‘Antifa interning': Twitter users ask who’s posting on behalf of Oregon police after joke about Trump arrest

Oregon State Police’s Twitter account has been bombarded with a slew of irritated comments, after it joked about the arrest of a man named Tyler Trump.

The 35-year-old man, who happens to share a last name with the incumbent US president, was busted early on Friday morning while trying to break into a bar and grill in the town of Fairview, Oregon, Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office has reported. After a short chase, canine officer Pardo “followed his nose right to the suspect,” resulting in an arrest.

The otherwise routine report resulted in unusually high engagement on social media, as people praised the work of the K9-unit agent, with many responding, “Good boy, Pardo!” Oregon State Police no doubt simply wanted to get a look-in on the positive publicity by sharing the tweet, joking that it had nothing to do with the ongoing election and posting a wink emoji.

But unlike the positive reaction to the initial tweet by the Multnomah County Sheriff’s office, the follow-up attempt at political humor apparently angered and upset many Twitter users. One commenter even suggested an Antifa member must be at the helm of the police’s social media accounts.

Some compared the stunt to a recent PR fiasco in Oregon’s Washington County. Last week, after an onslaught of negative comments, the sheriff’s office there deleted a Halloween tweet showing a pair of troopers dressed respectively as “Sheriff Vader” and a stormtrooper. Donning the costumes of the iconic Star Wars villain and a foot soldier of the oppressive empire was deemed inappropriate by many social media users, who accused police in Oregon of real-life brutality and the suppression of peaceful protests.

Interestingly, some on the left side of the political spectrum saw the post as offensive too. One woman said it would be better if Oregon State Police quit their jobs instead of “trying to be charming” to win people over “while at the same time attacking” them.

Oregon has seen some of the US’ most intense confrontations between Black Lives Matter protesters and law enforcement agents. Central Portland, which is in Multnomah County, witnessed a string of nearly nightly riots over several months, after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police in May.

Political tensions escalated further after last week’s presidential election, which failed to result in a clear-cut victory for either President Donald Trump or ex-Vice President Joe Biden. The outcome hangs on results in a handful of battleground states, which tipped in Biden’s favor after mail-in ballots were counted. Trump claimed this to be the result of a fraud.

Despite the fury over the Oregon police joke, it seems there was no dispute about K9 Pardo being one cute officer.

If you like this story, share it with a friend!