Anatomy of a racist smear: How false claims of pet-eating immigrants caught on

By Sarah Ellison and Jeremy B. Merrill, Washington Post

It started with a tragedy, gained momentum online with neo-Nazis and became Donald Trump’s message from the presidential debate stage.

A Midwestern town grappling with the fallout from an influx of Haitian immigrants became a focal point for racist and xenophobic memes this week after Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (Ohio), claimed Monday that in Springfield, Ohio, people “have had their pets abducted and eaten by people who shouldn’t be in this country.”

The allegation, based on scattered social media posts drawing on photos and stories far from Springfield, unspooled over several days into a twisted and demagogued message that Trump amplified on the debate stage for tens of millions of viewers. The moment highlighted how thereal issues facing American towns can turn almost instantly into politically fruitful — and potentially dangerous — campaign fodder, particularly when they involve race or migrants.

Three days after the rumor became national news, no credible accounts of pets being abducted or eaten in Springfield have been documented.

[…]

The influx of Haitians in the small town had revitalized segments of the local economy, according to residents and city officials, but also strained municipal services. Over the summer, city officials publicly pleaded for more federal assistance to help bolster city services.

But it wasn’t until the weekend that right-wing accounts, including those replete with racial slurs, spread a baseless assertion that Haitian people — who had been granted temporary protective status in the United States following profound unrest and violence in their home country — were abducting and consuming the city’s pets.

The Washington Post explains how this original post went viral.

Other cities are instilling Haitian pride, however.

More breaking Black news.