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Klamath Falls Lawmaker Uses Fiery Photo From 2017 French Protest to Criticize Portland Protests

Rep. E. Werner Reschke is not alone in criticizing the response to Portland unrest, but he used a misleading picture to illustrate his thoughts.

Oregon State Capitol (Edmund Garman / Flickr)
By Rachel Monahan

State Rep. E. Werner Reschke (R-Klamath Falls) is not alone in his criticism of Mayor Ted Wheeler and Gov. Kate Brown's response to protests after the Aug. 29 killing of a Trump-supporting protester.

But in a newsletter sent to constituents recently, the photo atop Reschke's statement about the killing and the protests depicts a French protest from 2017.

"Like a wildfire left unchecked, violence seeks to grow and expand," Reschke wrote. "This man's homicide is the fruit of permissible lawlessness."

The photo of French police on fire may have fit with Reschke's theme, but it didn't fit the facts.

Reschke did not respond to requests for comment.

The photo Reschke used was taken by Agence France-Press photographer Zakaria Abdelkafi at the 2017 May Day rally in Paris and appeared on front pages around the world.

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