MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

How did boats at Trump parade on Lake Travis sink? Poseidon to Antifa Navy, a look at some bizarre theories

The authorities rescued several people on Saturday after at least four boats sank at an event promoted as a Trump Boat Parade, officials said

Various boats participating in President Donald Trump's water parade at Lake Travis in Texas ran into trouble on Saturday, September 5, as multiple vessels sank, authorities said. The authorities rescued several people after at least four boats sank at the Trump Boat Parade, officials said.

The Travis County Sheriff's Office tweeted that it responded to multiple calls involving boats in distress during the parade, saying, "TCSO responded to multiple calls involving boats in distress during the Trump parade on Lake Travis. Several boats did sink."

Kristen Dark, the senior public information officer for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, told CNN that officials were responding to "many emergency calls for boats in distress" and confirmed that several have sunk. A Facebook page for the 'boats' event said more than 2,600 people planned to attend. Christa Stedman, a spokeswoman for Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services, said no injuries had been reported.

The number of boats participating in the gathering is not clear yet. Ms Dark said there were “too many variables” to say for sure what exactly happened. “We had an exceptional number of boats on the lake today,” she said. “When they all started moving at the same time, it generated significant waves.”

With winds around 10 miles per hour, and gusting to as much as 15 miles per hour, the weather conditions in and around the lake most likely would not have caused the boats to sink, Aaron Treadway, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the Austin/San Antonio office, told New York Times.

Mr Salinas, who helped organize 'Lake Travis Trump Boat Parade', said the boat parade was “one way that Trump supporters can get out and express themselves without causing too much trouble or congestion in streets.”

As soon, as the news of the 'sunken' boats came in people started speculating and weaving stories around the incident, as some users linked it to the Poseiden theory and said, "*bunch of rednecks loading up for a Trump Boat Parade* Poseidon, sinking the shit out of their boats:" and "#Poseidon came up from the deep to exclaim his displeasure with Trumpsters. He's freakin terrorizing them. Look at what he's doing to the Trump flag. He's pulling it off the boat." According to BGS, in Greek mythology, Poseidon is the god of the sea and is usually depicted carrying a trident. One of Poseidon's 'nicknames' is Earthshaker. Stories are told of Poseidon striking the ground with this trident, which triggers earthquakes.

"I see mother nature showing her opinion of The Trump Boat Parade at Lake Travis near Austin Texas. Seems a few of these boats sank. Some thank Poseidon. I call it The wrath of Karma," said another user.

Some netizens called it a navy of Anti-Fascist aka 'ANTIFA navy' and said, "Antifa Navy sinks the SS Poseidon 'Listen Little Buddy, you take your boat out and lead the armada and I'll watch from shore,'" and "Here's the Antifa Navy's battle plan: Sit back and watch from land as Trumpers in boats sink themselves."

Comedian Kate Willett also took a jibe and said, "Bid my sweet husband a tearful farewell this morning as he set off to join the Antifa Navy. Godspeed, my love!"

Antifa Navy is a group of anti-fascism activists whose goal is to resist the spread of fascism. Antifa activists see 'fascism' as the violent enactment and enforcement of biological and social inequalities between people. Scott Crow, a former Antifa organizer, told CTV News, that the "radical ideals" promoted by Antifas are starting to be adopted by liberals. "They would never have looked at (those ideals) before because they saw us as the enemy as much as the right-wingers."