During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the streets of Fond Du Lac (Wisconsin, north-central United States) were disturbed by the actions of a 19-year-old young man. The latter, originally from Menasha (another town in Wisconsin) had the excellent idea to deliberately cause a fire at Rep. Glenn Grothman’s office. A Republican member of Congress who supported the law forcing TikTok to separate from its Chinese owner (Bytedance) so that the platform finds an American buyer.
So that the platform is not banned on American soil, many potential saviors have already made themselves heard. The United States represents an extremely lucrative market for social networks, TikTok and its millions of users is a goose that lays premium golden eggs for any potential buyer.
A burning night in Fond du Lac
Emergency responders responded around 1 a.m. to 525 N. Peters Avenue, where first responders quickly brought the fire under control using fire extinguishers. The damage, although visible on the front of the office and an air conditioner, remained quite limited.
Fond du Lac Police Chief Aaron Goldstein quickly condemned this act : “ Violence, in all its forms, cannot be tolerated. Our priority remains the protection and well-being of our community “.
A somewhat inadequate gesture
The alleged perpetrator, currently detained in the Fond du Lac County jail, admitted to having acted in reaction to the suspension of TikTok, effective since Saturday evening. It was very bad for him, since… the situation only lasted a few hours. Indeed, President-elect Donald Trump announced yesterday afternoon his intention to temporarily suspend the application of the law. His proposal: the acquisition of 50% of the application by the American federal government, a proposal whose practical arrangements remain to be defined.
Rep. Grothman, who has never owned a TikTok account, was surprised by this act of vandalismdeclaring to FDL Reporter : “ I don’t even know exactly what happened yet, other than someone tried to start a fire because of TikTok “.
American laws provide for fairly severe penalties for such acts; arson is generally classified as a Class C felony, punishable with a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. The fact that the target is a political office could be considered an aggravating factor, particularly if the act is perceived to be politically motivated. This could lead to additional charges, such as threatening a public official, which would further increase the sentence imposed. We know one who must currently be chomping at the bit.
- A young man started a fire targeting a political office in Wisconsin, in response to a measure against TikTok.
- The damage was limited thanks to rapid intervention, and the perpetrator was arrested and imprisoned.
- This act, linked to the potential ban on TikTok, could result in very heavy criminal penalties.
By: TikTok Pte. Ltd.
