ABC News scoffed on Sunday for describing a protest in California that featured protesters setting fire to a courtroom, tearing apart a police station, and firing fireworks at police officers as “peaceful.”
“Protesters in California set fire to a courthouse, damaged a police station, and assaulted officers after a peaceful demonstration intensified,” the verified ABC News Twitter account wrote to promote an article titled, “Protesters from Oakland set fire to the courthouse and vandalized. “
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Much of the mainstream media and the left have tried to paint sometimes violent protests across the country as “mostly peaceful” protests in recent weeks. The ABC News tweet linked to an Associated Press story that mentioned violence in the opening paragraph.
“A protest through the streets of downtown Oakland, California, in support of racial justice and police reform turned violent when ‘agitators’ among protesters set fire to a courtroom, tore apart a police station, and fired fireworks at the officials said the authorities. ” AP wrote.
Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Oakland, smashing windows at the city’s police headquarters and setting fire inside the Alameda County courthouse, according to reports. Similar protests and violent demonstrations have been seen across the country after the death in May of George Floyd, a black man from Minneapolis who died while in police custody.
ABC News’ description of the event sparked outrage on social media as the Disney-owned news operation seemed to minimize the violence.
“A tweet for all ages, and sums up the state of the media in our country,” wrote the Reagan Battalion.
Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw wasn’t even sure if the message was intended to be a parody, while others made jokes. Babylon Bee editor Seth Dillon wrote: “Violence is now defined as ‘intensified peace’.”
ABC News did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Many turned to Twitter to mock the ABC News tweet:
Fox News’ Dom Calicchio contributed to this report.
