- A fake antifa Twitter account that called for violence was actually run by a white nationalist group, according to a Twitter spokesperson.
- The account, “@ANTIFA_US,” pretended to align with the Black Lives Matter movement and ongoing nationwide protests, and called for protesters to “move into residential areas… the white hoods…. and we take what’s ours.”
- Twitter banned the account Monday for breaking its rules against platform manipulation, spam, and inciting violence.
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A Twitter account that claimed to represent a national antifa organization and that urged protesters to loot “white” neighborhoods was actually run by white nationalist group Identity Evropa, according to a Twitter spokesperson.
The account, which posted under the handle “@ANTIFA_US,” falsely aligned itself with ongoing Black Lives Matter protests nationwide. One tweet that called for protesters to “move into residential areas” and “take what’s ours” was retweeted hundreds of times as of Sunday night.
The account was removed Monday for breaking Twitter’s rules against platform manipulation, spam, and inciting violence, NBC News first reported.
A Twitter spokesperson told Business Insider that this isn't the first time that users linked to Identity Evropa have created fake accounts to spread "hateful content." Some white nationalists have advocated for the acceleration of conflict between protesters and police in order to spur race riots.
The antifa movement is a loosely affiliated group of anti-fascism activists, but does not have a national organization, defined structure, or leader. President Donald Trump designated antifa as a terrorist organization Sunday and has blamed it for organizing the property destruction seen at some protests nationwide, but there's little evidence of any such coordinated effort.
Twitter said it was continuing to monitor platform manipulation and posts inciting violence as nationwide protests continue.
