The Poynter Institute Menu Donate State Editions * California * Florida * Iowa * Michigan * New Hampshire * New York * North Carolina * Pennsylvania * Texas * West Virginia * Wisconsin Issues * All Issues * Online hoaxes * Coronavirus * Health Care * Immigration * Extremism * Taxes * Marijuana * Environment * Crime * Guns * Foreign Policy * LGBTQ+ People * Joe Biden * Kamala Harris * Donald Trump * Mitch McConnell * Hakeem Jeffries * Ron DeSantis Media * PunditFact * Tucker Carlson * Sean Hannity * Rachel Maddow * Bloggers * PolitiFact Videos Campaigns * 2024 Elections Truth-o-Meter * True * Mostly True * Half True * Mostly False * False * Pants on Fire Promises * Biden Promise Tracker * Trump-O-Meter * Obameter * Latest Promises About Us * Our Process * Our Staff * En Español * Who pays for PolitiFact? * Advertise with Us * Suggest a Fact-check * Corrections and Updates * Newsletters Donate #### Follow us The Facts Newsletter Sign up English Español ### Get PolitiFact in your inbox. * Weekly Email Newsletter * Daily Email Newsletter Your Email Address Sign Up ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on May 31, 2020 in an image: “Antifa is warning that tonight they\'re moving out of the cities - and into residential areas to \'take what\'s ours.\'” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Facebook Fact-checks * Facebook posts ![\\"A](\\" A Statue of Liberty painting is seen through a smashed Dolce and Gabbana store window on June 1, 2020, in the SoHo neighborhood of New York. (AP) ![\\"Daniel](\\" By Daniel Funke June 1, 2020 # Suspended Twitter account fans misinformation about antifa, George Floyd protests #### If Your Time is short * A Facebook post includes a screenshot to a tweet from a suspended account called \"ANTIFA America\" that claims the left-wing movement is moving Black Lives Matter protests to residential areas. * There is no evidence to support the post. Antifa is a broad, loosely affiliated coalition of left-wing anti-fascist activists. It has no leaders and is organized into autonomous local groups. * We could find no tweets from local antifa cells or local news reports about protests moving into residential areas on May 31, the day the post was made. It is still unclear to what extent the movement is involved in the demonstrations. See the sources for this fact-check After President Donald Trump blamed violent protests across the country on antifa, Facebook and Twitter users started spreading misinformation about the left-wing movement. A Facebook post published May 31 shows a screenshot of a tweet from a now- suspended account called \"ANTIFA America.\" The tweet claimed the anti- fascist protest movement planned to move into white residential areas to continue protesting the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody after a white officer knelt on his neck. \"Antifa is warning that tonight they\'re moving out of the cities — and into residential areas to \'take what\'s ours,’\" reads the caption on the Facebook post, which was published by a page called U.S. Law Enforcement. \"Law enforcement across the country on high alert.\" This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) It has been shared more than 6,300 times. There is no evidence to support the Facebook post or the deleted tweet. ![](\\" (Screenshot from Facebook) We can’t access the original ANTIFA America tweet since the account has been suspended. We reached out to Twitter for a comment on why it was suspended, but we haven’t heard back. What we do know is that there is no national organization for antifa, which means there is no official Twitter account for the movement. And there were no reports we could find of antifa or other groups specifically targeting white residentials. Antifa is a broad, loosely affiliated coalition of left-wing, anti-fascist activists. It has no leaders and is organized into autonomous local groups. The movement has participated in several protests across the country in recent years, including the 2017 white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on August 19, 2024 in a Facebook post “Travis Kelce kneels during national anthem fined $10 million and thrown out of the game.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 21, 2024 Antifa activists have a history of attacking police officers and journalists during demonstrations. \"Unfortunately, with the rioting that is occurring in many of our cities around the country, the voices of peaceful protests are being hijacked by violent radical elements,\" said Attorney General William Barr on May 30. \"In many places it appears the violence is planned, organized, and driven by far left extremist groups and anarchic groups using antifa-like tactics.\" But as of now, there is no proof that antifa activists are the primary demonstrators stoking violence at Black Lives Matter protesters across the country. Neither Trump nor Barr have offered public evidence that the leftist movement is behind the demonstrations. And while they are probably part of the protests, experts say it’s unlikely that antifa groups are culpable for a significant portion of damage. \"I haven’t seen any instances in these demonstrations of groups marching behind a banner saying, ‘Hey, we are antifa,’\" said Mark Bray, a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University and author of \"Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook.