Associated Press issues erroneous 'fact check' saying there is 'no evidence' of Antifa, BLM violence

The Associated Press "fact-checked" speakers of the Republican National Convention, including Trump supporter and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, where they erroneously and falsely claim that there is "no evidence" that Black Lives Matter or antifa "is infiltrating racial justice protests with violence."

At last night's event, Giuliani said: "Black Lives Matter and antifa sprang into action and, in a flash, they hijacked the peaceful protest into vicious, brutal riots."

AP would go on to call that "a hollow claim":

There's no evidence that Black Lives Matter or antifa, or any political group for that matter, is infiltrating racial injustice protests with violence," AP's David Klepper, Josh Boak, and Amanda Seitz reported.

In June, The Associated Press analyzed court records, employment histories and social media posts for 217 people arrested in Minneapolis and the District of Columbia, cities at the centre of the protests earlier this year...

... Local police departments across the country were forced to knock down widespread social media rumours that busloads of "antifa," a term for leftist militants, were coming to violently disrupt cities and towns during nationwide racial justice protests. In June, Twitter and Facebook busted accounts linked to white supremacy groups that were promoting some of those falsehoods online.

AP's claim, though, is patently false. An estimated 32 people have died during the "mostly peaceful" protests following the death of George Floyd. Protests quickly go from marches to riots that see looting, arson, and massive damage to public property, including black-owned businesses.

Meanwhile, members of Antifa group Riot Kitchen 206, "a no-charge kitchen serving protestors, activists, movements and those in need in Seattle WA" were arrested by authorities in Kenosha, Wisconsin after police suspected that they were "…preparing for criminal activity related to the civil unrest."

Kenosha police released a statement following the arrests that acting on a tip, they had surveilled the vehicles with out of state plates fueling gas cans. The vehicles contained gas masks, helmets, protective vests, illegal fireworks and suspected controlled substances.