By DYLAN EDWARD
Springfield, Ohio, has become a focal point of national headlines and social media attention due to the spread of far-right conspiracy theories alleging that Haitian immigrants are killing and eating local pets and wild ducks in the park.
The racist rumors emerged after Erika Lee, a Springfield resident, posted in a local Facebook group regarding a missing cat that belonged to a friend of a friend of her neighbor’s daughter. Lee repeated the rumor that Haitian immigrants were “eating pets” but has since publicly admitted that her allegations were unfounded.
Following these false claims, xenophobic scapegoating and racist hysteria surged among the far right. Republican vice presidential candidate and current Ohio State Senator J.D. Vance fueled this narrative, which was echoed by Donald Trump during the last presidential debate. Trump stated, “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs—the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there, and this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” A recent poll indicated that more than half of Trump’s supporters believe these racist allegations.
The xenophobic hysteria is not only amplified by prominent far-right figures but also propagated by militant fascist and neo-Nazi organizations on the ground. Recently, images of a flier from the “Trinity White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan” circulated online, featuring propaganda that read: “Foreigners & Haitians Out; There is no place in America for this filth! We don’t need more police officers. We need MASS DEPORTATION. ¼ of SPRINGFIELD is already in poverty. Now $2 million is being used to care for these beasts of the fields.”
In the wake of this hysteria, more than 30 bomb threats have been made against schools, government buildings, and the homes of city officials since last week, forcing evacuations and closures.
With a population of approximately 60,000, Springfield has welcomed around 15,000 to 20,000 immigrants over the past four years, many of whom are Haitian. Once reliant on the auto industry, Springfield exemplifies the challenges faced by many Midwestern small towns that have experienced the outsourcing of industrial jobs and the accompanying economic hardships.
At the root of this racist hysteria is the “great replacement theory,” which has been championed by the far-right. This false theory suggests that immigrants are invading white communities as part of a plot to remove them from political power. While this conspiracy theory has gained traction among extremists, both of the major political wings of the ruling class bear responsibility for the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Haitian workers due to U.S. and other imperialist meddling.
More than two centuries ago, the people of Haiti defeated slavery and European colonialism and established the world’s first Black republic. Since then, they have repeatedly defended their independence from imperial domination, regime changes, and plunder. In October 2022, the Biden administration proposed a resolution in the UN Security Council to deploy a “multinational rapid action task force” to support the illegitimate and unpopular Ariel Henry, who was installed after the assassination of Jovenel Moïse by U.S.-trained Colombian mercenaries during a 2021 attempted coup. Following Moïse’s assassination, key public institutions were systematically dismantled and replaced by foreign-financed NGOs, which at one point provided upwards of 80% of all services.
The U.S. and others have justified their consistent interference in Haiti’s affairs under the guise of humanitarianism, peacekeeping, and aid, allegedly to weaken the power of criminal gangs and reduce violence within civil society. Ultimately, these so-called “peacekeeping” missions confuse the symptoms of unrest with their causes. As of August, more than 578,000 Haitians had been internally displaced. The Haitian people do not need more foreign meddling; the civil unrest in Haiti can only be addressed by ending foreign-imposed austerity policies that perpetuate hunger and impoverishment, and by supporting Haiti’s full self-determination.
Ultimately, the ruling-class’s effort to amplify these xenophobic conspiracies are an attempt to displace blame of the imperialist plunder and destitution they are causing in Haiti and other places abroad. Insofar as they are able to successfully convince U.S. workers that immigrants are the problem, they are able to deflect the real solution—mobilizing millions of workers against the U.S. imperialist ruling class.
Hands off Haiti! All out in defense of the Haitian community! Defend immigrant rights!
