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Peter Myers Digest: No, It Wasn't Antifa

(1) Storming of the Capitol will be suppressed as China suppresses memory of Tiananmen 1989(2) No, It Wasn't Antifa - Andy Ngo, and Washington Examiner's Will Ricciardella(3) Expert Andy Ngo: It wasn't antifa at the Capitol riots(4) Rage at Capitol assault makes excuses for summer riots all the more disgraceful - Andy Ngo(5) Not possible that storming of Capitol was carried out by undercover Antifa agents(6) Portland protests have no goal except violence and anarchy - Andy Ngo(7) On-Duty Deaths of Police Officers Surge in 2020(8) National Fraternal Order of Police: Number of officers shot in the line of duty has hit an all-time high(9) Facebook, Instagram, Twitter block photos and videos from Capitol protest(10) No, Trump Isn't Guilty of Incitement. By Jeffrey Shapiro in the WSJ.(11) Tulsi says her proposed "Securing America's Elections Act" could have prevented the uncertainty(12) State legislators from battleground states don't have confidence that Joe Biden won their state(1) Storming of the Capitol will be suppressed as China suppresses memory of Tiananmen 1989- by Peter Myers, January 12, 2021The Elite are apoplectic, beside themselves with rage. And they are over-reacting. Taking away our freedoms only exposes the brutal face of the NWO. They would rather destroy the internet than let the People have a voice. In future years, January 6 will be commemorated as People's Day at the Capitol.Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have already begun removing photos and videos of the events. Why so? Because those photos show that the storming of the Capitol was Theater, the protestors are unarmed, saying 'this is our house, we want our country back'.If you have not already saved photos & videos of it, it may be too late. They are scrubbing the internet, as China scrubbed records of Tiananmen 1989.In years to come, the elite will suppress such memorials as fiercely as the Chinese Government suppresses memory of Tiananmen 1989. Dissidents will be forced underground; but the more the government over-reacts, the more obvious it will be that we have lost our liberties, that the American Republic is no more, that the Globalists are totalitarian.Antifa rioted in Portland on New Year's Eve. The NY Post covered it next day, with photos showing many shop-front windows smashed:https://nypost.com/2021/01/02/portland-mayor-ted-wheeler-vows-to-get-tough-with-antifa/Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler vows to get tough with AntifaBy Jon LevineJanuary 2, 2021 | 1:54pm | UpdatedThe NY Times did not cover it at all. Today, Jan 12, 2021, at 6.18am Australian Eastern Standard Time, I searched Google to see if the NYT had covered it in the last month:Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler Antifa site:nytimes.com time: last monthNo hitsPortland riot Antifa site:nytimes.com time: last monthNo hitsSo much for the MSM's crocodile tears over the much-less damage the Patriots caused at the Capitol.911, which was a Mossad job with CIA complicity, led to the War on Terror, which led to the militarization of the Police (trained by Israel to treat suspects as Israel treats Palestinians).This led to the George Floyd killing, which led to BLM protest calls to Defund the Police.In 2020, the Police, abandoned by Governors, Mayors and the MSM, had to face BLM & Antifa violence on their own; many officers were shot.All through 2020, the MSM avoided calling BLM & Antifa 'domestic terrorists'. But after Jan 6, the eliteare calling Patriots 'domestic terrorists', and will pass legislation against 'domestic terrorism'. It's about time; however they will try to skew it to target Patriots, and give Left terrorists various loopholes. Will that work? From now on, there will be no more calls to 'Defund the Police'. The police, who during 2020 lost many officers to BLM & Antifa violence, will now be required to stop domestic terrorism.People deemed 'domestic terrorists' will be treated as China treats those with low 'social credit': they will be refused travel by plane, and monitored with facial recognition software.China has just made a law requiring facial recognition for internet access:https://freewestmedia.com/2021/01/01/china-no-internet-access-without-facial-recognition/This is what we can expect too. The "Land of the Free" is over.(2) No, It Wasn't Antifa - Andy Ngo, and Washington Examiner's Will Ricciardellahttps://patriotpost.us/articles/76900-no-it-wasnt-antifa-2021-01-08No, It Wasn't AntifaSome on the Right need to own the fact that most Capitol mobsters were Trump supporters.One of the behaviors we on the Right use to differentiate ourselves from those on the Left is ownership. We own our behavior, good and bad. We don't wring our hands, and we don't shrink from holding our side accountable. And so it is with Wednesday's protest — a protest that a relatively small number among many tens of thousands of Trump supporters turned into a riot by storming the Capitol.Yep, it was a riot. Not a riot in the time-honored sense of the Left — a riot in which buildings are burned, stores are looted, and people are murdered. But when people