Rumors about antifa protesters circulating on Facebook and Twitter have made their way to local police tip lines
In the days since President Donald Trump blamed antifa activists for an eruption of violence at protests over police killings of black people, social media has lit up with rumors that the far-left-leaning group is transporting people to wreak havoc on small cities across America.
For years, some social media users have tried to delegitimize controversial or political protests with baseless theories that they were organized by wealthy financiers or extremists organizations. Over the weekend, Trump singled out antifa as being responsible for the violent protests triggered by the killing of George Floyd, saying in a tweet: "It's ANTIFA and the Radical Left."
Police departments say people are phoning in "tips" they see on social media claiming antifa is sending buses or even planes full of antifa activists to their area. Meanwhile, Facebook users were also warning their friends to stay clear of a shopping center in a New Jersey suburb, saying it would be the center of antifa destruction on Tuesday.
"Everyone heard there were going to be buses of people," Clemens said. "It was very specific: there were three busloads."
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