A social media blitz by a group of prominent conservative accounts pushing the idea that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio are kidnapping cats, ducks, and geese and eating them went viral on Monday.
Now, posters are sharing AI images of former President Donald Trump, with the Republican presidential nominee cast as the hero who can protect, cute, innocent pets from racist caricatures of malevolent, savage Black Haitians stalking the animals.
“SAVE THE CATS! SAVE THE DUCKS! VOTE DONALD TRUMP!” posted @Photo2Electric over one of the images, of Trump holding a duck in one hand and a kitten in the other while being stalked by black men down a dark road with a “Welcome to beautiful Ohio” sign on the side of the road.
“I love you. I would never let the Haitians eat you,” another posted captioned an AI video of Trump kissing a duck.
Other posters claimed that Haitians stalking the streets of Springfield is a preview of what a Democratic Party-run America would look like under Vice President Kamala Harris and posted AI images featuring cats and ducks protesting against that future with calls to vote for Trump.
“BIDEN/HARRIS transported 20,000 Haitians to OHIO and they are eating neighborhood ducks, geese & pet CATS,” posted @DebLynn1224 over an image of a cat carrying a “Cat Lives Matter, Trump 2024” sign. “IRONIC, this is going viral 2 days before the debate. VOTE TRUMP. SAVE OUR PETS from Haitian CATabalism.”
@Brick_Suit, a Trump supporter who wears a suit that looks like bricks to Trump rallies, posted a thread asking people to dump their favorite memes on the theme.
The thread was filled with animals holding signs like Cat Lives Matter, Pets For Trump, and other pro-Trump slogans. In one photo, Trump’s holding a cat under his arm while walking protectively around a group of geese, and at least one cat-goose hybrid.
“This is where we’re headed under Kamala,” posted @Brick_Suit over a racist AI cartoon of a food truck called Springfield Haitian BBQ advertising Cats, Dogs, and Ducks alongside a sign announcing that the truck takes food stamps.
The House GOP even got in on the meme.
Despite the viral claims pushed by conservative social media influencers, the local Springfield News-Sun reported on Monday that Springfield Police told them they have no reports of pets being stolen or eaten.
Other claims about Haitian immigrants eating ducks or geese are also unverified for now. One woman on the Springfield News-Sun’s Facebook page pushed back on the claims, writing that she’d been on a ride-along with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) last week, which manages and protects state land in the state.
“Seriously folks, it’s not true. A very large portion of what you read on social media is not true … They are not killing the geese either.”
The woman didn’t immediately respond to questions asking for more information.
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