The debate between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, ahead of the presidential election, has made headlines all over the world. One part of the debate that has received particular attention is Donald Trump’s claims that migrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating dogs and cats.
– In Springfield, they eat the dogs, the people who came there, they eat the cats, they eat the residents’ pets. This is what is happening to our country, Trump said during the debate.
Corrected in the debate
The former president was reprimanded by the ABC News moderator, who pointed out that there are no reports of pets being harmed in the city by migrants.
– Talk about extreme, replied Harris.
When Trump was reprimanded, he said he had seen people on TV talking about how their dogs had been eaten. BBC Verification Group has gone through all major television channels in the US and can’t find anything aired on the subject.
Image from another city spread on the internet
The rumor that Haitian migrants have started eating geese is believed to have started with a picture posted on the online forum Reddit two months ago. There, a man is seen walking around with a goose in his hand. However, the picture was not taken in Springfield, but in the city of Columbus, which is about seven miles away.
Another incident that has spread took place at the end of August. Then a woman was arrested in Ohio, suspected of having killed and eaten a cat. But the woman is an American citizen and has no connection to Haiti. The incident also took place in the city of Canton – 17 miles from Springfield.
Testified at citizen meeting
The rumor that the migrants are eating pets in Springfield in particular seems to have gained a new spin in connection with a citizens’ meeting in the city on August 27. A man who presents himself as an influencer testifies that he saw migrants from Haiti eating ducks from the park, reports Sky News.
– They are in the park and take ducks by the neck, cut off their heads and walk away with them. They eat them, says the man.
A story from a Springfield man also spread in local social media groups. The man said that his daughter’s friend had seen migrants eat her cat and that authorities said migrants did the same to ducks and geese.
Spread further by Republicans
The rumor that the migrants ate domestic animals in the city spread late, among other things through Trump’s running mate, JD Vance. Other Republican heavyweights and Republican accounts also spread the rumor — which authorities say is not true.
The local authorities refute the rumor and say that there is no evidence that it is true. The city’s mayor, Rob Rue, also said at a public meeting on Tuesday that there were no documented cases of migrants eating pets.
– Rumors like these take the focus away from the real problems, said Rue.
Stream Who won the debate?
In the TV4 Talk USA election, Jenny Strömstedt and guests reveal the details of the first meeting between presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.