2020 Black Lives Matter Protests

Does George Soros own Two Sigma Investments? No, that's not true: The company's federal filings with the Security and Exchange Commission state that Soros has never been part of any ownership of the investment firm. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on Facebook on Sept. 19, 2020. It opened: Melissa Francis is married to Wray Thorn who…

Were "several" instigators of BLM rallies and Antifa riots arrested and charged with arson in California and Oregon wildfires? No, that's not true: Federal and local officials have dismissed the claim that left-wing extremists were involved in starting wildfires that have ravaged the northwestern United States in September 2020 and they have asked for an end to the false claims…

Did the NFL (National Football League) honor an organization that yelled "hope they die" outside of a hospital where two Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies were being treated after they were shot in an ambush? No, that's not true: The approximately five protesters who confronted deputies outside of a Los Angeles hospital identified themselves as part of the Africa Town…

Did a Portland radio station report that Black Lives Matter and Antifa protesters were shooting on September 11, 2020, at firefighters trying to bring out-of-control wildfires under control? No, that's not true. It was never reported by KXL radio despite a widely distributed Facebook post making the claim, forcing the station's news director to post a denial on Facebook and…

Does a photo of a fist-raised protester show someone who is violently burning down a neighborhood and looting? No, that's not true: The man shown in the photo was taking part in a 2014 protest in Oakland, California, in which no looting or burning was reported. The claim appeared in a post on August 29, 2020, on Facebook (archived here)…

Did Democrats set up a special "defense fund" for Darius Sessoms, the neighbor who allegedly shot and killed 5-year-old Cannon Hinnant last month in North Carolina? No, that's not true. There is no evidence that Democratic organizations, including the Democratic National Committee, were behind GoFundMe and Facebook efforts to raise money for Sessoms -- all of which were taken down…

Were the elderly people pictured in these photos badly beaten by BLM? No, that's not true: This specific collection of photos have an online history associated with South African Farm attacks. Regardless if the past labeling as such was correct- this photo collection is not recent and has nothing to do with the organization BLM, the Black Lives Matter Movement,…

Was Steve Bannon slated to speak at the Republican National Convention -- and is he still on the schedule for Tuesday night? No, that's not true. The claim that Bannon would be one of the speakers at the GOP convention came in a Facebook post after news broke of Bannon's arrest on a fraud charge. The subsequent claim that he…

Has the truck driver attacked in Portland, Oregon, near a Black Lives Matter protest died? No, that's not true. The man attacked on video during a protest on August 16, 2020, has not died, the Portland police confirmed to Lead Stories on August 18. The footage of his assault was widely posted on social media, showing a group of people…

Did government contractors play a role in carrying out a "coup against President Trump" as claimed in the "ShadowGate" video? No, that's not true: There's zero evidence to support the claim, a variation on the oft-debunked myth that Trump is fighting a deep state. A "whistleblower" exaggerated his role in developing a program that he falsely claimed was then used…