Antifa accounts on social media have been calling for a day of violence in response to police shooting and killing someone associated with the ongoing occupation of a forest near Atlanta, Georgia that has been selected to be the site of a police academy. An officer was also shot during the shootout on Wednesday.
The occupation of the forest has been ongoing for months as far-left protesters are opposed to the proposed Atlanta Police Department training facility being built. Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Michael Register told reporters the protester shot first as officers were clearing out an encampment, according to Fox 5 Atlanta.
"An individual, without warning, shot a Georgia State Patrol trooper," Register said. "Other law enforcement personnel returned fire in self-defense and evacuated the trooper to a safe area. The individual who fired upon law enforcement and shot the trooper was killed in the exchange of gunfire."
The injured state trooper is in stable condition in ICU after completing surgery. He was shot in the "pelvic-area" and he was wearing a bullet-proof vest.
In response to the incident, Antifa accounts on Twitter attempted to organize a day of violent action in different cities across the country to avenge the death of their "fallen comrade."
Breaking: Far-left groups are calling for deadly vengeance against police as payback for one of their comrades getting shot dead near the #Atlanta autonomous zone. They link to their list of @ga_dps officers & other cops they want to be murdered. #Antifahttps://t.co/K4o4TRlDgB pic.twitter.com/bVgLrDNdb5
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 19, 2023
Craig Toennies, who runs @OLAASM & raises money on @Patreon, is directing comrades to the call for deadly violence against police. https://t.co/h8cHshYMMw pic.twitter.com/ZonvvYiTxq
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 19, 2023
The Florida cell (@fla_ylf ) of the violent #Antifa group, Youth Liberation Front, has put out a call for violent vengeance after their comrade was "martyred" in a shootout against police at the #Atlanta autonomous zone. https://t.co/7MP49S3ny1 pic.twitter.com/ZRHneFUFZJ
— Andy Ngô 🏳️🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) January 19, 2023
Twitter has since suspended the accounts calling for violence, which is signficantly different from the previous ownership, which allowed the accounts to organize events that often led to riots during 2020.