DC Blackout | Did The Government Shut Down Internet In DC?

As riots continue over George Floyd’s death all across the United States, the angry mob has now made their way towards Washington DC and the White House. Amidst all this, there is a spread of misinformation to create panic and incite further anger in the crowd. Twitter users report that they heard an explosion in the city, possibly a bombing. As social media started investigating the issue, some declared that Twitter was actually hiding the incident, whereas some claimed that the government had downed the Internet in DC to make room for an operation against protestors. Hence, the hashtag ‘DC Blackout’ started trending.

Was There A DC Blackout?

As riots in the federal capital Washington DC continue for the third consecutive night, mobs of protestors rioting over George Floyd’s death made their way towards the White House. Some also gathered at nearby St. John’s Church where arsonists set fire. As police popped smoke and cracked fireworks towards the rioters some users on Twitter reported that they heard an explosion, after which their internet and phone services went down in DC.

As panic gripped people #DCBlackout started to trend on Twitter for quite some time. Reports and broken videos suggested that a massive police crackdown was taking place after the government shut down all internet and phone services. In retaliation, fires were lit near the Washington Monument and the entire DC National Guard was called to take over.

The agitated masses continue to blame Twitter for deleting evidence that something is going on inside Washington DC as DC Blackout trends. However, there are some of those who believe that the reason is a bit different.

The Tweet comes from the supporters of the hacktivist group, Anonymous, who recently resurfaced to expose Donald Trump and support the Black Lives Matter movement. They further added:

In conclusion, there is widespread misinformation all to either anger the crowd even further or force the police to escalate the response. One of the recent issues that have come to light is of setting fire to the possessions of a homeless man in Austin. Take a look: