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Subject FBI and sheriffs warn that right-wing conspiracy theorists are spreading lies that Antifa started Oregon fires

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[quote:Anonymous Coward 79369186:MV80NTE4MDI1XzgyMzI0NzE0XzhEMkQxRDY=]
At least six groups have issued warnings about the false rumors, including some pleading with the public to stop sharing the misinformation.

“Rumors spread just like wildfire and now 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,” the Douglas County Sheriff's Office wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday.

The false claims also became fodder for the now-sizable online QAnon community, which began amplifying various false reports earlier in the week.

The sheriffs in Jackson County, Oregon, and Mason County, Washington, posted similar warnings, begging locals to stop spreading unsubstantiated claims.

A firefighters union in Washington state called Facebook “an absolute cesspool of misinformation right now,” in a post that sought to quell more rumors about the fires’ origins.

On Friday afternoon, the FBI's Portland field office tweeted that reports about "extremists" setting wildfires were untrue.

The Medford police debunked the antifa rumor along with a separate, less viral false claim that the fires were a result of arson by the Proud Boys, a far-right group whose members describe themselves as “western chauvinists” and have been an antagonistic mainstay of Black Lives Matter protests.

A fire in Ashland, Oregon, is being investigated as arson, but The Oregonian reported Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara as saying, “One thing I can say is that the rumor it was set by Antifa is 100% false information.”

Despite protestations from law enforcement, rumors have spread through far-right Facebook groups and news websites like Gateway Pundit and the Post Millennial in stories alleging without evidence that Jeff Acord, a 36-year-old man arrested on charges of starting a fire in Puyallup, Washington, was an “antifa militant.” The Post Millennial later changed the story to call Acord a “BLM activist.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/security/wildfires-rage-false-antifa-rumors-spur-pleas-police-n1239881
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Original Message No, anti-fascists have not been arrested in connection with wildfires ravaging Oregon, and public officials are asking people to stop spreading the various false rumors claiming this to be the case.

Some mainstream conservative pundits and a major police trade publication, as well as conspiracy theorists aligned with QAnon, have all promoted the false narrative about the historically destructive and deadly wildfires.

While investigators are looking into arson as the possible cause of at least one fire, authorities say there is no evidence to suggest the arson is politically motivated. Utility providers have said some fires may have been started by downed power lines during historic winds and heat. Red flag wildfire warnings have been in effect for the better part of a week.

People pushing the conspiracy theories have largely pointed to the Almeda fire, which Ashland Police Chief Tighe O’Meara confirmed has spurred a criminal investigation. O’Meara said rumors claiming anti-fascists were involved are “100% false information.”

“Rumors spread just like wildfire and now our dispatchers and professional staff are being overrun with requests for information and inquiries on an UNTRUE rumor that Antifa members have been arrested for setting fires in Douglas County, Oregon,” the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office posted to Facebook Thursday morning. “THIS IS NOT TRUE!”

Law Enforcement Today, which says it is “America’s largest law enforcement owned and operated media outlet,” reported Thursday unnamed sources have told them the wildfires may be a “coordinated and planned” attack.

FBI spokesperson Beth Anne Steele refuted the claims when asked by The Oregonian/OregonLive.

“There is no indication that the fires are the result of coordinated criminal activity,” Steele said.

Conspiracy theorists have also pointed to a Molalla Police Department post on Facebook asking people to call 911 if they see suspicious activity after “a lot of rumors and posts,” going around about looters who may break into evacuated homes. The post was shared widely as supposed proof to back up the anti-fascist rumors.

But Molalla police edited the post at 2 a.m. Thursday to clarify that its warning of looters had no connection to anti-fascists. The department urged people to “stay calm and use common sense.”

[link to www.oregonlive.com (secure)]

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