawmaker who was recently elected to the West Virginia House of Delegates. He lived streamed the event, shouting his own name and showing his face on camera multiple times.
One thing stood out. None of the people identified thus far have had any history with ANTIFA’s beliefs. There is no evidence people who believe in ANTIFA were involved at all. We can not allow the misinformation preventing the punishment of individuals who attacked what little democracy America has left. Today has been one of the darkest days in the country’s history, and the people who cover for open fascism should be called out and held accountable for their actions.
*This article will be continued to be updated as more information comes up
UPDATE: The Washington Times reports:
“A retired military officer told The Washington Times that the firm XRVision used its software to do facial recognition of protesters and matched two Philadelphia antifa members to two men inside the Senate.”
What’s odd about this reporting is that it never reveals the ANTIFA members’ names. It doesn’t even tell us who the retired military officer is. It’s very vague and lacks verifiable evidence.
