Republican vice presidential candidate J.D. Vance, an outspoken supporter of conspiracy theories that immigrants “replace” Americans, is now spreading stories about Haitian immigrants killing family pets and protected wildlife in Springfield, Ohio error message.
“There are now reports of people’s pets being kidnapped and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country,” Vance posted on X on Monday, echoing unsubstantiated rumors that circulated on right-wing social media over the weekend.
The unnamed “report” cited by Vance may have come from information war or daily mailboth published posts about Haitian immigrants eating pets and wild animals from poorly sourced sources. Both publications cited a Facebook post in which someone claimed that a neighbor’s daughter’s friend lost her cat and later found it “hanging on a tree branch like you were butchering a deer” at a home “Outside the house where Haitians live.” But the local police told the police springfield news sun There are no reports of pets being stolen or eaten in the community.
Still, the Springfield pet incident remains a particularly instructive example of how right-wing media often launders and mainstreams obvious misinformation. The rumor has reportedly been circulating locally for at least a month and was amplified by conservative influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers, and then by politicians such as Vance and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), as well as immigrants. Obsessives and other mainstreaming.
this News Center-Sun It was suggested that the initial Facebook post confused Springfield with Canton, Ohio, a city 175 miles northeast where a woman was recently arrested for allegedly killing and eating a cat in front of multiple people. Right-wing commentator Ian Miles Cheong, who frequently writes about American politics despite living in Malaysia, believes the woman who ate the cat is Haitian.
The Springfield pet situation is a particularly illuminating example of how right-wing media often launders and mainstreams clear misinformation
Daniel Di Martino, a doctoral student at Columbia University and a researcher at the conservative Manhattan Institute, discovered the woman’s voter registration information and said her name was Alexis Ferrer. Allexis Ferrell, is a U.S. citizen. Other reports indicate that the rumors began before Ferrell was arrested. “We get these reports of ‘Haitians killing ducks in many of our parks’ or ‘Haitians eating vegetables in the grocery store aisles,'” said Jason Via, Springfield’s deputy director of public safety and operations. Via) told reporters. “We haven’t really seen that. It’s really frustrating.
But the rumors persisted. A Springfield resident raised the issue at an Aug. 27 Springfield City Commission meeting, claiming that Haitian immigrants “grab ducks by their necks in the park, chop off their heads, and carry them with them” They go away and eat them.
City Council meetings, archived on YouTube, have been a steady source of content for right-wing commentators eager to demonstrate how real Americans are suffering as a result of so-called open borders. On September 8, the X account End Wokeness posted a clip from the committee’s August 27 meeting, amplifying the duck-eating rumor to more than 2.9 million followers. Two days earlier, the same account posted a screenshot of an unverified Facebook post claiming that “ducks and pets are disappearing” in Springfield. Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk retweeted this image on September 8. “Obviously, people’s pet cats are being eaten,” wrote Musk, who often posts conspiracy theories about the Great Replacement. “If it weren’t for 𝕏,” End Wokeness posted the next day, “you wouldn’t have known Haitians were eating cats in Springfield.”
The right-wing misinformation campaign about immigration is by no means limited to Springfield. Last month, conservative commentators claimed that Venezuelan gang members had taken over a Colorado apartment building after a video depicting armed men banging on apartment doors went viral on X. End Wokeness claims gang members have begun collecting rent at the second building. city dailyThe New York Times, the Manhattan Institute’s in-house publication, claimed that two apartment buildings were “under siege” by Venezuelan gang members. Aurora Mayor Mike Coffman later said “criminal elements” had taken over the city’s buildings and were extorting residents. Former President Donald Trump repeated the reports, saying Venezuelans were “taking over whole towns.”
In fact, Aurora police told police Associated Press Members of the group did not take over the apartment complex and did not collect rent. Residents of one building, some of whom are Venezuelan, say the building’s New York-based management company has neglected maintenance work. But rumors continued to spread on the X, and were amplified by Musk. “Unless Trump wins,” he posted, “go meet your new building manager.”
