Bladewire

Trump supporters to the rescue to save a flag from being burned

"Attendees told the Gazette they’d heard rumors Antifa members planned to burn the giant American flag at the shopping mall."

“We don’t care if it’s a prank,” a counter-protestor told the Gazette. “We’re going to show up because what’s going to happen is they’re going to call this and then we ain’t going to show up and then they’re going to really burn down an American flag and it’s going to cause someone to seriously have problems.”

‘Antifa’ Facebook prank sends Trump supporters to protect North Carolina outdoors store

GASTONIA, N.C. — Several dozen people showed up to a North Carolina outdoors store on Saturday to mount a counter-protest against an Antifa rally that didn’t exist.

A recent Facebook page called Gaston County Antifa, which is a portmanteau for “antifascist,” had posted earlier in the week that group members “from at least 10 states” were planning to gather in front of the Gander Outdoors store in the Franklin Square shopping center in Gastonia. Other than the Facebook page, there’s no evidence of any such group actually existing in Gaston County, but that didn’t stop those spreading the rumors. Even local website CharlotteStories ran a widely shared article about the fake rally.

The dozens of counter-protesters stood in front of the Gander store waving flags, including U.S., Confederate and Trump flags. Some, like Terry Pennington, came from outside the county to be at the outdoors store.

A massive American flag flies from the parking lot in front of the store, and Pennington said he’d heard that Antifa members were going to light it on fire.

“They ain’t here because they’re still in their momma’s basement,” Pennington said.

Pennington made the trip to Gastonia from Locust. He said the Gaston County Antifa post was “most likely” a prank.

“But you see the true supporters,” Pennington said. “We don’t care if it’s a prank. We’re going to show up because what’s going to happen is they’re going to call this and then we ain’t going to show up and then they’re going to really burn down an American flag and it’s going to cause someone to seriously have problems.”

The Gaston Antifa post claimed the point of the rally was to start a petition to remove “the Nazi statue at the Gaston County Courthouse and recruiting new members.” There’s no Nazi statue in front of the courthouse. There is, however, a Confederate statue in front of the courthouse, and some of the people who showed up at the store Saturday were members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Some online responses to the Gaston County Antifa Facebook posts threatened violence.

Police at the scene said there had been no problems reported by about 10:30 a.m.

Gastonia officer B. Syboutlan said police presence was “just precaution, pretty much.”


The Columbus Dispatch

‘Antifa’ Facebook prank sends Trump supporters to protect North Carolina outdoors store


By Dashiell Coleman, The Gaston Gazette
Posted Oct 21, 2018 at 7:40 AM
GASTONIA, N.C. — Several dozen people showed up to a North Carolina outdoors store on Saturday to mount a counter-protest against an Antifa rally that didn’t exist.

A recent Facebook page called Gaston County Antifa, which is a portmanteau for “antifascist,” had posted earlier in the week that group members “from at least 10 states” were planning to gather in front of the Gander Outdoors store in the Franklin Square shopping center in Gastonia. Other than the Facebook page, there’s no evidence of any such group actually existing in Gaston County, but that didn’t stop those spreading the rumors. Even local website CharlotteStories ran a widely shared article about the fake rally.

The dozens of counter-protesters stood in front of the Gander store waving flags, including U.S., Confederate and Trump flags. Some, like Terry Pennington, came from outside the county to be at the outdoors store.

A massive American flag flies from the parking lot in front of the store, and Pennington said he’d heard that Antifa members were going to light it on fire.

“They ain’t here because they’re still in their momma’s basement,” Pennington said.

Join the conversation at Facebook.com/dispatchpolitics and connect with us on Twitter @OhioPoliticsNow
Pennington made the trip to Gastonia from Locust. He said the Gaston County Antifa post was “most likely” a prank.

“But you see the true supporters,” Pennington said. “We don’t care if it’s a prank. We’re going to show up because what’s going to happen is they’re going to call this and then we ain’t going to show up and then they’re going to really burn down an American flag and it’s going to cause someone to seriously have problems.”

The Gaston Antifa post claimed the point of the rally was to start a petition to remove “the Nazi statue at the Gaston County Courthouse and recruiting new members.” There’s no Nazi statue in front of the courthouse. There is, however, a Confederate statue in front of the courthouse, and some of the people who showed up at the store Saturday were members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Some online responses to the Gaston County Antifa Facebook posts threatened violence.

Police at the scene said there had been no problems reported by about 10:30 a.m.

Gastonia officer B. Syboutlan said police presence was “just precaution, pretty much.”

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The Gaston County Antifa page posted a photo of a group of people in the woods, claiming it was taken recently in Asheville, but the same photo had been used before, including by a Colorado Antifa page. The local Facebook page also claimed its members had been “training and preparing” from “the gym to the gun range” and posted a video in which a masked figure called the NRA “basically a terrorist organization” and claimed that the Civil War was fought against “the Britons.”