\" \"That said, I think there\'s a fair likelihood that some antifa groups have participated in the protests that we\'ve seen.\" Antifa activists sometimes use property destruction as a political strategy. In 2017, antifa groups confronted police and smashed windows at the University of California-Berkeley to protest a speech from right-wing provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos. But Bray said the notion that the anti-fascist movement is behind much of the violence and vandalism at Black Lives Matter protests doesn’t hold water. \"The key issue here is that they are not nearly numerous or politically consequential enough to pull off the most massive rebellion this country has seen in the past 50 years,\" he said. We reached out to the National Guard and police departments in several major cities for a comment, but we haven’t heard back. We checked the Twitter accounts for local antifa cells in New York City, Atlanta, Minneapolis and Philadelphia. None of them have tweeted about \"moving out of the cities and into residential areas,\" as the Facebook post claims. We could find no news reports about antifa-led protests in residential areas on the evening of May 31. Without additional evidence, the Facebook post is inaccurate. We rate it False. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources All My Tweets, accessed June 1, 2020 Berkeleyside, \"Chaos erupts, protesters shut down Yiannopoulos events, banks in downtown vandalized,\" Feb. 2, 2017 Facebook post, May 31, 2020 Factba.se, accessed June 1, 2020 Interview with Mark Bray, part-time lecturer at Rutgers University and author of \"Antifa: The Anti-Fascist Handbook,\" June 1, 2020 The New York Times, \"Live Updates on George Floyd Protests: Trump Lashes Out at Governors Over Response,\" June 1, 2020 The New York Times, \"Many Claim Extremists Are Sparking Protest Violence. But Which Extremists?\" May 31, 2020 The New York Times, \"What Is Antifa, the Movement Trump Wants to Declare a Terror Group?\" June 1, 2020 The New York Times, \"Who Were the Counterprotesters in Charlottesville?\" Aug. 14, 2017 Nexis, accessed June 1, 2020 Politico, \"Barr threatens to bust \'far-left extremist groups\' in Floyd unrest,\" May 30, 2020 PolitiFact, \"The death of George Floyd: What you need to know,\" May 29, 2020 Tweet from Donald Trump, May 30, 2020 Tweet from Donald Trump, May 31, 2020 Vox, \"Antifa clashes with police and journalists in Charlottesville and DC,\" Aug. 12, 2018 The Washington Post, \"Live updates: Trump urges governors to ‘dominate’ protesters after another night of unrest,\" June 1, 2020 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Daniel Funke slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on January 30, 2021 in a sound: \"Schools are trying to make a law that teachers can see girls\' private parts to make sure they\'re not trans.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 17, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on February 15, 2021 in a text post: Says Joe Biden planned a winter storm as \"warfare, an attack on Texas by altering the jet stream.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 16, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Michael van der Veen stated on February 12, 2021 in a speech at the U.S. Senate: After the Capitol insurrection, “one of the first people arrested was a leader of antifa.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 12, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 31, 2021 in a video: \"mRNA is not a vaccine\" — it\'s \"actually an operating system\" that\'s run by Bill Gates to program humans. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • April 1, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 24, 2021 in a post: \"Suez Canal blocked by huge container ship named Evergreen. Evergreen shipping is most likely a cover for human and sex trafficking” by Hillary Clinton. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • March 25, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Jack Posobiec stated on March 23, 2021 in a tweet: “New information coming in that Boulder shooter was a Syrian refugee who arrived via Obama-era asylum programs.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • March 24, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 22, 2021 in a text post: The shooting in Boulder, Colo., was a \"false flag like most of the others.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • March 23, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on March 17, 2021 in a video caption: “You will need a WHO Yellow Vaccination Passport if you plan on traveling internationally once borders open.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • March 22, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 13, 2021 in a text post: Says Joe Biden is “now saying he inherited ‘a mess’ at the border. Fact: 9,000 illegals all of 2020. So far in 2021 108,000 entered U.S.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Daniel Funke • March 17, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Sherri Tenpenny stated on February 9, 2021 in a Bitchute video: \"Some people are going to die from the vaccine directly. But a large number of people are going to start getting horribly sick and get all kinds of autoimmune diseases.