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Post Reports

The Gettysburg Troll

Post Reports

The Washington Post

Daily News, Politics, News

4.45.1K Ratings

🗓️ 21 July 2020

⏱️ 31 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Investigative reporter Dalton Bennett goes on a quest to find the shadowy figure behind a number of social media hoaxes –– the most recent played out in Gettysburg on Independence Day –– that have riled far-right extremists and repeatedly duped media outlets. 

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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:19.0

From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports. I'm Martine Powers. It's Tuesday, July 21st.

0:31.0

So back in June, an event popped up on Facebook that announced a group of anti-fascist or anti-fot protesters were planning on going to Gettysburg National Cemetery on July 4th Independence Day and there they were planning on burning American flags.

0:49.0

That's Dalton Bennett, he's an investigative reporter and I'm looking at this poster now. It was posted on Facebook by this account called Left Behind USA.

1:01.0

The poster looks pretty professionally made. There is a big image of a flag that is burning and at the very top it says, and Tifa presents 4th of July flag burning to peacefully protest for abolishing police nationwide.

1:18.0

When this event was first posted in June, it was obviously against the backdrop of protests that were taking place all over the country.

1:28.0

Where some people were burning flags and monuments were being put down.

1:35.0

So there were parts of this event that seemed plausible, but then there were parts of it that seemed kind of weird.

1:42.0

Just the language that was associated with these posts, there were strange details about busloads of anti-fot that were going to show up.

1:50.0

It was inviting children to come and burn flags together with the anti-fot.

1:55.0

Again, looking at this post, the organizer says, quote, we'd like to welcome some wonderful anti-fot artists who will be on hand giving away free face painting and reading material to children who attend the event.

2:06.0

We'll also be giving away free small flags for children to safely throw in the fire.

2:11.0

The language on it was just so extreme that it just felt like some sort of hoax, but it was very clear that hundreds and hundreds of people thought this was a real event.

2:22.0

Hey, what's going on guys?

2:25.0

I was going there. In Tifa, plans to go to Gettysburg.

2:29.0

And Tifa terrorists are planning a flag burning protest center.

2:32.0

I guess they're going to tear up a bunch of stuff and tear down some statues.

2:35.0

The cause has been put out for Patriots and militia to rally to Gettysburg.

2:40.0

I would plan on coming full battle rattle.

2:43.0

Sorry, taking a prisoner.

2:46.0

And so you went to Gettysburg on the 4th of July and when you got there, what happened?

2:52.0

Bring in third world diseases and third world sex law country and to my land.

...

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