Rantz: Seattle Council, activists pretend Antifa riot didn’t happen

The Seattle City Council and area activists are pretending the Antifa riot on inauguration night didn’t happen. In other words, they’re responding the way they normally do to Antifa violence: with total silence.

Their dubious observations of the Antifa riot is a mix of delusion, scary justification, and strategic downplaying.

If left unchecked, it ensures the violence will continue in Seattle, even after the long-overdue promise to suddenly (now that Donald Trump is out of office) prosecute Antifa vandals.

Rantz: Mythical Antifa peacefully riot after saying they’d riot, catching Seattle, Portland off guard

Riot in Seattle? What Antifa riot!?

From Twitter checkmarks to your everyday Antifa sympathizers, some Seattle activists pretended an Antifa mob didn’t march around downtown Seattle destroying businesses and a courthouse, assault the police, or burn an American flag.

Let's be clear there were no riots. https://t.co/krJeBQBdYX

— Jeremiah Oshan (@JeremiahOshan) January 22, 2021

The Seattle City Council didn’t put out a statement after the riot. They usually refuse to condemn violence. It was as if they didn’t think the riot occurred.

When I asked for a statement, Councilmember Andrew Lewis was the only councilmember to provide one (why he chose not to proactively condemn the violence is instructive given how forceful he condemned the Capitol Hill riot on Jan. 6). He barely calls out the riot. He doesn’t mention Antifa, nor describe the riot beyond “acts of vandalism,” but he does pivot to a defense of peaceful protesters. In fact, most of his statement is about that.

Nikkita Oliver, a radical activist and Antifa apologist who wants to abolish the police, laughably claimed it wasn’t a riot. Claiming her mother called her concerned about the riots after seeing a regional broadcast of KOMO News, even though she lives in the Midwest, Oliver rejects the notion of a riot. It was merely “a protest… where some property was damaged.”

Though she’s an active member of the protest movement, Oliver claimed, “I had to Google what she was talking about because the protest was so small in overall impact I DIDN’T EVEN HEAR ABOUT IT.” In fairness, it was such a small protest “in overall impact” that it was covered nationally on FOX News, and somehow her mother thousands of miles away even heard about it.

She then scolded the media for its coverage. She chided us for our supposedly dishonest coverage.

“Media and journalist, you are culpable. Be responsible,” Oliver unironically tells us.

From my Mother's perspective, based on the news, the whole of Seattle is living in fear of riots. THIS IS FALSE. I had to google what she was talking about because the protest was so small in overall impact I DIDN'T EVEN HEAR ABOUT IT.

— Nikkita Oliver (they/them) (@NikkitaOliver) January 22, 2021

If you are a journalist, you have an ethical obligation report things honestly and holistically. False and inaccurate journalism is a major contributor to the toxicity with which we are currently living. Media and journalist, you are culpable. Be responsible.

— Nikkita Oliver (they/them) (@NikkitaOliver) January 22, 2021

Ignorant or delusional?

In fairness to Oliver, it’s possible she doesn’t know what a riot is.

And we’ve certainly seen activists justify violence by believing their cause is worth it. They don’t see what they do as rioting. They think they’re heroes fighting for a just cause. But they’re just delusional, self-important criminals.

Oliver’s fringe following of lunatics certainly jumped on the talking point that a riot hadn’t occurred. Surely, the photos of destruction were photoshopped and arrests made up.

My dad called to ask the same thing. I looked out my window and saw a dog pooping on the sidewalk. Truly unsafe in these streets.

— Elly (@emceehotdog) January 22, 2021

I hear this a lot from people I grew up with. They think that Seattle is overrun by masked ANTIFA agents who are ruling with an iron fist.

— Aleen 🚀 (@Aleen) January 22, 2021

Daily Mail has a story today talking about riots in Seattle yesterday that obviously did not happen

— Canary_NightJar (@CanaryNightjar) January 22, 2021

fox will not rest until seattle real estate is cheap enough for them to move there

— skiplogic (@skiplogic) January 22, 2021

I bet Jason Rantz was on Fox bashing Seattle and Democrats again. He’s really proud of his appearances on that disgusting network.

— Jeanne Beannie (@Beannietoo) January 22, 2021

Jeanne Beannie was right, by the way. I sure did go on FOX — five whole times.

Democrats say they want to root out domestic terrorists. Yet they are silent on Antifa, despite a constant stream of violence.

It's really easy to stop them: they openly organize on Twitter.

I broke it down on Tucker Carlson Tonight. pic.twitter.com/Ft5alhkI1W

— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) January 22, 2021

What’s the point of calling out idiocy?

Twitter has no shortage of idiotic hot takes. Spend five seconds on Oliver’s Twitter page and it’ll slap you in the face. But it’s important to call this stuff out.

The violence doesn’t just continue because politicians allow it. It continues because citizens don’t put enough pressure on the criminals to stop destroying our city.

Without societal pressure, Antifa activists who consider themselves heroes will assume Seattleites stand behind them. Antifa uses anything they can to justify their violence.

Antifa doesn’t care when business owners speak up. Think they have an allegiance to Starbucks or an Amazon Go grocery store because those are the only jobs they’re qualified to hold? Think again. Antifa is anti-capitalist.

They also don’t care when called out by the media, which they think is part of some conservative cabal to prosecute their freedom fighting. And if a politician was ever brave enough to call them out (which won’t ever be a reality in Seattle), they’d attack them as a sellout.

Regular people need to call the domestic terrorism out for what it is. So when we see people justifying or downplaying violence, it’s on all of us to put a spotlight on the dishonest and dangerous message, call it out, and put some pressure on these criminals to leave our city alone.

Why won't Democrats condemn Antifa? It doesn't benefit them politically. I joined @AmericaNewsroom to discuss with @BillHemmer. pic.twitter.com/lH77gXz4bC

— (((Jason Rantz))) on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) January 22, 2021

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