ignore lawful orders, wrestle with peace officers, and climb over or break through or tear down barriers to entry; when they shatter windows and go through them and make a mess of things, they're rioting. And that's what those on our side did Wednesday.And, no, it wasn't antifa. At least not in any meaningful sense. Even if the rioters were peppered with an occasional antifa infiltrator — and there's some reporting that this was indeed the case — there's no getting around the fact that the overwhelming majority of those who illegally entered the Capitol were ardent Trump supporters. And we can't be content to say that our side was simply led around by the Left like lemmings.Andy Ngo, the intrepid Portland-based journalist who's been covering antifa for years, ought to know. He's infiltrated them, he's been badly beaten by them, and he's had his life threatened by them. He's seen them up close."The people occupying the Capitol building do not look like antifa people dressed in Trump gear or Trump costumes," he told the Washington Examiner. "I have seen no evidence that they are able to coordinate a mass infiltration on this scale before, so I'm really skeptical that they would have been able to do it here without any of that information leaking out."The Examiner's Will Ricciardella also weighed in. "I didn't see any BLM or antifa all day and I've walked through the crowd a few times. Whatever bad elements there are, they're vastly outnumbered by everyday folks. I walked through with no problems," he tweeted.Yes, we've all seen the guy with the fur and the tusks. He's a well-known QAnon character. And, yes, we've seen the knucklehead merrily carrying around the Speaker's lectern and then supposedly trying to sell it on eBay. If he did manage to leave the grounds with it, and if he did actually post it for sale, that would make him a thief and a capitalist, albeit a pretty sorry excuse for both. (One wonders what he could've fetched on eBay for the scraps of the State of the Union speech that Speaker Nancy Pelosi shamefully tore up in front of the nation last February.)"This isn't antifa's m.o.," writes Robby Soave at Reason. "Antifa protesters typically … dress in black and conceal their faces with masks and hoods. Individuals will quickly smash windows and set fires, then blend back into a crowd of similarly dressed people. They don't aim to get caught. The people who stormed the Capitol, by contrast, were captured in numerous photos and videos. Their faces are easily identifiable. Many are obviously sincere Trump supporters associated with the far right."Here's another reason why we know these folks weren't antifa: The Capitol building itself is practically a museum. There are priceless portraits, sculptures, and other artifacts all around it. None of them were torn, gouged, toppled, or spray-painted. Yes, those who breached the building made a mess of things inside, but they stopped far short of the defacement, the defilement, and the wanton destruction that are the hallmarks of rioters on the Left."After conversations with Senate and House members of Congress in the last 24 hours," notes our Mark Alexander, "those who were in the Capitol at the time indicate that the building was littered with trash — that some among the tiny, unhinged minority of Trump supporters entered congressional offices and threw papers and some furnishings around those rooms and hallways. But they make clear that there was little or no damage to historic elements in the building — the statues and portraits and other features."Alexander also notes that he's working with Capitol Hill sources to determine the actual number of rioters who entered the building — a number, he's been told, that is far lower than the "stormed by thousands" talking point being gleefully reported by the Leftmedia.To be clear: Nobody had any business breaking into the Capitol building. But the vast majority of those who streamed in after the initial wave removed or broke down the barriers did so as peaceful protesters rather than rioters.Let's speak the truth, and let's own it. And the truth is this: But for at most a handful of antifa infiltrators, these folks were ours. And they were wrong.(3) Expert Andy Ngo: It wasn't antifa at the Capitol riotshttps://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/expert-andy-Ngo-it-wasnt-antifa-at-the-capitol-riotsby Paul Bedard, Washington Secrets Columnist |   | January 06, 2021 06:40 PMJournalist Andy Ngo, who has become an expert on the violent anarchist group antifa, today dismissed claims by President Trump's supporters that the group was behind the pro-Trump riots on Capitol Hill."The people occupying the Capitol building do not look like antifa people dressed in Trump gear or Trump costumes," he said in an interview from England."I have seen no evidence that they are able to coordinate a mass infiltration on this scale before, so I'm really skeptical that they would have been able to do it here without any of that information leaking out," he said.Ngo has infiltrated antifa and Black Lives Matter camps in Portland, Oregon, and Seattle, Washington, and covered their violent actions in those cities last year. He has been brutally attacked by