A man has accused conservative political activist Charlie Kirk and his team of taking advantage of his grandparents for a video about claims that pets are being eaten in Springfield.
Accusations that Haitians are eating cats, dogs, ducks and geese in the Ohio city have been spread across the U.S., despite being debunked by city officials. The claims were even repeated by former President Donald Trump during his debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday night.
On Thursday, Kirk, one of the first conservative figures to pedal the allegations, posted a video made by FRONTLINES Turning Point USA that showed residents saying “ducks are disappearing” and reporting that they have heard of pets being abducted.
A man who claims to be the grandson of an elderly couple featured sitting on their porch accused the video-makers of “taking advantage of (his) 76 and 80-year-old grandparents to fit their narrative about Springfield.”
Chadwick (@ohchadwick) wrote: “My grandparents are lifelong democrats voting for Kamala Harris this November.
“@67Kevin1 approached my grandparents on their front porch (because of their Harris sign) and said he wanted to get the truth about what was happening in Springfield. He was there for almost 15 minutes, but of course the interview was clipped down into a total of maybe 10 seconds of sound-bites that fit their narrative.”
He went on: “They left out my grandpa saying Haitians eating animals has never been verified and that he thinks it’s a political stunt by JD Vance and other Republican politicians. My grandparents have never heard stories of pets or ducks being eaten besides what’s been all over on Facebook.
“They left out my grandpa saying that our country is based on immigrants, and that we ALL come from immigrants.
“My grandparents are upset because they had no clue this would be so biased and used to cause MORE hate.”
The folks in the video have not been named but it starts with a couple sitting on their porch, joking about their barking dog being eaten.
“You don’t wanna get eaten do you,” the man says to the little dog, before the woman chimes in: “You’re gonna be next boy.”
She later says that “ducks are disappearing” before going on to discuss the rumors. “And then I heard that stuff on Facebook and I thought I better watch my dogs,” she says with a laugh.
The man next to her adds: “Well that wasn’t verified.”
All these snippets are edited into a short video that which includes other locals claiming that “cats are a delicacy in Haiti” and discussing how “Springfield is a tinderbox right now.”
Newsweek has contacted Turning PointUSA, via email, outside of working hours, for a response to the accusation. Newsweek has also contacted the account named as the interviewer (@67Kevin1) for a response, via direct message on X. Chadwick has also been contacted for any further comment.
Charlie Kirk is seen on the third night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, on July 17, 2024. Kirk and his team have been accused of taking advantage of an elderly couple.
AP
The Context
Springfield has found itself at the center of the immigration debate in the U.S. right now, as it grapples with an influx of around 20,000 Haitian migrants over the past four years—into what was a population of just under 60,000.
While there are many accounts of these people helping to drive the city’s economic boom, namely by filling jobs, the sudden increase in population has led to pressure on housing, education and healthcare systems as well as what Mayor Rob Rue has called a “culture clash.”
Despite them being called illegals, the migrants are in Springfield legally under the Immigration Parole Program.
However, some politicians, including Trump’s running mate JD Vance, argue they should still be seen as illegal because their legality has been achieved only “through the abuse of asylum laws.”
Some Haitian migrants have responded to the rumors circulating about them, denying them and laughing them off, with one saying: “We’re here to work, not to eat cats.”
