Thursday, September 17, 2020

9/12: Fighting Back Against Ugly Memes

9/12/2020 

It seems to me that Democrats have generally taken a hands-off approach to the bizarre memes that have ricocheted around the web since the Trump presidency began. On the West Coast, since the wildfires have gotten virtually apocalyptic, the memes are saying that Oregon's fires were deliberately set by Antifa and other left-wing "terrorist" groups. Along with them are memes blaming the fires on right-wing terrorists.

Neither antifa nor right-wing groups are under investigation, and local law enforcement and the FBI are both actively fighting back against these rumors.
----From the Douglas County, Oregon, Sheriff's Office, on Facebook: “Our 9-1-1 dispatchers and professional staff are being overrun with requests for information and inquiries on an UNTRUE rumor that 6 Antifa members have been arrested for setting fires in DOUGLAS COUNTY, OREGON .... THIS IS NOT TRUE!”
----From the FBI, on Twitter: "Reports that extremists are setting wildfires in Oregon are untrue. Help us stop the spread of misinformation by only sharing information from trusted, official sources."
----From the police in Medford, Oregon, on Facebook, about rumors a right-wing group member had been arrested: “This is a made up graphic and story. We did not arrest this person for arson, nor anyone affiliated with Antifa or ‘Proud Boys’ as we’ve heard throughout the day.”
I'm glad to see these off-the-wall memes contradicted and corrected outright. It's high time we saw more action like that against Trump-friendly memes too.

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