Conspiracy theorists are raising the alarm over reports that billionaire George Soros plans to purchase VICE Media Group.
It also kicked off a rumor he was dying, which Soros himself debunked.
On Monday, VICE Media Group announced that it had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of its plans to sell the company to a consortium of lenders.
The purchasers include, among others, Soros Fund Management, a hedge fund founded by the Hungarian-American businessman.
The hedge fund as well as other lenders such as Fortress Investment Group and Monroe Capital intend to purchase the media company for $225 million.
However, the group will still be accepting bids for the company and may sell it to other investors if a higher offer is received.
But the mention of Soros, regularly the target of criticism and conspiracy theories given his Jewish heritage and support for progressive causes, was quickly spread among conspiratorial circles.
Many danced around the antisemitic trope that Jews run the media.
“Now, he will have another media outlet to push his propaganda,” wrote the Gateway Pundit, “the opportunity to expand George Soros’ propaganda machine is just too good an opportunity for him to pass up.”
David Icke, the conspiracy theorist who helped popularize the belief that elite members of society are actually shape-shifting lizards, was one of several prominent figures to highlight the news.
“Look evil in the eye,” he wrote.
Over on the popular r/Conspiracy subreddit, many users responded to the news by pushing the QAnon-inspired conspiracy theory that Soros had recently died.
That concern migrated to other social channels.
Soros on Twitter debunked the rumor.
The story about VICE was also posted on the Telegram channel of white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who made sure to share a link referencing Soros’ Jewish background.
Yet the planned purchase of VICE comes after Soros’ hedge fund and Fortress lent the media company $250 million in 2019, meaning they’ve since been long invested in the company.
