Twitter suspends account calling for 'night of rage' after protester shoots at police and is killed
Twitter account Scenes from Atlanta Forest called for 'Night of Rage' against officers after police returned fire and killed protester who shot state trooper
Twitter has suspended an account that called for violence against Georgia police officers and law enforcement after a police-involved shooting on Wednesday that left a state trooper wounded and one man dead.
The Twitter account Scenes from the Atlanta Forest had called for a "Night of Rage" on Friday to enact "reciprocal violence to be done to the police and their allies." The violent threat, posted in a tweet, came after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said that law enforcement had shot and killed a protester who had shot at a state trooper on Wednesday morning.
By Thursday, the account had been suspended for violating Twitter rules.
The shooting incident happened Wednesday, as police were clearing demonstrators from a wooded area where a planned $90 million Atlanta Police Department (APD) facility will be constructed. GBI said that multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the "operation" to "identify people who are trespassing and committing other crimes on the property."
ATLANTA: PROTESTERS CALL FOR ‘VIOLENCE’ AGAINST POLICE AFTER SHOOTING LEAVES 1 DEAD, OFFICER INJURED
Georgia state troopers stand with a DeKalb, Georgia, police officer on Constitution and International Park in Atlanta on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (John Spink/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP / AP Newsroom)
A Georgia State Patrol trooper, wearing a bulletproof vest, was shot in the abdomen during the operation. Officers returned fire, killing a man.
"At about 9:00 a.m. today, as law enforcement was moving through the property, officers located a man inside a tent in the woods. Officers gave verbal commands to the man who did not comply and shot a Georgia State Patrol Trooper," the GBI said in a statement. "Other law enforcement officers returned fire, hitting the man."
"Law enforcement evacuated the Trooper to a safe area. The man died on scene," authorities said.
The injured trooper was taken to a local hospital for surgery and is in stable condition.
GEORGIA STATE TROOPER SHOT BY PROTESTER AT ‘COP CITY’ NEAR ATLANTA
"Forest defenders" march in Little Five Points, Georgia, in protest of a planned $90 million training facility for the Atlanta Police Department. (Courtesy of Fox 5 Atlanta) (Fox 5 Atlanta / Fox News)
After the shooting, Scenes from the Atlanta Forest called for "reciprocal violence" on Twitter.
"Consider this a call for reciprocal violence to be done to the police and their allies. On Friday, January 20th, wherever you are, you are invited to participate in a night of rage in order to honor the memory of our fallen comrade," the group tweeted, violating Twitter rules against incitement of violence.
The account claimed to be a part of Defend the Atlanta Forest, one of the groups protesting the new Atlanta Public Safety Training Center, dubbed "Cop City" by its detractors.
The Defenders of the Forest said in a statement to Fox News Digital that it is "a broad, diverse, decentralized movement to defend the Atlanta forest." They went on to say they are only a "news aggregator for the movement" and "not affiliated" with Scenes from the Atlanta Forest.
A protest sign reads, "Stop Police Repression Of Protest Now!" (Courtesy of Fox 5 Atlanta) (Fox 5 Atlanta / Fox News)
In another Scenes from the Atlanta Forest tweet, posted several hours later, the group added: "The police will kill you if given the chance. Now is the time for bravery. Take care of each other. Be dangerous together."
The group appeared to acknowledge that its posts were against Twitter rules in a follow-up tweet, writing that the account "is not long for this world."
Anti-police demonstrations resumed Wednesday night as "forest defenders" marched in Little Five Points, Georgia, Fox 5 Atlanta reported. Protesters called for further demonstrations on Saturday at Underground Atlanta in support of the man who was killed.
Protesters in the area have been accused of criminal activity before, and five people were arrested at the APD site in December. They were charged with domestic terrorism after police discovered explosive devices, gasoline, and road flares inside makeshift tree houses.
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DeKalb County District Attorney Sherry Boston said that those who were arrested had attacked firefighters and police officers with rocks and weapons as the officers removed barricades blocking some entrances to the site, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Fox News' Lawrence Richard contributed to this report.