Antifa is Not Setting Wildfires in Oregon
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The Claim
Antifa arsonists have been setting wildfires raging on the West Coast in September 2020.
News posted on
Emerging story
In September 2020, an unprecedented wave of forest fires has swept the West Coast of the U.S., painting the sky orange and forcing thousands to flee their homes. When reaching for an explanation for this sudden and extreme outbreak of fire, many on social media have claimed that Antifa may be the culprit, since Antifa members have participated in the West Coast (especially Portland) protests over the past three months. There are also several documented events of Antifa affiliates committing arson and an incident where protesters chanted that they wanted to “burn" a precinct "to the ground."
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar’s investigation into this claim reveals it to be false. While initial police reports asked members of Oregon neighborhoods to “report any suspicious activity (strange people walking around… that don’t belong there)” and that “a lot of rumors and posts are going on about looters,” that information was later redacted. Police said that they were simply worried about looters looting homes that had been evacuated, not about looters/Antifa starting fires. While this is not proof that Antifa has not contributed to this situation at all, there is also no proof that Antifa has contributed. Occam’s Razor thus suggests that there is no involvement, and that the record wildfires are simply due to other causes.