Earlier in the week, Cleveland County Sheriff’s Maj. Joel Shores posted to Facebook that local law enforcement had no evidence any such group actually exists here. The Gaston Antifa page had also made posts about that agency.

“We believe at this time there is no such group in Gaston County,” Shores wrote. “Unfortunately, social media can be a platform for one person to cause concerns and try to entice violence and hate.”

Pennington told The Gazette he and others planned to stay at Gander Outdoors “until we know Antifa ain’t coming.”

People were still outside of the store close to noon.

Rochard

LOL. So fake: https://www.facebook.com/Gaston-Coun...9864741043383/

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- Sarah Huckabee Sanders

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Bladewire

They are so gullible

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crockett

LoL these people are so fucking stupid...

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"If Israelis don't want to be accused of being like the Nazis, they simply need to stop behaving like Nazis." - Norman Finkelstein

Acepimp

So you're in favor of flag burning then? Imagine my shock

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Bladewire

No I'm against flag burning I think it's unpatriotic.

All you have is lies it's sad.

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crockett

^^^ one of the gullibles still thinks the flag was getting burned..

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"If Israelis don't want to be accused of being like the Nazis, they simply need to stop behaving like Nazis." - Norman Finkelstein

bronco67

It's okay to be patriotic. It's the overly patriotic assholes you have to watch out for. They're so blinded by their "patriotism" they forget what freedom of speech is.

I actually served my country in the military and I don't think anyone should be prevented from protesting things they don't like about America. Most of these assholes who wave the flag in everyone's faces couldn't have bothered themselves with signing up for military service. If someone hasn't served, then they can just shut the fuck up (from Mom's basement) about who gets to do what with a US flag.

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Rochard

It's batshit crazy.

I don't allow politics on my personal wall on FB, so you can't tell what I believe in when it comes to politics. So being as I have this new Patriot Newsletter I joined a bunch of hardcore Republican groups. It's utterly insane what they discuss and what they believe in.

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“The choice is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal and crazy.”
- Sarah Huckabee Sanders

YNOT MAIL | THE BEST ADULT MAILING SOLUTION

TheSquealer

10/21/2018
President Trump’s approval rating is at an all-time high ahead of the midterm elections, according to the latest national NBC/Wall Street Journal poll.

The poll, released Sunday, shows 47 percent of registered voters approve and 49 percent disapprove of Trump’s job in office. The approval rating is Trump’s highest yet as president, up from 44 percent last month, and is now higher than President Obama’s was before the 2010 midterm election.

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If you don't like that Elon Musk bought twitter,... just build your own and stop crying about it.

bronco67

That picture is ridiculous. Fucking silver spoon draft dodger standing on a tank. He shouldn't be allowed to lick the boot of an American soldier. Fuck you for not knowing a con man when you see one.

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crockett

Maybe we should trick them into protecting weight watchers next time.

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"If Israelis don't want to be accused of being like the Nazis, they simply need to stop behaving like Nazis." - Norman Finkelstein

Acepimp

But you clowns are ridiculing people who show up to defend a large flag from being burned? That doesn't seem unpatriotic??

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directfiesta

Why the secession flag ????


looks like a mob outside a store .....

Bladewire

So many Trump supporters without jobs standing outside a mall

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OneHungLo

I've yet to see a Bladewire thread that hasn't backfired on him.


Poor Bladewire loses....again

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“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

― Calvin Coolidge

Bladewire

Burning a flag is protected speech. I don't like it. I think it's unpatriotic and tacky.

Being a protester, that's there to protest protesters, is stupid, because you're protesting free speech, which is fascist.

Acepimp

Burning a large flag in a shopping center is not protected speech. File that under arson and destruction of property.

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OneHungLo

You never said shit about antifa burning down schools because they were triggered by some alt-right speaker. Now thats fascist.

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“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

― Calvin Coolidge

kane

Democrats aren't helping themselves with stuff like this. They don't need to give Republicans more motivation to get out and vote and doing stuff like this is exactly what they are doing.

Bladewire

Antifa aren't Democrats, they are far left Peace and Freedom Party members with some Green party members and Bernie bros.

Antifa sees Democrats as a corporate-money controlled neo-liberal or “center-right” political party.

Bladewire

Yes I did say that.

I said that protesting free speech is wrong as is damaging a school in the process.

I wish you'd have a genuine honest conversation instead of this lying BS because it's easier for you to paint everyone who doesn't agree 100% with you as far left instead of as an individuals with their own opinions. Lazy in your part, not to mention dishonest.

nico-t

I think you and the other relentless anti trump spammers actually work for the trump administration.... because if there is one thing that has only helped him in popularity, it's this type of excessive anti trump reporting. You're just doing the ol' reverse psychology trick! So great thread, and thanks for doing your part in getting him elected And keep up the good work i got your back. Trump 2020!

kane

And most Republicans see them as Democrats.

Reality doesn't matter, perception does.