Category Archives: Antifa

U.S. president Donald Trump announced ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in a special operations raid. Here is a look at who he was. Wochit

A social media posttying together former President Barack Obama, ISIS, Black Lives Matter, antifa and a "war on police"is circulating virally online.

The post, uploaded by Facebook user Kathie Wilxox Gilmore on March 2, 2019, reads this: "Before Obama we had no ISIS! Before Obama we had no BLM! Before Obama we had no ANTIFA! Before Obama we had no war on cops!"

Gilmore did not return a request for comment.

Barack Obama was elected president in 2008. When did these groups or movements start?

ISIS, the Islamic State also known asISIL andDaesh, emerged as an offshoot of Osama bin Ladens al Qaeda Network in Iraq. It wasfounded by Abu Musab al Zarqawi in 2004, according to information fromHistory.com.

ISISfaded for several years after the surge of United States militarytroops to Iraq in 2007, according to he Wilson Center.It reemerged in 2011,and over the next few years, took advantage of growing instability in Iraq and Syria to carry out attacks and bolster its ranks.

In 2013, the terrorist group changed its name to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

Black Lives Matter is an organized movement that advocates for nonviolent civil disobedience and protests againstpolice brutality towardsAfrican Americans. It wasfounded onJuly 13, 2013, byAlicia Garza,Patrisse Cullors andOpal Tometi.

The group was createdin response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a white man accused of killing Trayvon Martin, a Black man, on Feb. 26, 2012. Trayvonwas targeted, pursued and shot dead by Zimmerman in a gated neighborhood in Sanford, Florida.

A Black Lives Matter Mural was painted at the intersection of W. Locust St. and N. Martin Luther King Drive on Friday, June 19, 2020 in Milwaukee.(Photo: Chelsey Lewis and James B. Nelson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY Network)

Antifa,an anti-fascist political movement in the United States anda defensive response to the growing presence of right-wing extremism, was founded in 1932, well before Obama was born on Aug. 4,1961.

After the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville in 2017led to violentclashesbetween white nationalists and counter-protesters, American awareness of that oppositionrose dramatically, TIME reported.

Antifa drewsupportfrom some and drew condemnation from others includingfrom President Donald Trump for what appearedto beviolent tactics. In March 2018, Merriam-Webster added antifa to the dictionary.

In July of 2016, a law enforcement advocacy group head lashed out at Obama in the wake of the Dallas shootings that left five police officers dead. He accused the president of carrying out a "war on cops."

I think (the Obama administration)continued appeasements at the federal level with the Department of Justice, their appeasement of violent criminals, their refusal to condemn movements like Black Lives Matter, actively calling for the death of police officers, that type of thing, all the while blaming police for the problems in this country has led directly to the climate that has made Dallas possible, said William Johnson, the executive director of the National Association of Police Organizations. "It's a war on cops."

Pallbearers lead the flag draped coffin of slain Dallas police officer Patrick Zamarripa into place for an honor guard ceremony at Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Dallas, Saturday, July 16, 2016. Zamarripa was one of five officers killed last week by a lone gunman during a protest march in Dallas.(Photo: LM Otero, AP)

Obama quicklycondemned the Dallas shootings, which happened at the end of a protest about the killings of two Black men by police officers, calling it a "vicious, calculated and despicable attack."

"Let's be clear: There are no possible justifications for these attacks or any violence towards law enforcement," Obama said.

Also in 2016, New York Public Radio published a story that the idea of a "'War on Cops'doesn't bear out in data, at least numerically."

According tothe Officers Down Memorial Page, which tracks police deaths, the number of officers who have been intentionally killed on the job has fallen from 101 per year under President Ronald Reagan, to 90 per year under George H.W. Bush; to 81 per year under Bill Clinton; to 72 per year under George W. Bush; to 62 per year under Barack Obama a figure that doesn't change when accounting for the Dallas ambush.

Chuck Wexler, executive director of thePolice Executive Research Forum, says that when it comes to violence against police, America is doing much better than we think.

In the '60s and '70s, you did have a lot of police officers who were killed more so than today ambush and deliberately killed, he says. You had the Black Panther movement and the fight back and forth between the police from New York to Oakland....It was a difficult time then, much like it is now, but overall, the numbers have come down.

We rate this claim as PARTLY FALSE, based on our research. It is true that Black Lives Matter was established in 2013, during President Barack Obama's second term. But it is false to say ISIS, antifa and a "war on cops" also did not exist before the 44th president entered the White House.

Reach Natalie Neysa Alund at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.

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Fact check: Before Obama there was no Black Lives Matter, but there was ISIS and antifa - USA TODAY

Gettysburg's Police Chief said law enforcement have not validated any of the posts circulating online, but cannot say with 100% certainty they are false

It's rare police ask people not to call with an issue.

But, Gettysburg Police Chief Robert W. Glenny, Jr is asking everyone who is flooding both the police station and 911 with calls alerting them of posts circulating online about July 4th weekend, to stop calling.

His message: police are already aware of the rumors of protests and violence.

