Tag: arson

Facebook says it’ll REMOVE all posts alleging Oregon fires ‘were started by certain groups’

Facebook has announced that it will be wiping messages alleging that wildfires, which have been sweeping through Oregon, might be the work of certain groups after the FBI brushed off reports of arson as “conspiracy theories.”

“We are removing false claims that the wildfires in Oregon were started by certain groups,” Andy Stone, policy communications manager at Facebook, tweeted late on Saturday.

Defending what is effectively an act of censorship by the social media giant, Stone noted that speculation suggesting the blazes have been ignited by extremists are forcing law enforcement to “divert resources from fighting the fires and protecting the public.”

This is consistent with our past efforts to remove content that could lead to imminent harm given the possible risk to human life as the fires rage on

The move comes as multiple wildfires are tearing through Oregon, closing in on Portland, the center of the Black Lives Matter protests, which have been marred by vandalism and arson.

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Antifa activist arrested for arson in Washington state

Amid criminal investigations into the origin of many of the fires that have devastated communities in Washington, Oregon and California, a 36-year-old man with a history of radical activism has been arrested.

Jeffrey Acord was arrested Wednesday for setting a brush fire near a freeway in Puyallup, Washington, south of Seattle.

In 2014, he was arrested during protests of the Michael Brown decision with a cache of weapons, ammunition and explosive materials in his backpack and vehicle.

KOMO-TV in Seattle reported at the time that investigators said Acord was seen reaching under a car with a road flare. Among the weapons in his possession were a 7-inch knife, an assault rifle, a shotgun and a box full of large fireworks.

On Wednesday, it was Acord who called 911 to report a fire on the side of State Route 167. He then began streaming on his Facebook page, noted the blog Protester Privilege. A police officer can be heard questioning Acord, and the video ends with his arrest for second-degree reckless burning.

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