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The Big Lies › 2020 › File PF-0180
Debunked

OAN: Shoved Buffalo Protester Was an 'Antifa Provocateur'

OAN reported that Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old protester shoved to the ground by Buffalo police, was tied to antifa and was trying to capture police radio signals.

First reported Jun 9, 2020 · One America News Network
Screenshot of the original report as published
Screenshot of the report as published: apnews.com (archived copy, Wayback Machine). Tap to open the source.
Who it helped: Republicans

The story served a narrative casting police-brutality victims at the protests as left-wing agitators.

What was reported

OAN reported that Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old protester shoved to the ground by Buffalo police, was tied to antifa and was trying to capture police radio signals.

What actually happened

The report relied on an anonymous blog and offered no evidence; President Trump tweeted it the same day. Fact-checks found no evidence for the antifa or police-scanning claims, and The Intercept found OAN presented Gugino's own blog profile as official arrest records and misattributed a mayor's quote about a different protester.

The proof

AP, BBC and Snopes fact-checks found no evidence for the claims, and The Intercept documented the specific fabrications in OAN's segments.

The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:

OAN: Shoved Buffalo Protester Was an 'Antifa Provocateur' — Debunked. AP, BBC and Snopes fact-checks found no evidence for the claims, and The Intercept documented the specific fabrications in OAN's segments. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/oan-buffalo-protester-antifa/

Original reporting

Corrections, findings & records

Archived copies

Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.

None listed.

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