White Nationalists Pose as Antifa on Twitter; Target Closes Stores Because of Protests; and Chrissy Teigen Pledges $200,000 to Help Bail Out Protestors
A Twitter spokesperson revealed that an account claiming to belong to a national ‘antifa’ organization has been suspended. The account pushed violence and was linked to the white nationalist group Identity Evropa.
The account, @ANTIFA_US, violated Twitter’s platform manipulation and spam policy. As a result, Twitter took action after the account posted this tweet:
“Tonight’s the night, Comrades,” with a brown raised fist emoji and “Tonight we say ‘F— The City’ and we move into the residential areas… the white hoods…. and we take what’s ours …”
Twitter suspended several hundred accounts. The platform is currently investigating hashtags being boosted by “hundreds of spammy accounts.” The accounts were found to be “coordinated attempts to disrupt the public conversation” around the protests.
“We’re taking action proactively on any coordinated attempts to disrupt the public conversation around this issue,” said a Twitter spokesperson.
Related: Trump Moves Against Twitter by Signing Executive Order
Target Corporation announced that they will be closing down several stores. This will be temporary amid protests. Shoppers hoping to take advantage of last-minute deals, such as on pure mineral makeup, will be disappointed. A statement about the closures was provided, saying:
“We are heartbroken by the death of George Floyd and the pain it is causing communities across the country. At this time, we have made the decision to close a number of our stores. We anticipate most stores will be closed temporarily.
Our focus will remain on our team members’ safety and helping our community heal.
We are providing our team members with direct communications updates regarding any store impact where they work. Additionally, team members impacted by store closures will be paid for up to 14 days of scheduled hours during store closures, including COVID-19 premium pay. They will also be able to work at other nearby Target locations.”
These closures affected the Bay Area, including:
To see a full list of Target store closures, click here.
Related: Mom Leaves Baby in 102 Degree Car to Shop at Target
Chrissy Teigen announced that she will donate $200,000 to help bail out protestors. Teigen initially offered $100,000. But, after a Twitter user called the protestors “rioters and criminals,” she decided to increase her offer.
“Ooo they might need more money then. Make it $200,000,” she wrote.
This happened after Trump declared Saturday night “MAGA night” at the White House. The tweet condemned protestors who gathered outside of the White House to speak out against police brutality.
Trump said in his tweet that the protestors, “had little to do with the memory of George Floyd” and that they were “just there to cause trouble,”
He continued, “Tonight, I understand, is MAGA NIGHT AT THE WHITE HOUSE???”
However, is fighting fire with fire the answer? On Monday, a bishop argued that what Trump is doing only encourages violence. The bishop’s words followed Trump visiting her church after having a crowd dispersed using tear gas.
“This was done in a time of deep hurt and pain in our country,” said Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. “His action did nothing to help us or heal us.”
Related: Trump Continues Twitter Feud Amid Minneapolis Protests
