"Deep RED cities are not boarding up" and the National Guard is "not being called in, in case Biden wins."
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Members of the Pennsylvania National Guard and Philadelphia police officers stand outside the Philadelphia Municipal Services Building on the eve of the 2020 General Election in the United States on Nov. 2, 2020, in Philadelphia. (AP)
A nonpartisan reality: National Guard troops deployed to red and blue states on Election Day
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- The National Guard has deployed more than 3,600 troops in 16 states to assist with the election and in anticipation of violent protests afterward. Among them are several states with Republican governors, including Alabama and Tennessee.
Cities nationwide are bracing for unrest after Election Day, but one popular Instagram post says the potential violence is politically one-sided.
"Right now, across the nation, in DEEP blue (D) cities, National Guard is being activated, and businesses boarded up," says text in the image, which was published Nov. 2 by Anthony Cabassa, chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly in California.
"The election has been sold as a Dem win, ALL the polls show ‘Racist Trump’ losing key states. So why are deep RED cities not boarding up? Why is National Guard not being called in, in case Biden wins?"
The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook, which owns Instagram.)
The screenshot comes from a post from Cabassa on Parler, a website that has likened itself to a conservative version of Twitter. It’s inaccurate.
Featured Fact-check
National Guard troops are being deployed nationwide, including in states that regularly vote for Republicans. Fact-checkers have debunked the claim that the National Guard is only in areas that tend to vote for Democrats.
The Military Times reported Nov. 2 that the National Guard has deployed more than 3,600 troops in 16 states. Among them are several states that are expected to swing in Trump’s favor on Election Night, including Alabama and Tennessee. Those states also have Republican governors, which are generally the ones to decide whether to bring in the National Guard or not.
In Texas, National Guard troops could be sent to cities like Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio, according to the Military Times.
The Instagram post is inaccurate. We rate it False.
This fact check is available at IFCN’s 2020 US Elections FactChat #Chatbot on WhatsApp. Click here, for more.
Our Sources
CBS News, "Cities across U.S. brace for Election Day violence and unrest," Nov. 2, 2020
Instagram post, Nov. 2, 2020
FiveThirtyEight, Latest Polls, accessed Nov. 3, 2020
Lead Stories, "Fact Check: The National Guard Is NOT Only Being Activated In 'Blue Cities' -- It's Happening In Red States, Too," Nov. 3, 2020
The Military Times, "National Guard Election Day update: More than 3,600 troops active in 16 states," Nov. 2, 2020
National Guard, About Us, accessed Nov. 3, 2020
PolitiFact, "Trump retweets Benghazi conspiracy theory that falsely claims Biden, Obama killed Navy SEALs," Oct. 14, 2020
The Washington Post, "The conservative alternative to Twitter wants to be a place for free speech for all. It turns out, rules still apply." July 15, 2020
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A nonpartisan reality: National Guard troops deployed to red and blue states on Election Day
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