Violence Following Protests May be Linked to Outside Groups

Investigations have begun to see if undercover extremists are sneaking into the peaceful demonstrations against police brutality and instigating the violence that has followed.

Officials are also wary of misinformation campaigns on social media, similar to the ones made by Russia in the 2016 Presidential Election.

One way they examine these cases is by looking into new social media accounts with less than 200 followers that were created in the last 30 days.

Experts have been sorting through profiles to find clues and evidence to see whether antifa groups, leftists or far-right groups are to blame. These accounts have been primarily used to post graphic videos of police brutality and data on the coronavirus with the intent of pitting Americans each other.

The U.S. Attorney General William Barr has acknowledged that out-of-state protestors may also be to blame for the riots.

“Groups of outside radicals and agitators are exploiting the situation to pursue their own separate and violent agenda … It is a federal crime to cross state lines or use interstate facilities to incite or participate in violent rioting and we will enforce those laws,” he said on May 30.

Hopefully these investigations will help bring an end to the violence so that peaceful demonstrations are not overlooked and their messages can be heard.

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