Alex Jones, a radio host of “InfoWars” and conspiracy theorist who has alleged the Sandy Hook school shooting was a hoax, took to the streets of Seattle this week.
Videos on Facebook and Twitter show Jones walking around downtown and talking to people on the sidewalk about recent events surrounding President Donald Trump.
Some people ignored Jones’ provocative questions while others engaged, many condemning his program and website that’s considered as fake news.
But one encounter -- streamed on Periscope Friday morning -- ended with coffee thrown onto Jones. Some people on Twitter have questioned whether the incident was staged.
The video shows, while in downtown, Jones was walking along sidewalks on Third Avenue near Pine Street talking about the terrorist attacks in Spain.
Jones became irritated when a man near the Macy’s building started giving him obscene hand gestures. Jones chased the man, called him a coward, and then turned the other way.
A few minutes later -- just after Jones had mumbled “trendy cowards” -- a man yelled, “You’re trash.”
Jones and the man got into each other’s faces and exchanged heated words. As Jones turned to the camera and said, “This is what they’ve turned people into. A literal slave of system,” the man unscrewed his mug and threw coffee on him.
The man then held his coffee mug out as if he was going to hit Jones, but then he turned and walked away toward South Lake Union.
“I have to get back to work, where they’ll have more coffee,” the man said.
KIRO 7 News learned Jones is possibly in Seattle for a family getaway and that his wife went to school in the area.
Recently, Jones was repeatedly asked by reporter Megyn Kelly to admit he was wrong to call the massacre at Newtown, Connecticut, a hoax. Kelly was criticized intensely for giving a platform to Jones, who has also called the Sept. 11 attacks an inside job and promoted the false story that a pizza place in Washington, D.C., was the site of a child sex ring.
She has defended her decision by noting that his influence has grown with the rise of Trump, who has praised Jones and appeared on his radio program.
There’s been some grumblings on social media about whether Jones would talk about the renewed calls to take down the Vladimir Lenin statue in Fremont.
On Thursday, Mayor Ed Murray said he wants the statue removed, and also wants a Confederate monument removed from grave sites at Lake View Cemetery; even though both are on private property.
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