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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Bogus Antifa Claims Follow Capitol Riot

Bogus Antifa Claims Follow Capitol Riot

Viral social media posts and a Republican House member have amplified claims wrongly identifying some right-wing figures at the U.S. Capitol riot as part of “antifa.” The claims feed into an unfounded conspiracy theory that anti-fascist activists in disguise orchestrated the event.

D.C. Mayor Did Not Propose Removal of Federal Monuments

D.C. Mayor Did Not Propose Removal of Federal Monuments

A Facebook post falsely claims that Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser “proposed using her power to remove” the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial in the wake of protests against racism. Bowser asked an advisory panel to review possible changes to D.C.-owned assets; she did not propose removing any federal monuments.

Statue in Lincoln Memorial Was Not Defaced by Protesters

Statue in Lincoln Memorial Was Not Defaced by Protesters

A meme is spreading a doctored image of the Lincoln Memorial covered in graffiti to falsely claim that protesters defaced the Lincoln statue. The image was taken from a thumbnail for a video on the conservative website the Daily Wire and shared as if real.

Kennedy Center Didn’t Contribute to Democrats

Kennedy Center Didn’t Contribute to Democrats

Online posts falsely claim that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts donated $5 million to Democrats after it was allocated $25 million in the COVID-19 stimulus package. The center has not given any political contributions; it’s prohibited by law.

Gun Control March Not Planned ‘Months’ Ago

Gun Control March Not Planned ‘Months’ Ago

Q: Was a permit application for the March for Our Lives rally filed “several months” before the event on March 24?

A: No. A Washington, D.C., police officer erroneously used that language in an email exchange. Officials say the permits were requested in late February. 

No Raid on Obama Home

No Raid on Obama Home

Q: Did the FBI raid Barack Obama’s Washington D.C. home?

A: No. That claim originated in a story on a self-described satirical website.

Cruz’s Gun Control Deception

Cruz’s Gun Control Deception

Sen. Ted Cruz distorted the facts in saying that Washington, D.C., and Chicago “for years” have been “right at the top of murder rates,” and claiming that most “jurisdictions with the worst murder rates” have “the very strictest gun control laws.”