Many publications falsely claimed that right-wing operatives were smearing the “mostly peaceful” effort as a form of lawless anarchy, rather than the organized protest it purported to be.
The Seattle Times is supposed to be the paper of record for the Pacific Northwestern city, and yet its coverage of the ongoing riots, driven by left-wing militants from Antifa, leaves much to be desired.
In June, left-wing activists from the Black Lives Matter movement and Antifa groups founded "CHAZ," or the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, a supposedly autonomous zone free from policing located in the heart of the city’s LGBTQ district. The CHAZ was later renamed to "CHOP," or Capitol Hill Organized Protest, in response to complaints that the zone wasn't truly autonomous.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan called the activity reminiscent of the "summer of love" and a "block party." Washington Gov. Jay Inslee feigned ignorance of the violence that was taking place on a daily basis in the state's largest metropolitan city, barely admitting knowledge of the renegade protest.
Their narrative was largely driven by the progressive media, chief among which was the Seattle Times. Many publications falsely claimed that right-wing operatives were smearing the "mostly peaceful" effort as a form of lawless anarchy, rather than the organized protest it purported to be.
For several weeks, armed men walked the streets of the Capitol Hill neighbourhood. Multiple people were shot. Countless others were robbed, raped, and otherwise assaulted. Three underage boys were shot, two of whom were killed. The area was lawless, without a police presence.
Although CHAZ no longer exists, the media that drove the narrative of the mostly peaceful protest effort continues to paint Antifa militants, many of whom were responsible for the construction and "maintenance" of the spot, who termed their protest literally an "occupation," as innocent activists.
As highlighted by Seattle-based journalist Jason Rantz, the Seattle Times oftentimes posts video footage of police misconduct, but rarely does it show violent behavior from left-wing activists and protestors who have caused mass outbreaks of unrest across the city in the months following the death of George Floyd in late May.
Rantz pointed out how a newly-published Seattle Times article on Friday described a riot in which multiple police officers were wounded by Antifa militants as a matter of hearsay.
Seattle Times: "Police later... said people in the crowd assaulted officers attempting to make arrests."
They say? Here's video of an assault as the activist says, "Oh sh**, we got her!" Times loves linking to video of police misconduct. Seldom do they show this stuff. pic.twitter.com/Q9OgtYDQEN
— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz)
"Police later said they found Molotov cocktails in the area and said people in the crowd assaulted officers attempting to make arrests," the article reads. Video footage of the melee clearly shows Antifa militants assaulting police. As Rantz points out, the video of the assault features an activist who says "Oh sh**, we got her!" after they hit a female cop.
Thanks to the one-sided coverage of the proceedings from publications like the Seattle Times, the city's uptick in violence against the police is only getting worse. The misinformation campaign to vilify law enforcement all across the United States continues unabated.
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