Fox News wants its viewers to believe that Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ)—a.k.a. the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP)—is filled with in-fights and squabbling, but they've only succeeded in showing that it contains classic Monty Python jokes.
In Seattle, citizens protested police violence by creating a police-free zone.
The idea that a place could be safe for any amount of time without constant police presence is unacceptable to many conservatives. Along those lines, Fox News took a distinct effort to portray the reportedly peaceful CHAZ as unhappy and dangerous.
There's just one problem—there's little evidence actually pointing towards that conclusion. So Fox News took to Reddit, where they found a post which, at first glance, seemed to be criticizing a leader of the Autonomous Zone.
If they had looked a bit closer at the post, however, they might have seen it for what it was—a Monty Python reference.
oh my god, the transcript of this as it aired from this @marthamaccallum.https://t.co/5nsyRQPQBr pic.twitter.com/fZfyxBecSX
— andrew kaczynski🤔 (@KFILE) June 13, 2020
All over the comments under the Reddit post Fox read on air to say they were, "learning that there is infighting among some of the occupiers and some signs or rebellion against Raz Simone" make clear it's a joke from Monty Python. pic.twitter.com/9z53oSCUc6
— andrew kaczynski🤔 (@KFILE) June 13, 2020
as it aired pic.twitter.com/X2JF3v0yCg
— andrew kaczynski🤔 (@KFILE) June 13, 2020
on today's episode of Fox news is a joke, @marthamaccallum seriously reads off this reddit post as a complaint against CHAZ, not realizing it's a reference to Monty Python and the Holy Grail pic.twitter.com/w7N56ulOXl
— Katie (@katieath) June 12, 2020
The scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail that the Reddit post borrowed from is the one of the repressed citizen peasant Dennis' meeting with King Arthur.
Monty Python - Repressed Citizenyoutu.be
The Holy Grailskit featured Monty Python members Michael Palin and the late Graham Chapman and the late Terry Jones.
The Monty Python fans of Twitter had a good laugh at Fox News' expense, even referencing The Life of Brian.
Hey @FoxNews, I have a scoop for you about the group behind all these protests: the Judean People's Front https://t.co/6PhpQPxSmP
— Chris Taylor (@FutureBoy) June 13, 2020
Fox News fell for a Monty Python joke on Reddit lmao pic.twitter.com/Yo34yuQvlD
— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) June 13, 2020
Honestly, all Fox News Reports would be better if they pretended Monty Python skits were real. https://t.co/pb4dmfmYe3
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) June 13, 2020
People couldn't believe not a single person from Fox News caught the verbatim reference to the 1975 comedy classic.
Monty Python radicalized me https://t.co/l4UjnPCZ4i
— maura quint (@behindyourback) June 13, 2020
If Fox News had read the replies to that post, the truth would have been revealed.
It's funny because they fell for it. It's sad and maddening because viewers believe the Fox news lies.
— Mary Niska (@mniska) June 13, 2020
Other dissenters were overheard screaming from the roof tops... pic.twitter.com/wjsTmeVm8W
— dolan (@dolioshmolio) June 14, 2020
Also funny for many was that Fox News was getting their hard news leads from Reddit.
PEOPLE! the mistake was not reporting a monty python joke--it was reporting any kind of information seriously from reddit.
— resting.sad.face (@redheadrumble) June 13, 2020
I can hear @JohnCleese laughing loudly at this one.
— ☉Mitch DuRette☉ (@mitchdurette) June 13, 2020
According to Fox News, the CHAZ is also being guarded by a tall knight in black armor who hops around on one leg.
im invincible monty python GIFGiphy
Fox News company photo. pic.twitter.com/9sju3VgzKy
— Sean Braisted (@SeanBraisted) June 13, 2020
Once again, Fox News has shown the world just how much they care about the truth and how thorough their fact checking department is.