Hours after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol, several of his allies in Congress and the media unjustifiably claimed that anti-fascist provocateurs were to blame for the violence.
Some have suggested, without proof, that the crowd that trampled on Trump’s attempts to overthrow the election by antifa. Antifa stands for ‘anti-fascist’, and it is not a group but a broad coalition of activists.
Others focused on specific protesters who infiltrated the Capitol themselves and were shown on photos, such as a man with a bare chest wearing face paint and a horned fur cap.
“These are NOT Trump supporters,” one Facebook message said on January 6. “Antifa THUGS.” The post was marked as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its news feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
But the mysterious man in horns is not antifa-oriented. The man, Jake Angeli, supports Trump and is a well-known proponent of the unfounded QAnon conspiracy theory. He goes to the monk, ‘Q Shaman’, and he said the Republic of Arizona he uses his unique outfit to stand out.
Poynter reported that Angeli launched an online crowdfunding campaign in December to fund his participation in pro-Trump events.
The Republic of Arizona described him as “a QAnon supporter who has been playing a solid role in the political governments of Arizona over the past year.” The Associated Press reported that he was also seen in the same head covering during a pro-Trump rally on Nov. 7 in Phoenix.
PolitiFact’s review of Angeli’s private Facebook page showed photos and posts indicating support for QAnon and Trump. (QAnon followers believe Trump is fighting a global cabal of satan-worshiping pedophiles.)
False allegations linking Angeli and other people who tampered with the Capitol to antifa surfaced online in the hours after the event. An analysis by NBC News identified thousands of tweets accusing antifa members of “posing as Trump supporters”.
Angeli commented on Twitter when Lin Wood, a lawyer who filed lawsuits to block the presidential election, posted photos of Angeli claiming he was an antifa activist. The Daily Beast’s Will Sommer, which QAnon carefully discusses, emphasize the exchange.
“Mr. Wood. I’m not antifa or blm,” Angeli’s tweet said. “I’m a Qanon and digital soldier. My name is Jake and I marched with the police and fought against BLM & ANTIFA in PHX.”
There is no credible evidence that the Trump supporters who stormed the US Capitol were antifa activists. The video and photos of the scene show many people carrying and waving Trump equipment and flags.
Trump spoke at a rally of supporters in Washington hours before the violence broke out, and he encouraged them to come to the city on January 6 and return his efforts to reverse the election. He encouraged the protesters to march to Congress and suggested that he join them. He did not.
Our verdict
A Facebook post says that a man who was photographed storming the American Capitol in a horned fur hat is an ‘Antifa thug’. The man is a well-known QAnon supporter who supports Trump.
We rate this post Pants on fire!