The government of Lafayette, Louisiana, is suing a New York City man for posting multiple hoaxes to Facebook about anti-fascist activists that drew counter-protests and police responses in July and August. John Merrifield, the 28-year-old defendant and a Lafayette native, argued that the city is mounting an aggressive response that disregards the context of his posts. He lives in New York City. His first fake event, “Antifa Takes River Ranch,” provoked a right-wing demonstration that police monitored and the city later investigated. His second, “Antifa Takes Acadiana Mall,” supposedly scheduled for last Saturday, prompted the mall to close early and police cars to patrol the parking lot. A third fake event, “Antifa Takes Laura” is slated to take place at Lafayette city hall. His mother reportedly shared one of the events even after local authorities debunked it. Merrifield told The Acadiana Advocate that he considered the untrue posts a form of satirical activism: “It's to expose how out-of-order their priorities are in regards to how they protect the rich versus how they protect the poor.” He called the lawsuit “absolutely ridiculous” and said the city could have “all 300 of my dollars.” Lafayette Mayor-President Josh Guillory said in a radio interview, “We will always take these threats seriously... We will stop at no cost—or we will stop at no measure—to recoup the cost that taxpayers have to pay for this kind of stuff.”