A far-right writer and activist has been accused of exaggerating or possibly even fabricating a story to get her followers to pay for her moving costs.
The whole story was reported by the website "Right Wing Watch" (RWW), a project of the non-profit People for the American Way.
Jared Holt, the investigative journalist who wrote the story, summed it up in a tweet.
NEW: Cassandra Fairbanks raised almost $25,000 to relocate her family after she claimed she was attacked at her home by "antifa" with guns and fireworks earlier this month.
A RWW investigation turned up almost nothing that supports her story.https://t.co/5sOSXehTQd
— Jared Holt (@jaredlholt) June 17, 2020
Cassandra Fairbanks is a right wing figure and contributor to The Gateway Pundit. A self-proclaimed "former liberal libertarian," she further claims to have embraced support of Trump and far-right ideology only in recent years.
On June 1, Fairbanks made a call to the 911 emergency line, telling the person on the other end that someone was attacking her home with guns and fireworks. She pointed out that someone doxxed her online, leaking her home address at the time.
Fairbanks shared a copy of her 911 call on Twitter.
The 9-1-1 call from when people showed up at my house at 4 a.m. on June 1. Excuse how ridiculous I sound, I was trying to not scare my daughter and didn't want her to hear me, though as you can hear, she wakes up anyways from the chaos. pic.twitter.com/nfM2pYZyGE
— Cassandra Fairbanks (@CassandraRules) June 10, 2020
Fairbanks says she sounds ridiculous because she doesn't want to wake her daughter who apparently slept through the gunshots and fireworks that prompted her to call 911.
After this, with her permission, the right-wing outlet Rebel Media started a GoFundMe page to raise money to relocate Fairbanks to another state.
In all, they raised just over $24,000 for the move.
Grifters gonna grift.
— Rob needs sci-fi 🚀 (@daltonator) June 17, 2020
*cough* Andy “milkshake" Ngo *cough*
— Tina Michel (@tinerbean) June 17, 2020
How much do we think Officer Karen McMuffin is going to make off her grift?
— 🏴Padre Alex - Iglesia de la Gran Vaca🏴 (@alexwarneke) June 17, 2020
Candace Owens IS white Candace Owens
— Primetime Andrew (@DoctorZdbrg) June 17, 2020
However, the Right Wing Watch article questions the events of the 911 call.
Fairbanks said she was receiving death threats online after criticizing the ongoing protests and riots. Additionally, she claimed people had shown up to her house and tried to attack her.
The attackers banged on her windows, set off fireworks, fired off guns and threatened her life. However, RWW couldn't find any evidence of this kind of threat.
The District of Columbia police who arrived at the scene only found used fireworks packaging more than 100 feet from Fairbank's home. The city's gunshot detection system did not report any gunfire in the area.
And interviews with Fairbanks' neighbors found none of them could corroborate the story Fairbanks told. When asked if there was more evidence to the story, Fairbanks declined to provide it to RWW.
On top of the money made by Fairbanks for an attack no one else saw or heard and police cannot verify took place, many right wing websites ran Fairbanks' version of events as proof that "Antifa" was violently attacking people.
“Antifa" is the lie that bad people use to try to justify their bad behavior.
— Adam Rifkin 🐼 (@ifindkarma) June 17, 2020
Hmm. I was victimized by a antifa at the laundrymat who cut in in front me when it was my turn to use the dryer can I get some a that sweet moolah? Least I thought it was a antifa. Coulda been one a them gothics tho I spose.
— Commander Metadata (@CDRMetadata) June 17, 2020
Antifa has just tossed my other house ... send money ... #gofraudme
— UBetNot (@UBetNot1) June 17, 2020
The BogeyAntifa is coming for you! pic.twitter.com/YjttpR4VIt
— 🍄Crisis Actor🍄 Comrade Covfefe (@ComradCovfefe45) June 17, 2020
After Fairbanks' story went live, Rebel Media started their fundraiser. They raised $24,300 to move Fairbanks to a "red, red state".
Despite the fundraiser and her story being shared as proof of violent retribution by Antifa activists, the D.C. police report shows only mention of possible fireworks in the area, and none of the eight neighbors RWW interviewed shared Fairbanks' version of events.
Others online shared their own stories about living in D.C. and how ridiculous you'd be if you thought fireworks were gunshots.
I mean, if fireworks make you edgy, you should not live in DC. But enough with the go fund mes, people.
— District Flamingo (@ccuspis) June 17, 2020
FFS. All she needed to do was go on Nextdoor. My god, fireworks is all they talk about in June/July.
— donald trump is an idiot. (@lazo_jenn) June 17, 2020
I live in DC and if I moved every time I heard a loud noise I would have had to move three times just last night
— Kimberly (@kimbrrlyclaire) June 17, 2020
Fairbanks did share messages on her Twitter showing the death threats she was receiving.
Some stated they knew where she lived and would be there "soon". However, the one closest to the time of events was sent seven hours before.
RWW claims this is all part—or at least taking advantage of—right wing media's need to vilify Antifa activists.
It is being painted as the new boogey man by outlets like Fox News and Breitbart.