California Police Appear to Have Chased Antifa Buses That Were Never There

In summer 2020, rumours were spread across the California counties of Shasta and Humboldt, claiming that "Antifa buses" with some 200 "domestic terrorists" aboard had been trying to "infiltrate" the California city of Redding.

Police departments in northern California appeared to launch aircraft surveillance and chase so-called Antifa buses that did not exist, apparently falling for social media 'misinformation' in the summer of 2020, The Guardian reported Monday, citing public records.

The chase for the non-existent Antifa buses appeared to have been started by an Instagram story shared in June 2020, reading: “BE AWARE … I have heard, from a reliable source, that ANTIFA buses with close to 200 people (domestic terrorists) are planning to infiltrate Redding and possibly cause distraction and destruction,” the social media post read.

It was reportedly followed by a Facebook post claiming that buses with protesters that were planning to “riot” had stopped in Klamath Falls in southern Oregon, “but there was no rioting or burning as they decided to move on”.

California Highway Patrol launched aerial surveillance based on two unverified Insta + FB posts: “BE AWARE …Ive heard, from a reliable source, that ANTIFA buses with close to 200 people (domestic terrorists) are planning to infiltrate ...possibly cause distraction + destruction” pic.twitter.com/l3EpSBEJT7

— Sam Levin (@SamTLevin) August 23, 2021

A California Highway Patrol sergeant then warned a listserv of commanders that “possible ANTIFA buses [are] heading to Redding”, with police later launching aircraft surveillance looking for the buses. Then, according to The Guardian, the sheriff of nearby Humboldt county, William Honsal, shared the claims with his entire staff, saying, “BOL [be on the lookout] for ANTIFA buses from Oregon.”

The report, referring to the public records obtained via Property of the People, said that the actions of the local authorities fueled "misinformation" as the country was shaken by massive protests against police brutality and police racism following the death of George Floyd. Antifa conspiracy theories have also reportedly prompted armed right-wing domestic terrorists to "organize in response".

On 4 June 2020, Honsal, according to Times Standard, claimed that "Antifa was here this weekend".

“There’s members of Antifa dressed up and trying to instigate incidents here. I’m thankful that there was only minor instances of vandalism and violence", Honsal is reported to have said in a recorded message.

The sheriff also appeared to refer to what he described as "substantiated law enforcement reports". 

“CHP confirmed the reports of an Antifa bus or buses,” he stated a week later, adding that he would “continue to share information on radical groups (right or left) that promote violence”.

According to The Guardian, citing a CHP spokesperson, aircraft surveillance launched by law enforcement did not identify any Antifa buses.

“A CHP air unit conducted a short search for the buses; however, they were unable to locate them,” the spokeswoman said, noting that no threat was identified and there were no suspects.

The full extent of the CHP operation is unclear and it's unclear how long air operations may have been on standby or how many CHP units or teams were involved. But the spokesperson said the actual flight time was short: “The Antifa bus mission was a 12-minute event.”

— Sam Levin (@SamTLevin) August 23, 2021