As we told you yesterday, angry Netflix employees and fellow trans activists showed up to protest Dave Chappelle’s comedy special “The Closer”.
Variety was one of many media outlets that covered it:
The #NetflixWalkout which was intended to showcase solidarity with the trans community, grew tense at certain points as protesters clashed with a vocal crowd of the comedian’s fans. https://t.co/DJttIPDjLA pic.twitter.com/TCxHXRhdyR
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2021
Lots of tense clashes between protesters and Chappelle fans!
A subset of counter-protestors, primarily comprised of white women, began shouting anti-trans remarks, saying, “self-love, not surgery,” which appeared a reference to gender reassignment procedures. https://t.co/DJttIPDjLA
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2021
“Comprised of” is incorrect. Also, from where we were sitting, there were quite a few white women (can we say “women”?) among the anti-Netflix protesters.
But regarding the “subset of counter-protesters”:
“We are protesting this walkout. They have the right to do it, but we have the right to standup for Dave Chappelle and his freedom of expression,” said Gigi LaRoux, who identified herself as a supporter of comedy. https://t.co/DJttIPDjLA pic.twitter.com/VcXyiwRvXR
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2021
Counter-protesters were also out, bearing signs with messages like “Jokes Are Funny.”
"Comedians are equal opportunity destroyers," said one person who identified as a supporter of comedy. "You can’t pick and choose who you’re going to make fun of." https://t.co/DJttIPDjLA pic.twitter.com/H51d0roUSI
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2021
And then, of course, there was this counter-protester:
This is phenomenal. Man shows up at anti-Dave Chappelle Netflix protest with a sign saying he likes Dave and thinks jokes are funny. Gets accosted by woke mob, has his sign destroyed. pic.twitter.com/KKRgLp269b
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 20, 2021
Here’s how Variety worked him into their coverage:
At times, the #NetflixWalkout situation threatened to devolve as counter protestors pushed against trans speakers. https://t.co/DJttIPDjLA pic.twitter.com/Dchp9awIrM
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2021
Here’s a screenshot as well:
Was the “We Like Dave” guy really pushing against trans speakers, Variety? That’s not how it looked to us, but maybe we just weren’t looking hard enough.
Let’s look again:
This is phenomenal. Man shows up at anti-Dave Chappelle Netflix protest with a sign saying he likes Dave and thinks jokes are funny. Gets accosted by woke mob, has his sign destroyed. pic.twitter.com/KKRgLp269b
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 20, 2021
Yeah, see, what it looks like to us is like the guy wasn’t hurting anyone with his good-natured (and decidedly not anti-trans) signs but was accosted by protesters who ripped his sign away, destroyed it, and then cried that he had a weapon.
This is a pure lie. It's on video for everyone to see. At no time was he the aggressor. A blatant, purposeful and pure lie. https://t.co/7DBZydkjtO
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) October 21, 2021
Do you need to watch it again, Variety? Is the third time the charm?
Well that's a flat-out lie. @Variety may want to check to see if there's video of these incidents before lying in their tweets. https://t.co/r96Fl08reh
— Sean The Producer (@SeanTheProducr) October 20, 2021
Not cool, Variety. At all.
That's why you provide a photo and not the video. You're lying.
— Wittorical (@Wittorical) October 21, 2021
What’s particularly galling is that Variety later tweeted a more accurate description of the incident:
One man’s sign was ripped out of his hand by a pro-trans protestor and split in half, leaving him with a stick and little else. https://t.co/DJttIPDjLA
— Variety (@Variety) October 20, 2021
Could they not have pointed that out sooner?
The tweet below is an admission that the tweet above is a false representation; it’s the same guy. So why is the above tweet still up?https://t.co/fzCWfUUvZE
— O.T. Ford (@ot_ford) October 21, 2021
Because narrative, that’s why.
You are liars.
— The Partyman (@PartymanRandy) October 21, 2021
This is a bald faced lie. The person in the b/w sweater was the aggressor
— CanLen 🕙 (@CandiceLen) October 21, 2021
The bearded man did not touch anyone, did not assault anyone, dropped his sign when asked to by people out and out lying by saying he had a weapon, did not hurl abuse at anyone and was subjected to lies, abuse, threats and, at one point, was pushed.
— Rhoooohhhhhhoooohhhbba (@RhubbaComedy) October 20, 2021
he held a sign that said jokes are funny and the protestors grabbed it and ripped it apart
you are blatantly lying https://t.co/eQvkBRUocD
— pubs (@fkapubs) October 21, 2021
This is such an insanely dishonest tweet if you watch the video version. At no point did the dude instigate anything physically — this is after his sign was taken and destroyed and he was muscled out.https://t.co/PcOpnDqRZB https://t.co/GMjqrASCoL
— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) October 21, 2021
2/ Shades of Covington here, honestly
— Jesse Singal (@jessesingal) October 21, 2021
It’s quite gross.
This coverage is shamefully false. This guy was saying “I like Dave” and got assaulted. Push your narrative though.
— Alex (@NilesGordon) October 20, 2021
It’s all about the narrative.
These are the rules: your speech is violence, their violence is speech, and if you resist their violence, the media will tag YOU as the "aggressor." https://t.co/EAcbqm89Tl
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) October 21, 2021
