January 6 rioters who broke windows falsely tied to Antifa – Yahoo News UK

In the latest rash of conspiracy theories about the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, social media users are claiming a video of two black-clad men attempting to bash in a window shows anti-fascist activists leading the charge. This is false; the two rioters have been charged in the assault, and there is no evidence they have ties to Antifa.

"Suspected ANTIFA trying to break windows at the Capitol on #january6th," says a November 29, 2023 post on X, formerly known as Twitter, from a self-described "January 6 survivor."

The roughly one-minute video shows two men dressed in black repeatedly hitting a Capitol window, one with a flag and the other with what appears to be a baton. Former Republican congressional candidate Chuck Callesto, who has previously spread other disinformation about the Capitol riot, amplified the clip.

The claims add to a deluge of posts recycling long-debunked conspiracy theories about undercover federal agents and left-wing activists infiltrating the mob of Donald Trump supporters on January 6, 2021. The allegations resurged across platforms after new Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson ordered hours of security footage released in November.

But the latest video does not show members of Antifa, a loose coalition of anti-fascist activists that US conservatives commonly blame for unrest, and who typically wear head-to-toe black clothing.

Court documents have identified the men as Jonathan Munafo of Albany, New York and William Lewis of Burbank, Illinois. The former pleaded guilty to two felony charges and was sentenced in September, while the latter was arrested in November for assaulting a law enforcement officer and other charges (archived here and here).

The two are among more than 1,200 people who have been arrested in connection with the violent attempt to halt Congress's certification of President Joe Biden's 2020 electoral victory. Former president Trump himself is slated to go on trial in March on charges of conspiring to overturn those results.

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Keven Ruby, a senior research associate with the Chicago Project on Security and Threats, told AFP his team has found no evidence of Antifa involvement -- echoing statements the FBI made shortly after the riot.

"We currently have data on over 1,100 individuals charged by the FBI, DC Police or US Capitol Police for their role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol. None have ties to Antifa," Ruby said in a December 1 email, adding that court documents show several rioters have personally refuted claims that Antifa was involved.

The man on the right in the video shared online -- seen brandishing a flag reading "Don't Tread on Me" -- is Munafo, identified in court documents by the black hooded jacket pulled over his hat.

A judge sentenced Munafo in September to 33 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release (archived here). He had pleaded guilty to felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers (archived here).

While outside the Capitol, Munafo punched a police officer twice before stealing his riot shield, according to court documents (archivedhere and here). He later struck the building's window approximately 13 times with the flagpole.

The court's sentencing memorandum from September shows a screenshot from what appears to be the same footage being misrepresented. Prosecutors said another rioter recorded and uploaded it to YouTube (archived here and here).

"As it begins, Munafo is smashing on the windows of the Capitol. He continues until another rioter comes and stops him," prosecutors said of the video.

Far from being a member of Antifa, Munafo was an ardent Trump supporter, his attorneys wrote in a court filing (archived here).

"During the 2020 election season, Jonathan was a 'Front Row Joe,' camping at rally locations, waiting in lines to show support for President Donald J. Trump's reelection," they said.

At the time he went to Washington, Munafo was not taking mental health medication and lacked stable housing, employment and income, his attorneys said.

The man to Munafo's left in the video is Lewis, identifiable by his backpack and black jacket with sleeves bearing a US Army logo and an American flag.

Lewis was arrested in November on felony charges of civil disorder and assaulting, resisting or impeding certain officers, as well as several misdemeanors, including destruction of government property.

Court documents allege Lewis blasted officers with a wasp and hornet spray three times before throwing the empty canister at them and moving to the window, where he used what resembled a police baton to break at least three glass panels (archived here).

The case against Lewis had not been resolved as of December 1.

Other clips on X and YouTube appear to show different angles of Munafo and Lewis striking the Capitol window. News outlets have published similar footage (archived here, here, here and here).

AFP has debunked other misinformation about the Capitol attack here.

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January 6 rioters who broke windows falsely tied to Antifa - Yahoo News UK