antifa and had his life threatened several times for reporting on the group, often vividly on Twitter.BLM-antifa tried to break into a federal building in Portland for months in 2020 using explosives, power tools, rope, etc. The tanks never came in and the national response was that it was wrong for federal officers to even protect the building. https://t.co/P4SHQJtxVQ— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 6, 2021At many times, he was the only journalist casting a critical eye, and camera lens, on the group as it occupied parts of cities for weeks, often burning federal buildings and attacking police.He is set to release a new book, titled Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy, that dishes insider stories about the group.I didn't see any BLM or antifa all day and I've walked through the crowd a few times.Whatever bad elements there are, they're vastly outnumbered by everyday folks.I walked through with no problems.Many were talking about the women who was shot ...— Will Ricciardella (@WillRicci) January 6, 2021Online and even on C-SPAN today, several people claimed that the violence in Washington and other cities today was the work of antifa operatives dressed as Trump supporters.But Ngo said he saw little evidence to support those claims. Some reporters who covered the Capitol riots agreed. The Washington Examiner's Will Ricciardella, for example, tweeted, "I didn't see any BLM or antifa all day and I've walked through the crowd a few times."The disparate responses to those currently breaking inside the Capitol building versus those who tried to burn down the federal courthouse in Portland for months tells you what you need to know.— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) January 6, 2021Ngo noted that the condemnation of today's riots stood in contrast to the lack of outrage or even police action to antifa's attacks in Seattle, Portland, and Minneapolis."The disparate response to what's happening now and what happened six months ago should tell you what you need to know about the state of things," he said.https://twitter.com/WillRicci/status/1346941566720630793?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwWill Ricciardella@WillRicci·7 JanI didn't see any BLM or antifa all day and I've walked through the crowd a few times.Whatever bad elements there are, they're vastly outnumbered by everyday folks.I walked through with no problems.Many were talking about the women who was shot ...Graham Nystrom@GrahamVersus·7 JanReplying to@bhdreadnaught  and@WillRicciEveryone on the left was literally broadcasting to stay away from DC because they didn't want to give proud boys and the right any excuse to blame them for shit. That's why they weren't there.https://patriotpost.us/cartoons/29263Woman: Twitter banned Trump's Account and Google suspended PArler ... What's going on?Man, turning calender. After December 2020 comes January 1984cartoon image at: https://patriot.imgix.net/5345bd888f4761008612a557b1fba81d105edefee50ec4f676452814190b0c5c.jpg(4) Rage at Capitol assault makes excuses for summer riots all the more disgraceful - Andy Ngohttps://nypost.com/2021/01/08/rage-at-capitol-assault-makes-excuses-for-summer-riots-all-the-more-disgraceful/Rage at Capitol assault makes excuses for summer riots all the more disgracefulBy Andy NgoJanuary 8, 2021 | 9:46pm | UpdatedWednesday's mob assault on Capitol Hill was shocking and brazen: Hundreds of MAGA-hat-wearing rioters broke into the seat of American democracy. They stormed the halls, looting property and assaulting law enforcers, all in service of an absurd political demand: reversing the outcome of an election.Now where had I witnessed such scenes before? The answer: in blue-governed cities in my native Pacific Northwest throughout last summer and into the fall and winter.The right-wing political violence was met with universal rebuke from politicians of both parties and the media. But many of those who are loudest in condemning the Capitol Hill riot went radio-silent when rioters destroyed and looted in the name of Black Lives Matter.Last May, thousands of rioters in Minneapolis brought the city to its knees after the police-involved death of George Floyd. Over three days, rioters burned down a police station, looted hundreds of businesses and burned entire neighborhoods to the ground. Mass street violence also broke out in Washington, DC, New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle and dozens of other cities; at least two dozen died in the course of the riots.Vice President-elect Kamala Harris encouraged her millions of Twitter followers to donate to a Minnesota crowd-funding effort that paid bail for accused rioters. So, too, did more than a dozen Joe Biden campaign staffers. The Minnesota Freedom Fund raked in more than $35 million in donations with their help.In Portland, Ore., where I'm from, masked extremists from both BLM and Antifa smashed their way into the Multnomah County Justice Center on May 29. The building houses the Sheriff's Office, a police station and jail. Rioters ransacked the ground floor, hoping to break into the jail to free prisoners. When that failed, they started fires; city and county staff fled for their lives.But