"If you are calling to report one of these posts I can assure you that we already know and please don't call us about those," said Chief Glenny, who added, "with all these calls we're getting we're having a hard time accomplishing other things like the investigation of the posts."

Glenny said he still wants people to call if they see anything suspicious. But, he wants everyone to know the posts are already being investigated by experts on the local, state, and federal level.

"We have sent all these and other posts to intelligence sections both federally and statewide and then we have our own small intelligence person working on them," said Glenny.

Glenny spoke to FOX43 again Tuesday as new posts also arose that made claims of a police bulletin that warns of an ANTIFA plot. Glenny said the Gettysburg Police Department has not confirmed anything like that and, in fact, that so-called police bulletin is not from police.

"There's the rumor going around again on various social media platforms. Some people are getting it through messenger, Facebook, that the Gettysburg Police Department has confirmed this lengthy list of things or an ANTIFA plan," said Glenny. He later added, "my guess is whomever did it cut and pasted the Gettysburg Police Department and phone number."

Online posts also warn of people stockpiling fireworks for harm and planning violence in suburban neighborhoods. Additionally, the posts warn that people are setting off fireworks leading up the 4th of July as part of a bigger plot to throw off police on the actual day of the event.

"We can put no validity to any of the statements in there nor can we say they're false. But, we have certainly not validated any of the statements contained," said Glenny.

Glenny said claims that people are setting off more fireworks than usual leading up to the 4th of July are also not true in Gettysburg, Adams County.

"We have not had any more than the normal number of fireworks calls that we have leading up to the 4th of July. As a matter of fact, I think we've had less fireworks calls than we've seen in years before," said Glenny.

FOX43 previously asked Glenny about a flyer that warned of a flag burning in Gettysburg National Park. Read the police and the National Park's response to that rumor here: Gettysburg officials say they're aware of social media rumors of a flag burning at National Park JulyThe flyer promotes the alleged event as a peaceful. protest to abolish police nationwide. But, it also includes words on the flyer such as "children welcome" and "ANTIFA face painting"

"Again, I cannot confirm that it's real or deny that it's real. There are some things in there that if you look at it from a law enforcement perspective that don't fly," he said, later adding "ANTIFA is not in the habit of facepainting for children."

"I would love to be able to ensure everybody out there that these are trolling posts from folks that are just trying to get them upset and scared. I truly hope that is the case. But, I can't say that with 100% certainty," said Glenny.

Glenny said July 4th weekend law enforcement from across the area will be out in force including from the National Park Service.

"We are going to do our best to keep you safe. That's our job," said Glenny.

Statement from Gettysburg Borough Police Dept:

"We at the Gettysburg Police Department want to assure all those that we serve and have sworn to protect that we are aware of the lengthy post currently being circulated on various social media outlets. The Post claims that The Gettysburg Police has "CONFIRMED" an "antifa plan." There is NO TRUTH to that statement. We have no knowledge of the validity of the post's contentions. The Gettysburg Police Department is not aware of any "Law Enforcement Sensitive-Official Use Only" Bulletin. This and similar posts are being analyzed by various intelligence sections in the law enforcement community.

We asked that folks remain vigilant. Please contact the law enforcement agency with jurisdiction in your area to report suspicious activity or things you feel are out of place. However, please do not call to report the existence of this post. We are aware of it and are investigating its origins."

Continue reading here:

Fact vs Fiction: Police weigh in on online firestorm over 4th of July in Gettysburg - FOX43.com

'No one has lost their lives because of this organization; an organization called Antifa doesn't exist.'

I love to read my local newspaper. My favorite portion is the Opinion page. I always enjoy reading the guest columns and letters to the editor.

An article by Sarah Heppner caught my eye.

The letter carried the headline 'A Letter from the Concerned Patriots of Columbia County.'

I am not sure what constitutes a "Patriot." Did the writer believe that these patriots were the people armed with assault rifles, and displayed white power signs and slogans like "the Constitution sucks?" Or did she believe that they were the 600 or 700 old and young people peacefully saying that "black lives matter."

I was appalled when I read the statement " Preceding the event was the threat of an Antifa presence. ... This is not something to be taken lightly considering the violence that has followed this group in the past."

This group? Violence?

Antifa isn't a group or an organization. Antifa stands for anti-fascist it is a concept, not an organization. There is no national or international Antifa organization. An Antifa organization only exists in the imaginations of white nationalists, racists and the followers of reactionary websites and possibly foreign propaganda sites.

Antifa isn't a terrorist organization because it isn't an organization. No one has lost their lives because of this organization; an organization called Antifa doesn't exist. What does exist are white militias, white power groups, groups like Patriot Prayer, Proud Boys, Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazis and Christian Identity, some of whom were here in St. Helens, armed and watching the Black Lives Matters march.

I and all the men in my family have served in the military. My brothers fought in the last war to stem fascism. America used to be anti-fascist. Has something changed?

Bill Eagle, St. Helens

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Eagle: Antifa isn't a terrorist organization because it isn't an organization - Pamplin Media Group