Hoax flyers promoting a protest against the COVID-19 Chinese coronavirus lockdowns went up last week in the town of Tottenville in Staten Island, New York City. The flyers mockingly called for “non-essential workers” to attend even if they were sick and to not wear masks. The flyers also employed pro-Trump slogans #MAGA and Keep America Great. Police, the media and Trump haters fell for the obvious hoax, but Trump supporters did not as no one showed up to protest at the announced time of 11 a.m. last Sunday.

The political prank was successful however, but harmful to the national discourse on the lockdowns.

if anyone was curious as to how fucking DUMB the south shore of staten island is… pic.twitter.com/45gMMYIOXv — Kp (@kpannz) April 19, 2020

https://twitter.com/meganelder3/status/1251950065138221058

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The Staten Island Advance reported on the no-protester protest without mentioning it was a hoax. Excerpt:

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — According to fliers posted around Tottenville, some non-essential workers planned an “End the Lockdown Rally” for Sunday at Conference House Park, in hopes of protesting the current “New York on PAUSE” mandates under Gov. Andrew Cuomo in an effort to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). But no one showed up for Sunday’s rally — except the police. Fliers promoting an “End the Lockdown Rally” were spotted at the CVS on Page Avenue, and on the corner of Main Street and Amboy Road. The promotional material said the rally would take place Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on the Conference House lawn in Tottenville. “No mask needed. Bring your children. Non-essential workers. If you’re sick still come, it’s your right!” stated the fliers.

Liberal sites Raw Story and AlterNet fell for the hoax: A disturbing plan for an anti-lockdown protest in New York went up in smoke

…It’s no secret that New York City has been hit especially hard by the coronavirus pandemic. According to researchers at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, more than 14,450 people have died from COVID-19 in New York City — and Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has been emphasizing that its hospitals are absolutely overwhelmed. Nonetheless, the extremists who announced the would-be event circulated a flyer promoting an “End the Lockdown Rally” and declaring “Liberate Staten Island.” It gets worse: the flyer urged Staten Island residents to “bring your children,” noted that “no mask” was needed and asserted, “If you’re sick, still come — it’s your right.” But in a city where more than 14,450 people have died from COVID-19, it seems most people have enough common sense to realize that Cuomo isn’t shutting down NYC and other parts of his state because he wants to inconvenience people. He’s trying to save lives. And SILive’s Rebeka Humbrecht reports, “No one showed up for Sunday’s rally — except the police.”…

Never Trumper Charlie Sykes fell for the hoax.

When pressed Sykes replied, “Nobody showed up…. but what evidence do you have it was a hoax… rather than just profoundly dumb?”

Nobody showed up…. but what evidence do you have it was a hoax… rather than just profoundly dumb? — Charlie Sykes (@SykesCharlie) April 21, 2020

Progressive activist Amy Siskind fell for the hoax.

https://twitter.com/Amy_Siskind/status/1252282768064741376

This writer has over a decade of experience organizing and leading conservative protests and demonstrations from the late 1990s to the early 2010s. We did not go around putting posters up on telephone poles and utility boxes to promote our rallies. That is what the left does. We used modern means of communication: Posting to the Internet, emails, advertising if we had the money and earned media appearances in print, online and on radio and TV. Also telling is that no group or contact info is on the flyer.

While I am not involved with the current protests against the lockdowns, reporting by sites like the Washington Post and others show the protests are being organized online (with a spin to denigrate the protesters).

Far-right activists are behind some Facebook groups pushing anti-quarantine rallies, showing that protests are being engineered https://t.co/GJKDKB9g3q — The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 20, 2020

Poor Alyssa Milano, she is so gullible.