claim: Paul Ryan endorsed "antifa," saying that they stood for the "greater good."
origin: On 28 August 2017, the fake â€œantifaâ€ Twitter account @CambridgeAntifa posted a meme purportedly quoting House Speaker Paul Ryan as endorsing the anti-fascist group. The quote gained a wider audience the following day when actor James Woods shared it with his 800,000 followers: < Do I agree with all of Antifaâ€™s tactics? No. Of course not. But I agree with their core values. Antifa stands for the greater global good. And so do I. > The quote isnâ€™t real.Â Ryan has become somewhat of an enemy in â€œalt-rightâ€ circles, in part because he contradicted President Trumpâ€™s assertion after a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville left a woman dead that there had been â€œviolence on many sides.â€ Ryan denounced this sentiment: < There are no sides. There is no other argument. We will not tolerate this hateful ideology in our society. > Ryanâ€™s statement meant war for some of President Trumpâ€™s supporters, who started to paint the House Speaker as an antifa supporter: < Howâ€™s it feel to be bought and paid for by Soros and the Clintonâ€™s?!! Sell out traitor!!! â€” ??@covfefeToni?? (@maga_Texas) August 21, 2017 > Ryan has not voiced support for antifa. We found no record of the quote included in this meme and Ryanâ€™s press secretary, Ashlee Strong, confirmed that it was fake.Â @CambridgeAntifa is not associated with an official antifa group. Dozens of fakeÂ antifa Twitter accounts have been created in recent months in an attempt to discredit the anti-fascistÂ organization.Â AntifaChecker, a web site dedicated to rooting out fake antifa accounts, said that â€œCambridge Antifa is indeed 100% fake.â€ The meme also includes at least one image that is unrelated to U.S. politics. The top left image featuring a group dressed in black and carrying red flags, was taken in London in 2011. < Masked protesters on the streets of London during a day of protests across the city. The Home Secretary, Theresa May, is looking at giving police extra powers to force protesters to remove face coverings. Credit should read â€œJoel Goodman/London News Picturesâ€. >