In the last month, the USA has been hit by two hurricanes which have caused major damage. The clean-up is still going on, with both the governing authorities and volunteers participating. This is also done by far-right groups. But they don’t just clean up. They also use the opportunity to recruit new members and spread conspiracy theories, writes the Washington Street Journal (WSJ). The tiny village of Horseshoe Beach in Florida is one of the places that has been visited by the group Patriot Front, which is considered a white power group by the Anti-Defamation League. It all happened without mayor Jeff Williams knowing anything about it. – It is quite clear, they are supporters of white power, he told the newspaper after looking up the group on the internet. Horseshoe Beach has less than 200 inhabitants and was badly hit by “Helene”. Photo: Chandan Khanna / AFP They claim no one came to help In a video the group has shared on Telegram, a spokesperson stands among the destruction and criticizes the authorities. – It is important for American men to gather here and help citizens in need. While the national authorities are busy bringing in foreigners and giving them homes, food and water, says the man. In the video, he also claims that the village had not received any outside help, other than “a couple of firefighters” and ordinary citizens. The mayor flatly rejects that. He tells the newspaper that at least 100 people from various bodies have come to help, including from Fema. The far-right extremist group Patriot Front claims that no one has come to help in Horseshoe Beach after hurricane “Helene”. The mayor firmly rejects that. But even if he does not agree with what the Patriot Front stands for, the mayor does not want to send them away. – As long as they are not here to push it on the people here, I will accept the help. I don’t care where they come from, says Williams. The newspaper has tried to get comments from Patriot Front, but has not received a reply. The far-right group Proud Boys has also been in areas that have been badly hit by hurricanes. – I wonder who all the Democrats are, those who love this country so much, says one member in a post on Truth Social according to the WSJ. Several conspiracy theories Over two hundred people lost their lives in hurricane “Helene”. The death toll is expected to rise, because many are still missing. That has not stopped various conspiracy theories from spreading. In social media, for example, there have been claims that: “Mighty forces” can control the weather Hurricane “Helene” was man-made The governing powers stole money that was supposed to be used for relief work after the hurricane Bodies are abandoned Money from crisis funds is used on migrants – It is not surprising that these groups use such disasters to advertise themselves. Jon Lewis, extremism researcher at George Washington University, tells the WSJ. Hevdar The Democrats prioritize immigrants Presidential candidate Donald Trump has also blamed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for prioritizing illegal immigrants over aid to hurricane victims. – Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on shelter for illegal immigrants, Trump has claimed, among other things. The Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance has also claimed that the help FEMA gives to immigrants distracts them from helping “Americans who need it”, writes The Guardian. A FEMA aid dog searches for people at a property in Asheville, North Carolina that was destroyed by “Helene”. Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images/AFP Fema has a scheme to help migrants with housing, but it is completely separate from their emergency aid, the newspaper writes. The White House has also denied that some money that should have gone to emergency aid, has been used to help migrants instead. The Fema chief has stated that she is disappointed by the many claims about a lack of help. – The fact that some leaders are unable to distinguish between fact and fiction makes it more difficult for us to actually be able to give people the help they need, Deanne Criswell told MSNBC on Monday. In fact, Fema has created its own website to debunk rumors and conspiracy theories about its work. If you are interested in more foreign material, you can listen to the Urix podcast: Published 12.10.2024, at 09.11
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Right-wing extremists in the US use hurricane clean-up to spread conspiracy theories – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