the rioters were just getting started.For the next four months, BLM-Antifa rioted every night in Portland, setting fire to streets and buildings and assaulting responding officers with concrete and mortar explosives. In July, they tried to storm into a federal courthouse downtown. Night after night, hundreds and then thousands of rioters brought in electric tools, rope and explosives to breach the barrier erected to protect the building.More than 277 injuries of officers were reported by the Department of Homeland Security in Portland alone. Hundreds of injuries were reported by other police departments in different cities.Local politicians at the time condemned law enforcement and lionized the criminals. Portland city councilwoman Jo Ann Hardesty spread a conspiracy theory that police were engaging in false-flag arson attacks to frame left-wing protesters. Mayor Ted Wheeler told President Trump in a news conference to take his "troops" and leave. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden called the officers an "occupying army." Oregon Gov. Kate Brown described them as "secret police abducting people in unmarked vehicles."The media were no better.In August, NPR gave an unchallenged platform to Vicky Osterweil to promote her book "In Defense of Looting." During the interview, the author argued that rioting and looting were legitimate acts of protest. Both local and national media rigidly only referred to the far-left rioters as "protesters." The Associated Press, which sets guidelines for journalists, amended its stylebook to discourage use of the word "riot," given protesters' "underlying grievances."Hours after pro-Trump rioters stormed the Capitol, Antifa tried to break into the Multnomah County Courthouse in downtown Portland. A mob of black-clad Antifa militants proceeded to smash businesses and public buildings using hammers. On one wall, they spray-painted an Antifa logo and the warning, "The state can no longer suppress us."Protesters then confronted Mayor Wheeler at a restaurant and hit him. But by morning, no national media had reported on the anti-government violence in Portland — the third riot in the city since New Year's Eve.The upshot should be clear: The deadly storming of the Capitol building is the logical outcome of norms set by the left in 2020. By winking at and apologizing for Antifa, liberal elites telegraphed that political grievances ought to be resolved through violence.Those showing righteous indignation now only months or weeks ago argued that the riots were "mostly peaceful" and that vandalism and looting don't count as violence.That's the problem with political irresponsibility: Once the law grants quasi-authorization to hitherto-proscribed conduct, there's no telling how events might spiral.Andy Ngo is author of the upcoming book "Unmasked: Inside Antifa's Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy." Twitter: @MrAndyNgo(5) Not possible that storming of Capitol was carried out by undercover Antifa agentshttps://reason.com/2021/01/07/antifa-violence-trump-capitol-riot/No, Antifa Wasn't Behind the Capitol RiotThe people who smashed windows and stormed the building were sincere pro-Trump protesters.ROBBY SOAVE | 1.7.2021 1:39 PMIn the wake Wednesday's mob assault on the U.S. Capitol, some conservatives are trying to shift blame from the dozens of pro-Trump protesters who stormed the building to a fictitious antifa boogeyman."Those who stormed the capitol yesterday were not Trump supporters," claimed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. "They have been confirmed to be Antifa. Violence is not the answer."Paxton's sentiments were echoed by other pro-Trump figures, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R–Fla.), Rep. Mo Brooks (R–Ala.), and the conspiracist attorney L. Lin Wood, who touted "indisputable photographic evidence that antifa violently broke into Congress today." This assertion, like Wood's previous claims that Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts is part of a pedophile cabal and that Vice President Mike Pence will face execution by firing squad, is wrong, as are all other claims that antifa was responsible for the Capitol riot.For one thing, this isn't antifa's m.o. Antifa protesters typically use "black bloc" tactics: They dress in black and conceal their faces with masks and hoods. Individuals will quickly smash windows and set fires, then blend back into a crowd of similarly dressed people. They don't aim to get caught.The people who stormed the Capitol, by contrast, were captured in numerous photos and videos. Their faces are easily identifiable. Many are obviously sincere Trump supporters associated with the far right. Several of them, including "groyper" leaders Nick Fuentes and Baked Alaska, are well-known to the media by now. The woman who was sadly killed by police under circumstances that require further investigation was genuinely pro-Trump. The guy who sat in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's chair and stole her mail is definitely not antifa, nor is the half-naked fur-and-horns guy. This latter individual is named Jake Angeli, and he is a conspiracy theorist—the self-stylized "Q Shaman"—who has appeared