Updated September 24, 2024 at 16:21 PM ET
When former President Donald Trump made a false claim in this month’s debate with Vice President Harris that Haitian migrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, it stunned many who heard it. But perhaps among the most stunned were neo-Nazis, who, for weeks, had been trying to launch that racist lie into the mainstream.
“Whether they're neo-Nazi or white nationalist, all of them [were] thrilled,” said Jeff Tischauser, senior research analyst at the Southern Poverty Law Center. “All of them [were] in almost disbelief that they had a presidential candidate recycle and reuse the rhetoric that has been popular in these movements for decades.”
One group, especially, was celebrating. The Blood Tribe, a neo-Nazi hate group that Tischauser estimates to have between 50 and 80 members nationally, posted to the group’s Telegram channel. The group claimed that it had “pushed Springfield into the public consciousness.”
“When Trump mentioned the pet-eating narrative, Blood Tribe was crowing about it,” said Cass Troy, an extremism researcher who runs an online publication called the Cassandra Report. NPR is using a pseudonym for Troy, because of Blood Tribe’s history of doxing its critics.
“They were delighted,” Troy said. “They take all responsibility for it, even though they don't deserve it.”
Reaching a more mainstream audience
The narrative about pet-eating has been decisively debunked. Even so, it has taken on momentum. Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance has continued to repeat the lie, even after his campaign staff reportedly heard directly from Springfield officials that there was no evidence to support it. Since the debate, the city has fielded dozens of bomb threats against schools and other municipal facilities.
“This fear that's being created in Springfield is something that Blood Tribe is very proud of at this moment,” said Tischauser.
While the exact origin of the false claim is not clear, the Blood Tribe was early in featuring it on its alternative-tech Gab social media account. On August 11, a day after the group marched with swastika flags through Springfield, a commenter on the group’s page suggested that the city’s Haitian residents might eat pets. But on its alternative tech platform pages, the group’s reach has been limited. It wasn’t until EndWokeness, a right-wing account on X, posted about the topic on September 6 that the lie reached a significant audience.
“The concerning thing that's happening is we're seeing a convergence of far right mainstream people having the same talking points as out and proud neo-Nazis,” said Troy.
“I think that one of the things that people need to be cognizant of is anybody who perpetuates this narrative, do they want to be aligned with people like that?” she said. “You know, if you can't separate out your feelings about basic decency when it comes to immigration, maybe you can separate out basic decency when it comes to not being in league with a Nazi.”
Extremists are activated
After Trump amplified the falsehood during the nationally televised event, extremists have stepped up their in-person activities in Springfield. That Saturday, Proud Boys members from several chapters gathered in the city, KKK leaflets were distributed and a white power organization called the Aryan Freedom Network posted flyers on utility poles.
“They're just so much more energized now than I've seen them in a long time,” said Tischauser. “Leaders of the Blood Tribe [and] leaders of other white supremacist groups are excited about the possibility that this is a recruitment boon because of the size of the audience that got this message.”
Tischauser said in some ways that moment in the debate echoed a moment from four years earlier, when Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by” during the 2020 election season. Then, leaders from that group responded jubilantly on social media, and the group was launched onto the public radar.
But Tischauser noted that it’s not an exact comparison. Trump’s statement did not directly point to an extremist group. And even though it has energized these groups, Troy said this energy is not about promoting Trump’s candidacy. Instead, she said it’s about capitalizing on a moment where many Americans may be ready to consider their agenda of racial hate.
Copyright 2024 NPR
