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Conspiracy theorists FALSELY claim Ashli Babbitt was ‘a victim and a martyr’

Self-described independent journalist Tayler Hansen took to Twitter to exonerate Ashli Babbitt in a series of tweets and shared a video taken just before she was shot

Conspiracy theorists have now begun a new way to prove authorities wrong and portray Ashli Babbitt as “a victim and a martyr”. Babbitt was a QAnon believer who was shot on January 6, 2021, during the Capitol riot as she tried to enter the building. On Tuesday, January 25, self-described independent journalist Tayler Hansen took to Twitter to exonerate her.

Hansen shared a series of tweets to spread the lies. His first tweet included a video and a caption that read, “NEW: Ashli Babbitt punched Zachary Alam in an effort to stop him from breaching the window. This was right after the cops decided to evacuate — She was trying to stop the attack on the windows and was visibly frustrated with Police inaction. Watch:”

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In other tweets, Hansen wrote, “Notice in this frame by frame video it shows her grabbing Alam’s backpack and punching him in the face knocking his glasses down. This was 7 seconds before she was shot and killed by Michael Byrd. Ashli Babbitt has been slandered as a violent terrorist from MSM and our Government for over a year— As a firsthand witness, this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Ashli was actively trying to de-escalate the situation, was never violent and didn’t break a single thing.”

The journalist continued, “You can’t just shoot an unarmed woman (14 year air force vet) who was 100% peaceful and label her a terrorist,” before adding, "1 view’ Twitter has activated regime damage control mode, but there is no stopping the truth. After a year of fighting for transparency surrounding Ashli this is a great weight lifted off my shoulders, but we're only getting started. Justice is inevitable. Imagine writing off a firsthand witness of the Babbitt shooting because the truth is too inconvenient for your narrative-- I know more than anyone regarding the shooting and what took place in that hall. Anyone who disagrees with the evidence by now is willfully ignorant. I wonder if the @January6thCmte has anything to say? I doubt it considering @RepKinzinger donated to Michael Byrd's GoFundMe while sitting on the Committee, because thats not a conflict of interest AT ALL!”

But nowhere in Hansen’s tweets has it been mentioned that Babbitt was struck as she tried to climb through the broken window herself. Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd was the one who killed her as she, along with many supporters of former President Donald Trump, tried to stop the politicians who gathered there to certify the victory of then president-elect Joe Biden.

Hansen also spoke to The Epoch Times and said, “Ashli wasn’t a violent person. She was a good person, but they’ve demonized her to become this domestic terrorist that she never has been. She served her country for 14 years. That’s just insane to me that they can actually get away with pushing this narrative. They’ve done that by suppressing first-hand witnesses like me.”

He added, “We didn’t know anything about the building we were in. She turned the corner and I just followed her. A big group of people followed us after I followed her. People just kind of emerged on the door. By that time, she was stuck in the corner. She was literally trapped there.”

Hansen’s false claims encouraged several others like him to hail Babbitt. “The media fed us a lie for an entire year. This is what actually happened with Ashli Babbitt,” a user commented.

Another user said, “Awesome work. God's work. Thanks Taylor! This shows Ashi's leadership to keep the protest peaceful!!! Yet, Ashi was the victim of excessive police force and murder. #JusticeForAshli.”

“Biden said that his granddaughter asked him what the police response would have been, had the protestors been black. There is no doubt that, had Ashli Babbitt been black, and her killer white, Byrd would already be serving a justified life sentence for first degree murder,” a tweet read.

PolitiFact has said that there was no documented trace of antifa involvement at the Capitol or in Babbitt's shooting, and the suggestion that she was trying to stop the mob’s advances was based largely on speculation about what she was doing, saying and feeling in the moments leading up to her death.