By Finian Cunningham
June 16, 2020 "Information
Clearing House" - President
Trump’s favorite news channel Fox has been
caught out
falsifying protests in Seattle, giving the
distorted impression that the city is overrun by
armed anarchists. That conveniently set Trump
off on a rant in which he threatened to send in
military forces to “take back” the city from
“domestic terrorists”.
Trump and hawkish Republican figures have
repeatedly toyed with the idea of “sending
the troops in” to quell demonstrations that have
engulfed the U.S. over the past month since the
horrific killing by police officers of black man
George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25.
That has, in turn, led to an outcry that the
president is attempting to
violate the country’s laws by threatening to
deploy federal troops to do policing work which
would normally fall under the authority of the
individual states. Trump is also
accused of inciting violence by fomenting
fears over national security, fears which are
exaggerated given the generally peaceful nature
of protests against police violence and racism.
In a remarkable sign of the constitutionally
explosive situation, the Pentagon’s top military
commander General Mark Milley recently expressed
regret about Trump’s politicization of the
nation’s armed forces. Other former military
leaders have
weighed in similarly. The tensions reflect
tacit concerns that Trump is assuming
dictatorial powers. Democrat presidential rival
Joe Biden got in on the act by making an
extraordinary
statement in which he said that he was
confident the Pentagon would intervene to evict
Trump from the White House, if the incumbent
tried to defy the electorate in November. Even
the public contemplation of such a scenario
seems a bizarre acknowledgement of how far
things have gone awry in U.S. politics.
That’s why Fox News’ fakery over the Seattle
protests takes on an even more sinister aspect.
Last week, the Murdoch-owned, pro-Trump channel
published photoshopped images of armed
protesters purportedly taking over Seattle. It
also attributed scenes of burning buildings from
previous unrest as if they were unfolding at the
same time as the alleged armed insurrectionists.
Are You Tired Of
The Lies And
Non-Stop Propaganda?
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Seattle, the most populous city in Washington
state on the U.S.’ west coast, has seen a
significant popular demonstration against police
violence, whereby a downtown area has been
declared a “cop-free zone”. The city’s police
decided to deescalate confrontation that erupted
after the killing of Floyd, by unilaterally
withdrawing from the precinct. Citizens have
formed a “Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone” (CHAZ).
They are calling for “defunding” of the police
budget and more spending on social services. The
same demand has been made elsewhere by other
cities and states.
What the Seattle protest has dramatically
shown is that heavy police power is not required
for law and order to prevail. Most
reports have characterized the Seattle
civilian occupation as largely peaceful,
multiracial and a manifestation of people power.
Where it will lead to and what it will achieve
in terms of policing in the future is anybody’s
guess right now.
But already the Seattle citizens have won the
argument that U.S. policing is out of control in
terms of its militarized operation and use of
excessive lethal force, especially against
African-Americans and other minorities. Some
1,000 people are shot dead every year in the
U.S. by police officers.
The counter-narrative put out by Trump and
his ilk is that “defunding” means scrapping
police forces altogether and leaving the country
at the mercy of criminals and anarchists. This
fear-mongering paints an apocalyptic meltdown of
American society. It is a favorite trope of
elites and fascists whose depiction of society
is one teetering on barbarian masses running
amok, rather than trusting in the democratic
cooperation between people to better organize
society.
Fox News was forced into making an apology
and retraction for its deliberate falsification
over events in Seattle after local paper, The
Seattle Times,
investigated the images. However, that
admission did not stop Trump from
telling his millions of followers on Twitter
that Seattle was being ransacked by “domestic
terrorists”.
Addressing the city mayor and state governor,
Trump fumed: “Take back your city NOW. If you
don’t do it, I will. These ugly Anarchists must
be stopped IMMEDIATELY.”
He may not have specified military force, but
the implication is unavoidable. After all, Trump
has previously threatened to send in combat
troops to end other protests which he has also
claimed have been orchestrated by “Antifa” (a
loose network of anti-fascist activists).
Seattle mayor Jenny Durkan
hit back, advising Trump to “go back to your
bunker”. She added: “It’s not terrorism. It’s
patriotism. We do not need anyone, including the
president, to try to sow further divide, further
mistrust and misinformation.”
Federal security organizations have
found there is negligible involvement of
“Antifa” in nationwide protests. The peaceful
takeover of Seattle’s Capitol Hill is also not
connected to such groups. There have been
reports of an armed man appearing to be a
protester in the city. Be that as it may, it is
nowhere near reflecting the scenario painted by
Fox and its most prominent subscriber of an
armed insurrection and mob rule.
Irony abounds. Trump has made “fake news” a
signature soundbite as if he is the sole victim
of it. He also has claimed that his presidency
is in danger of falling to a coup plotted by the
deep state. But the Seattle episode shows there
is no bigger peddler of fake news than Trump and
his Fox friends. And if they could get away with
it, this White House would be ordering federal
troops to round up civilians exercising their
democratic right to protest against police
violence. Trump is the one sailing close to a
fascist coup.