at multiple Trump rallies.I covered the unrest at the Capitol, and it's simply not possible that these acts of violence and property destruction were carried out by undercover antifa agents. The people smashing windows, climbing walls, and knocking down police barriers were often the leaders of the crowds; they were known to the other protesters. For these activists to be secret agents of the left would have required a covert operation far beyond antifa's capabilities, and at odds with antifa's typical behavior. [...](6) Portland protests have no goal except violence and anarchy - Andy Ngohttps://nypost.com/2020/07/24/portland-protests-have-no-goal-except-violence-and-anarchy/Portland protests have no goal except violence and anarchyBy Andy NgoJuly 24, 2020 | 5:46pmAt the end of May, rioting and looting broke out in Portland, Ore., as it did in dozens of other American cities in response to the police-involved death of George Floyd. In one night, hundreds of rioters ravaged downtown, breaking into jewelry stores, the mall and banks. They left a trail of broken windows and fires in their wake. That was seven weeks ago. And while violent protests have ebbed or stopped everywhere else, it has continued and grown stronger in Portland.For 58 days, mass protests and riots have taken over parts of the city. Some streets and areas are literal "no-go zones" at night — either blocked by fires or teams of "guards."Day after day, hundreds and even thousands take to the streets and claim the territory as theirs. They cycle through a number of chants like "All cops are bastards" and "F-?-k the police." A large number of them participate in violent criminal acts such as arson and assault. They've made it a game to lure law-enforcement officers out of buildings so they can assault them with blinding lasers, paint, rocks and other weapons.Those who don't engage in direct violence cheer them on, assist in "de-arresting" comrades and act as cop watchers. Rioters try, and have succeeded in, breaking into Portland police facilities. Now they're focused on the federal Mark O. Hatfield US Courthouse in response to the Department of Homeland Security sending in reinforcements earlier this month.Besides the violence and anarchy, what exactly do the rioters want?As witnessed in the former "autonomous zone" in Seattle, the far-left movement in Portland has no declared "leaders." Social media is used to decide when and where to meet, but rarely what the goal is. One faction or person may make a statement, only to have it be contradicted by another.On Wednesday night, Mayor Ted Wheeler spoke at one of the protests for the first time. He was heckled by the crowd and a group projected a list of demands on the front of the Justice Center."Theodore, fancy seeing you here. These are our demands," the statement read. It called for defunding the Portland Police Bureau by at least 50 percent, freeing all protesters from jail, kicking federal law enforcement out, and Wheeler's resignation.Despite the radical requests, some took relief because it meant there was something to negotiate on — a possible path to ending seven weeks of violent protests. But the Youth Liberation Front, who led the crowd in shouting expletives at the mayor, didn't agree."What is this ‘defund at least 50%' s-?-t, we're trying to abolish the police here," they quickly tweeted out.And that's what people need to know about Antifa. They don't make demands because that's working within "the system." Their unambiguous goal is to destroy all American institutions and then the country itself. When they spray-paint or shout, "Burn it down," they really mean it.The Antifa ideology propagated in extremist zines, booklets and Web sites say the US is so fundamentally wicked that no amount of reform can fix it — it must be abolished. They see law enforcement and military as the bulwark between them and their goal.The daily riots function to drain the city of resources and to weaken the morale of law enforcement and public officials. It's working.Last month, Wheeler disbanded the Gun Violence Reduction Unit, claiming it unfairly targeted blacks. In the weeks since, there has been a 380 percent increase in shootings compared with the same time frame last year.City Councilwoman Jo Ann Hardesty has taken police hatred further. She told Marie Claire magazine this week: "I believe Portland Police [Bureau] is lying about the damage — or starting the fires themselves — so that they have justification for attacking community members." She partially walked back her accusation after Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell, who is black, asked for evidence of her claim."Even before the protests started, we were dealing with a catastrophically short-staffed police bureau," says Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association. Going back to 2016, city leaders and Antifa-sympathetic activists have worked to denounce police at every opportunity. The anti-police sentiment in the city has led to early retirements and a policing philosophy of "de-escalation" where cops mostly stay away from riots. Just this year, the bureau has had three different police chiefs."We're at a point where none of us knows what to do," says a Portland police officer who asked to be unidentified. "Some are thinking we just need to give the vocal minority and the politicians what they want: We go away and let the city burn."