Teen set fire to congressman’s office over TikTok ban, police say
Police in Wisconsin have claimed a teenager set fire to a local congressman’s office over the divisive TikTok ban, with a shocking image showing the damage to the scorched building.
The TikTok ban has proven to be something of a rollercoaster over in the US, with the app going dark yesterday (19 January) in the wake of legislation forcing parent company ByteDance to sell the platform or face a total shutdown - the latter option eventually winning.
Why does the US want to ban TikTok?
US officials had described the app and the company behind it as 'a national security threat of immense depth and scale', accusing them of having links to China.
However, it wasn’t long before TikTok started restoring the service to users after President-elect Donald Trump vowed to attempt to pause the ban.
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"We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive," TikTok said in a statement.
"It's a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States."
Backlash to the TikTok ban
While the ban essentially lasted less than a day, it didn’t stop outrage from breaking out.
Many people took to social media to share their frustration, but one teen in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, allegedly took it one step further.
The City of Fond du Lac Police Department (FDLPD) said the district office of U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, located at a local strip mall, had been set on fire by a 19-year-old man who later 'admitted to starting the fire in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban'.
Thankfully, police said the building was unoccupied at the time, meaning there were no injuries.
Posting on X, Grothman wrote: “Nobody was hurt in the fire and the damage has been contained. Thank you to the FDL firefighters and police officers for your swift response.”
The man was arrested and charged with arson, with FDLPD Chief Aaron Goldstein saying in a statement: “We are relieved that no one was injured and the office was unoccupied at the time of the fire.
“Acts of violence, in any form, are not tolerated, and we remain committed to protecting the safety and well-being of our community. I am thankful for the swift response of our officers in helping knock down the fire and also locating the suspect of this arson.”
What has Trump said about the TikTok ban?
There was a question of whether or not Trump would be able to reverse the ban as he re-enters office today (20 January) - that's even though he was actually the one who proposed the move back in 2020, later becoming a huge fan of the platform after it helped boost his audience during his 2024 presidential campaign.
Over the weekend, he wrote on Truth Social that, after he took office, he would sign an order allowing the app more time to find a buyer before it is forced to shut down in the US, saying an American firm - or even the US - could take 50 percent ownership.
Trump said: “By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to [stay] up.
“Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars - maybe trillions.”
Jess Hardiman