FOX News and Right Wing media are going absolutely insane with the craziest lies about this. Again, why are these people allowed to call themselves news?
Right-wing media's reactions to forest defender's death reveal increasing hostility toward activists
So in short, an environmental activist was killed by cops in Atlanta while protesting the demolition of a forest outside the city. The police claim he shot at them first but other activists contest that claim and the body cameras were conveniently turned off so like we have seen so many times before, we're expected to just take the word of the cops. FOX News most certainly is, and they even lied by saying we know he shot first because of "eye witnesses and the police" saying so, when there were no other eye witnesses aside from the police. So in protest to the killing of this activist, some other members of that environmental group engaged in vandalism by setting ablaze an unoccupied police car.
This played right into the angertainment's fear mongering propaganda and FOX news immediately asserted with no evidence that this was "Antifa!"
On January 24, John Roberts, co-anchor of Fox News’ America Reports, asked whether protesters were “more … about being anti-police than being pro-environment” and parroted far-right commentator Andy Ngo, who called them “spoiled children of privilege trying to burn Atlanta down” in the New York Post. On Newsmax, on January 23, journalist Carolyn Ryan also echoed the idea that the activists only “claim” to want to protect the old-growth forest. Speaking with Roberts on January 24, Juan Williams, who for years served as a “liberal” co-host on Fox News’ The Five, said that “no question these people are from out of city, out of state” and that he hopes the protesters are “put down.”
The brutal murder of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police in neighboring Tennessee showed us, once again, that police use excessive and deadly force under questionable circumstances. Yet without footage, right-wing media have unquestioningly accepted the Atlanta police’s narrative.
On January 23, OAN host Dan Ball called the protesters “environmental whackos” and “defund-the-police Nazis” and insisted, despite conflicting information from Defend the Forest, on characterizing police’s behavior toward the group as peaceful. He also claimed that “police and witnesses” saw Tortuguita shoot first, not mentioning that the only witnesses were the police.
“They had no right to be in that forest,” said Fox News host Jenine Pirro, referring to the protesters on the January 24 segment of Hannity. “Someone from there shoots a cop and that’s what started the whole thing. … They turned it into police violence.
The Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh and former Daily Caller writer Greg Price have suggested that these activists be dismembered, “beaten with a bullwhip, or forced into “labor camps where they spend all day drilling for oil.” Frequent Fox News guest and climate change denier Steve Milloy called climate activists “enemies of humanity.” The Washington Free Beacon put forth the absurd notion that Democrats would soon storm the Capitol over climate change policy. And in an October 14 segment of Tucker Carlson Tonight, Carlson suggested that they should be monitored by the FBI.
Fox News Digital writer Thomas Catenacci often writes about activists embracing extreme tactics. In July, Catenacci falsely claimed that climate activists had embraced “violence” as the “deadline to 'save the planet' draws near.” It’s not uncommon for Fox News journalists to vilify activists who support causes they oppose while defending or downplaying extreme and violent actions of activists whose causes they support.
Antifa, the right’s favorite scapegoat, has become part of the conversation as well, with media figures referring to the movement and forest defenders interchangeably to fearmonger about the protests.
Neo-nazi collaborator Jack Posobiec portrayed Defend the Atlanta Forest as antifa, which right-wing figures have blamed for the January 6 insurrection, as well as other violent incidents.
Fox host Jesse Watters alleged on December 16, without evidence and before the shooting even took place, that Defend the Atlanta Forest was “plotting to kill cops” and that the protesters were “all card-carrying members of antifa.”
Over the past few years, antifa has been used to detract attention from the climate crisis and its impacts. In September 2020, podcaster Joe Rogan and other misinformers blamed antifa for wildfires on the West Coast, and climate activists were similarly blamed for wildfires during Europe’s extreme heat wave this past summer. The right wants people to think climate activists are dangerous, and it seems they’re willing to say anything to support that.