(7) On-Duty Deaths of Police Officers Surge in 2020https://www.westernjournal.com/duty-deaths-police-officers-surge-2020/By Jack DavisPublished December 31, 2020 at 9:22amThe number of police officers who died in the line of duty spiked in 2020, according to organizations that track law enforcement fatalities.The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund reported that 210 officers died in 2020, up 58 percent from 2019, when there were 135 on-duty deaths."America's law enforcement officers were confronted with the pandemic, protests, and defund police movements, which made it not only one of the most challenging years in recent memory, but one of the deadliest," the group said in a statement to Fox News, calling 2020 "a horrific year for law enforcement."According to the group's statistics, 118 deaths came from "other causes," which included COVID-19, while 48 were "firearms-related" and 44 were "traffic-related."The Officer Down Memorial Page, which has slightly different numbers, nonetheless reported a similar trend.It noted that to date, 301 officers have died in the line of duty, more than twice the 148 reported last year.In fact, the group said that 184 officers had died due to COVID-19, more than all of the reported deaths that took place in 2019.The group also reported that 45 officers died from gunfire.The group's 2020 total was the highest since 1932, when it logged 318 deaths. [...]The demonization of police has made communities & our officers less safe. The increasing violence against police officers MUST be condemned by all! With 1 day remaining in 2020:311 officers shot47 killed by gunfire51 shot in 40+ ambush attacks https://t.co/eAmTYDazf0— National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) (@GLFOP) December 30, 2020https://www.foxnews.com/us/police-deaths-on-duty-surge-in-2020Published December 30Line-of-duty police deaths surge in 2020 as coronavirus, calls to 'defund' pose challenge to officers' safetyCoronavirus is the leading threat to police officers this yearBy Greg Norman | Fox NewsThe number of police officers who have died in the line of duty in 2020 has jumped by nearly 60% compared to last year as the ongoing spread of the coronavirus continues to take its toll on America's men and women in blue.The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is reporting 210 total fatalities this year -- a 58% increase from the 133 it recorded in 2019."The year 2020 has proven to be a horrific year for law enforcement," the organization told Fox News in a statement. "America's law enforcement officers were confronted with the pandemic, protests, and defund police movements, which made it not only one of the most challenging years in recent memory, but one of the deadliest."(8) National Fraternal Order of Police: Number of officers shot in the line of duty has hit an all-time highhttps://www.lawenforcementtoday.com/tag/number-of-officers-shot-in-2020/Law Enforcement TodayPosted by: Gregory HoytDecember 9, 2020WASHINGTON, D.C.- A startling statistic was shared online on December 1st, alleging that 2020 is proving to be a dangerous year when it comes to being a police officer in America.According to an Instagram post from the National Fraternal Order of Police, 283 police officers were reportedly shot this year – with 44 officers having been killed via gunfire between January 1st and November 30th.The National FOP post further claims that the number of officers shot in 2020 is up 7% from 2019, and up a startling 29% from 2018.(9) Facebook, Instagram, Twitter block photos and videos from Capitol protestI have found several Twitter photos blocked - Peter M.https://www.theblaze.com/news/facebook-ban-capitol-protest-content-trump-accountJANUARY 07, 2021Facebook to ban and remove photos and videos from Capitol protest; content labeled as 'promotion of criminal activity'Several Big Tech companies censored the president on social mediaFacebook announced it would ban and remove photos and videos from the protest at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The social media platform claims that photos and videos from Wednesday's events violate Facebook's policy of "promotion of criminal activity."Immediately following the Capitol protest, Facebook and Instagram locked the account of President Donald Trump for 24 hours for "two policy violations."Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube deleted videos from President Trump addressing the Capitol chaos, where he instructed his supporters to "go home," and declared that "we have to have peace." He also continued to press the narrative that the election was stolen from him.Twitter released a statement on Wednesday that read, "In regard to the ongoing situation in Washington, D.C., we are working proactively to protect the health of the public conversation occurring on the service and will take action on any content that violates the Twitter rules."Guy Rosen, Facebook's vice president of integrity, said the company deleted Trump's video over the risk that it would increase the risk of violence."This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump's video," Rosen wrote on Twitter. "We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence."This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump… https://t.co/xmqukcUtJj— Guy Rosen (@Guy Rosen)1609973006.0"The violent protests in the Capitol today are a disgrace," Facebook said in a statement on Wednesday. "We prohibit incitement and calls for violence on our platform. We are actively reviewing and removing any content that breaks these rules."Facebook also issued its "response to the violence in Washington," where the social network announced it would ban and remove photos and videos from the Capitol protest."Let us speak for the leadership team in saying what so many of us are feeling," wrote Rosen and Monika Bickert, Facebook's vice president of global policy management. "We are appalled by the violence at the Capitol today. We are treating these events as an emergency."Facebook proclaimed that it has been "searching for and removing" certain content, including "praise and support of the storming of the US Capitol," "incitement or encouragement of the events at the Capitol, including videos and photos from the protestors," and "calls for protests — even peaceful ones — if they violate the curfew in DC."Facebook claimed that photos and videos of the Capitol protest "represent promotion of criminal activity which violates our policies."Facebook also implemented "emergency measures," including "automatically disabling comments on posts in Groups that start to have a high rate of hate speech or content that incites violence" and "using AI to demote content that likely violates our policies.""Facebook and Instagram have both begun blocking content posted to the #StormTheCapitol hashtag," TechCrunch reported.The social media giant concluded by saying, "We're continuing to monitor the situation and will take additional measures if necessary to keep people safe."Facebook did not enact a similar policy of banning images and videos during the protests and riots that have been occurring regularly since late May, following the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis.(10) No, Trump Isn't Guilty of Incitement. By Jeffrey Shapiro in the WSJ.https://www.wsj.com/articles/no-trump-isnt-guilty-of-incitement-11610303966No, Trump Isn't Guilty of IncitementInflaming emotions isn't a crime. The president didn't mention violence, much less provoke it.By Jeffrey Scott ShapiroJan. 10, 2021 1:39 pm ETHouse Democrats have drafted an article of impeachment that accuses President Trump of "incitement to insurrection." Acting U.S. Attorney Michael Sherwin said Thursday that his office is "looking at all actors here and anyone that had a role" in the Capitol riot. Some reporters have construed that as including Mr. Trump.The president didn't commit incitement or any other crime. I should know. As a Washington prosecutor I earned the nickname "protester prosecutor" from the antiwar group CodePink. In one trial, I convicted 31 protesters who disrupted congressional traffic by obstructing the Capitol Crypt. In another, I convicted a CodePink activist who smeared her hands with fake blood, charged at then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in a House hearing room, and incited the audience to seize the secretary of state physically. In other cases, I dropped charges when the facts fell short of the legal standard for incitement. One such defendant was the antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan.Hostile journalists and lawmakers have suggested Mr. Trump incited the riot when he told a rally that Republicans need to "fight much harder." Mr. Trump suggested the crowd walk to the Capitol: "We're going to cheer on brave senators and congressmen and -women, and we're probably not going to be cheering so much for some of them. Because you'll never take back our country with weakness. You have to show strength and you have to be strong."In the District of Columbia, it's a crime to "intentionally or recklessly act in such a manner to cause another person to be in reasonable fear" and to "incite or provoke violence where there is a likelihood that such violence will ensue." This language is based on Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), in which the Supreme Court set the standard for speech that could be prosecuted without violating the First Amendment. The justices held that a Ku Klux Klan leader's calls for violence against blacks and Jews were protected speech. The court found that Clarence Brandenburg's comments were "mere advocacy" of violence, not "directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action . . . likely to incite or produce such action."The president didn't mention violence on Wednesday, much less provoke or incite it. He said, "I know that everyone here will soon be marching over to the Capitol building to peacefully and patriotically make your voices heard."(11) Tulsi says her proposed "Securing America's Elections Act" could have prevented the uncertainty many voters now feel 
