According to this campaign, relayed by Elon Musk, Haitian migrants are killing cats and ducks in Ohio for food. The police had to intervene to deny this “fake news” which has gained momentum on social networks.
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Donald Trump, presented as a kitten savior. The American presidential campaign, marked by a first debate against Kamala Harris scheduled for Tuesday, September 10, is taking an unexpected turn on social networks. Several Republican supporters and leaders, including Donald Trump’s running mate, spread a theory on Monday, September 10, according to which Haitian migrants in Ohio would attack ducks and cats to eat them.
The accusations appear to have started as a simple Facebook post from a resident of Springfield, in the Midwestern state. He quoted a friend of his neighbor’s daughter who herself spoke of her own neighbors – presumably Haitian – trying to eat her cat. The rumor went viral in just a few hours, in a country where pets are very important.
The idea that Haitian undocumented immigrants were killing cats or birds for food has spread like wildfire. Billionaire Elon Musk gave it visibility, posting a message on his social network X, “save them.” Even the official account of the Republicans on the very serious House Judiciary Committee joined the movement, with a message accompanied by an image generated by artificial intelligence, representing Donald Trump holding a kitten and a duck in his arms.
At the same time, many Internet users have warned of a racist drift in a very polarized presidential campaign. Because the rumor was spread directly by Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, with this message published on X: “There are reports that people have had their pets taken away and eaten by people who should not be in our country.”
Faced with this excitement, the Springfield police had to react in a press release. “We want to clarify that there is no credible information or accurate claims of pets being mistreated, injured or abused by the immigrant population.”she wrote.