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • March 4, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on February 26, 2021 in an image: Says Jerry Nadler said “God has no authority in the House of Representatives” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Daniel Funke • February 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" J. Bart Classen stated on January 18, 2021 in a research article: The COVID-19 vaccine could lead to prion diseases, Alzheimer’s, ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 26, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on February 21, 2021 in a post: Facebook users can avoid “problems with your Facebook going against community standards” by changing your settings. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 24, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Infowars stated on February 20, 2021 in an article: “Joe Biden’s Dept. of Energy Blocked Texas from Increasing Power Ahead of Killer Storm” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 22, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on February 13, 2021 in a text post: Donald Trump\'s second impeachment \"cost $33 million.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Daniel Funke • February 19, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on January 30, 2021 in a sound: \"Schools are trying to make a law that teachers can see girls\' private parts to make sure they\'re not trans.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 17, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on February 15, 2021 in a text post: Says Joe Biden planned a winter storm as \"warfare, an attack on Texas by altering the jet stream.\" ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 16, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Michael van der Veen stated on February 12, 2021 in a speech at the U.S. Senate: After the Capitol insurrection, “one of the first people arrested was a leader of antifa.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • February 12, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 31, 2021 in a video: \"mRNA is not a vaccine\" — it\'s \"actually an operating system\" that\'s run by Bill Gates to program humans. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • April 1, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on March 24, 2021 in a post: \"Suez Canal blocked by huge container ship named Evergreen. Evergreen shipping is most likely a cover for human and sex trafficking” by Hillary Clinton. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • March 25, 2021 ![](\\" ![](\\" Jack Posobiec stated on March 23, 2021 in a tweet: “New information coming in that Boulder shooter was a Syrian refugee who arrived via Obama-era asylum programs.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Daniel Funke • March 24, 2021 ### Suspended Twitter account fans misinformation about antifa, George Floyd protests * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: A video shows a body that Israel embedded with a bomb exploding during a Palestinian funeral procession. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 11, 2024 in a post: “ESPN has fired Shannon Sharpe.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Gideon Hess • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: Former President Donald Trump admitted during the Sept. 10 presidential debate that he “blew up the Nord Stream pipeline.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Loreben Tuquero • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 10, 2024 in a Facebook post: Patron, Don Julio and Pink Whitney tequila recalled because they contained fecal matter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Elissa Slotkin stated on September 11, 2024 in a TV ad: Mike Rogers supported “laws that could eliminate IVF and birth control.” ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"half-true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 11, 2024 in an Instagram post: \"Debate moderators made the false claim to Donald Trump that there is nowhere in the United States where abortion is legal up until birth.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 12, 2024 in a Facebook post: ABC News fired presidential debate moderators David Muir and Linsey Davis. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Yes on 4 stated on September 10, 2024 in a TV ad: Florida’s six-week abortion law has “no real exceptions. Not for her health. Not even for rape.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Samantha Putterman • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 11, 2024 in una publicación en Facebook: Imagen muestra carnet del Partido Comunista de la vicepresidenta Kamala Harris. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Maria Briceño • September 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Sam Brown stated on August 28, 2024 in a campaign appearance: Proposed Nevada constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights would put “essentially no limit on access to abortion.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 13, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. 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Antifa is warning that tonight They are moving out of the cities and into residential areas to 'take what's ours'