toward the integrity of the electoral processhttps://www.theblaze.com/rubin-report/tulsi-gabbard-capitol-breach'This is a symptom of much deeper issues': Tulsi Gabbard reacts to Capitol breach'It's heartbreaking to see this happening'JANUARY 07, 2021Former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) joined Dave Rubin on the "The Rubin Report," to talk about the storming of the U.S. Capitol, how we could have prevented the political turmoil we find ourselves in now, and what we can do to de-escalate the political-polarization of our country in the future."It's heartbreaking to see this happening at our nation's Capitol," Tulsi said of Wednesday's breach of the U.S. Capitol building. "But it is also indicative — this is a symptom of much deeper issues and challenges that have been stewing for a long time."Tulsi pointed to growing "conflict culture," which she believes started online and has now become "embodied" offline, and suggested politicians, media, and Big Tech have all played a part in fueling divisiveness for their own benefit."So you see what is happening ... at the United States Capitol before our very eyes is the manifestation of the symptoms of these deeper problems," she said.Tulsi also discussed her proposed "Securing America's Elections Act" she proposed and how it could have prevented the uncertainty many voters now feel toward the integrity of the electoral process, and shares the reason she decided to step down from the House of Representatives.Watch the video below to catch more of Dave's conversation with Tulsi Gabbard:(12) State legislators from battleground states don't have confidence that Joe Biden won their statehttps://www.wnd.com/2021/01/u-s-medias-baseless-claims-election-integrity-exposed/U.S. media's 'baseless' claims about election integrity exposed'We know laws were broken'By Bob UnruhPublished January 10, 2021 at 5:02pmEstablishment media, who have attacked President Trump since before his election with bogus claims such as Russia collusion, have insisted his charge of election fraud is "baseless."But there's a reason more than 100 state legislators from the battleground states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona and Georgia sent a last-minute letter Tuesday to Vice President Mike Pence asking for 10 days to investigate further because they don't have confidence that Joe Biden won their state.Just the News reported their letter "includes a massive index of evidence of irregularities, some of which have been validated by court rulings, official government documents or sworn affidavits."The news outlet said it worked with more than three dozen journalists across the country for eight weeks investigating claims of irregularitiesJust the News worked with more than three dozen journalists across the country for eight weeks trying to investigate claims of irregularities.Among the findings:Wisconsin illegally permitted large numbers of residents to evade voter ID requirements.Fulton County, Georgia, officials "prematurely moved data cards from 36 voting machines" before voting ended, meaning the "chain of custody" is no longer clear.Career Detroit employee Jessy Jacob testified she and other election workers were told to "manipulate" and alter ballots and voter rolls, including falsely backdating ballot requests and actual ballots.GOP election observers in many states were isolated, preventing them from providing bipartisan election oversight.Wisconsin refused to follow state law and purge up to 200,000 outdated voter registrations.Georgia officials admitted they have 250 open cases of alleged vote fraud.State officials in at least three states let clerks fix invalid ballots and count them.Former Gov. Mike Huckabee said Wednesday that there will be a "cloud" over Joe Biden and his administration absent a full investigation of the election fraud."If they [Democrats] truly believe this election was absolutely done with integrity, then they ought to be the ones standing up and insisting that there be a full audit," he said, according to Fox News."I think too many of our politicians take the easy way out. They don't want to rock the boat. They don't want to be controversial, but they were elected to make tough decisions and a tough decision would be to call for a full accounting and absolute transparency."Solomon explained there are two trains of thought: either the 2020 election was hijacked by fraud, or it was so clean that claims of fraud are "baseless.""But if we've learned one lesson in the era of incessant cable TV and social media, it's that the truth can't be hurried — and the sensationalized early headlines are often deceiving. Remember, Trump colluded with Russia … until he didn't. And Jacob Blake was declared shot unarmed … when in fact he was armed with a knife. And let's not forget that Hunter Biden's business scandal was Russian disinformation … until he admitted he was under criminal investigation," he wrote."We know laws were broken," Wisconsin State Rep. Joe Sanfelippo told Just the News. "That's indisputable. What we don't know is whether the breaking of those laws affected the outcome of the election."Lawmakers in Pennsylvania introduced a resolution that calls the state's certification of a Biden win "premature" and urges state officials to "vacate" the results.