Is it true that the “shaman” who participated in the storming of the Capitol had previously attended Black Lives Matter rallies?

Users of social networks suspected the participant in the storming of the Capitol of duplicity. Allegedly, a man in a fur hat with horns participated in protests against police violence in the summer, which were supported by Democrats. We checked to see if he actually did this.

One of the most memorable demonstrators who stormed the US Parliament building on January 6, 2021 was a half-naked man with his face painted in the colors of the American flag. A fur hat with horns completed the bright look. So far, only social network users discussed the similarity of events with one of the episodes of the animated series “The Simpsons”, others decided to find out what kind of person chose such an extravagant outfit to participate in a political rally. By one According to the versions, six months before the rally of Donald Trump supporters that resulted in the storming of the Capitol, the demonstrator participated in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) rally - a movement that supported Joe Biden. Users of Russian blogging platforms keep up with their overseas colleagues and have managed to accuse activist, who was nicknamed “shaman” and “Viking” in the media, in duplicity and corruption.

The man in the distinctive headdress who participated in the January 6 riots is named Jacob Anthony Angeli Chansley, although he is known by his shortened name Jake Angeli. He lives in Arizona stands against coronavirus restrictions, as well as calls himself as a “practicing shaman” and “digital soldier” of the QAnon theory. According to this conspiracy theory concepts, there is a sect of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who control a global network for the trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. It is alleged that high-ranking Democrats (for example, the Clinton family) are involved in the activities of the sect, and Donald Trump was preparing to expose the organization. January 9 Angeli took into custody on charges of unlawful entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Although Angeli supported the 45th President of the United States throughout 2020, some Americans suspected him of being a Democratic supporter. Popular in the USA theorythat left-wing activists are deliberately infiltrating the ranks of Trump supporters in order to discredit Republicans with their appearance or eccentric behavior. Apparently, readers also have such suspicions blogger Kari Kelemen, who actively supports Trump in her posts.

January 6, 2021 Kelemen published on Twitter, two photos with a caption that can be translated as “BLM rally in Arizona in June, Capitol in the capital in January.” Both photos attached to Kelemen's tweet are genuine and depict Angeli, but were cropped from the original photos. The photo on the right shows him and several other activists during the Capitol riots by Saul Lob. Shortly after the events in Washington, photograph published Getty Images.

The photo on the left also shows Angeli, but was taken six months earlier in Arizona, during a rally in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. And if in the case of the first photo, the interior of the Capitol and other protesters were cropped out without changing anything, the editing of the image from Arizona changes much more. The original photo shows Angeli holding a sign in support of the QAnon movement. Photo by Brett Lewis explained, that the activist in the fur hat attended this and other BLM marches for the sake of provocation.

Thus, Angeli was indeed present both in January 2021 at the Capitol and in June 2020 in Arizona for BLM protests. Moreover, in the second case, the activist did not participate in the protests, but promoted his own, opposing views. Kelemen, who posted the two cropped photos together, omitted this detail in her tweet - precisely in her distorted version of Angeli's political activity found out many Russian Internet users.

Half-truth

What do our verdicts mean?

Read on the topic:

1. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/jake-angeli-viking-capitol-blm/
2. https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-qanon.html
3. https://www.bbc.com/news/53498434
4. https://www.standard.co.uk/insider/jake-angeli-horned-protester-stormed-capitol-b848447.html
5. https://tjournal.ru/internet/319547-lico-shturma-kapitoliya-amerikanec-v-kostyume-shamana-kto-on-takoy-i-kak-stal-geroem-memov