A 19-year-old sets fire to a congressman’s office over TikTok ban.

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The recent TikTok ban has sparked a wave of unrest, culminating in a shocking act of arson. A 19-year-old Wisconsin man set fire to Republican Rep. Glenn Grothman’s office in Fond du Lac in protest of the ban. The fire was started around 1 a.m. on Sunday, just hours after TikTok went offline.

According to a report from WISN Milwaukee, police officers arrived at the scene and used extinguishers to hold the fire in check until firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze. The building was empty at the time, and no injuries were reported. The suspect, who has not been publicly identified, was arrested nearby. While in custody, the teenager admitted to starting the fire in response to recent talks of a TikTok ban.

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Fond du Lac Police Chief Aaron Goldstein emphasized the seriousness of the incident, stating, “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.”

The TikTok ban, which was upheld by the Supreme Court on January 17, has been a contentious issue. The law mandates that ByteDance, the Chinese owners of TikTok, sell the app or shut it down. Following the ruling, TikTok went offline for U.S. users on Saturday, January 18, but returned to operation less than 24 hours later after the platform announced it was in the process of restoring service.

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Rep. Glenn Grothman, who voted for the bill mandating the ban, expressed relief that no one was hurt in the fire and thanked the firefighters and police officers for their swift response. The incident has raised concerns about the potential for further violence as tensions over the TikTok ban continue to escalate.

The suspect is currently being held at the Fond du Lac County Jail and will be referred to the Fond du Lac County District Attorney’s Office. The investigation is still in its preliminary stages, and authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.

Sources:

https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-ban-fire-congressmans-office-wisconsin-a815e6592bea4c028b1c7748491461ed

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/wisconsin-teen-says-short-lived-tiktok-ban-was-motive-for-allegedly-setting-fire-to-local-congressmans-office-police/ar-AA1xtOYW

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/man-started-fire-at-lawmakers-office-was-motivated-by-tiktok-ban-police-say/ar-AA1xtDvm

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/2025/01/19/tiktok-ban-wisconsin-fire-lawmaker-office/77826110007/

https://people.com/teen-cites-tiktok-ban-after-allegedly-setting-fire-to-local-congressman-office-8777155

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/01/19/tiktok-ban-wisconsin-fire-lawmaker-office/77826110007/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wisconsin-arson-tiktok-glenn-grothman-police/

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/19/fire-congressional-office-tiktok-ban-wisconsin-00199185

https://gizmodo.com/teen-sets-fire-to-congressmans-office-allegedly-over-tiktok-ban-2000552435

https://www.wisn.com/article/man-accused-of-setting-fire-near-grothmans-office-over-possible-tiktok-ban/63473497


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