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False Claims of Migrants Killing Pets Spread Online
Explore the spread of false claims about migrants harming pets online. This article debunks myths, examines the impact of misinformation, and highlights the importance of verifying facts in today’s digital age.
False Claims of Migrants Killing Pets Spread Rapidly Online
A false narrative suggesting that migrants are killing wild animals and household pets for sustenance has surged across the internet this week. What began as fringe social media posts quickly escalated to become a talking point for former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign in just a matter of days. These claims originated from a series of unverified anecdotes and have been conflated with various unrelated instances of animal cruelty. This narrative also draws on deeply entrenched racist stereotypes that portray foreigners as engaging in the consumption of a wide range of undesirable animals.
The alarming speed at which this misinformation has proliferated highlights the potential for false claims to gain traction on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Thousands of posts referencing this disturbing idea inundated social media over the past weekend, peaking on Monday, as reported by Pyrra Technologies, a company specializing in social media monitoring.
This situation also reveals the readiness of Donald Trump’s campaign to amplify unfounded claims and conspiracy theories as the upcoming Election Day approaches. In recent weeks, Trump has revisited debunked assertions that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent, alleged that Democrats are scheming to disrupt the current race, and labeled investigations into Russian interference as a mere “hoax.”
Among the prominent figures to circulate this falsehood over the weekend was Charlie Kirk, the founder and president of Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group. On Sunday, he posted on X that “residents of Springfield, OH are reporting that Haitians are eating their family pets,” sharing an undated post from a private Facebook group focused on crime in Springfield, which has fewer than 9,000 members. Kirk’s post garnered an astounding 3.9 million views. The original Facebook post described a situation where a neighbor’s daughter’s friend allegedly witnessed acts of animal cruelty against a cat outside a residence occupied by Haitian immigrants.