Democrats’ Fake Lynching Panic Is Latest In A Long Line Of Racial Hoaxes
This isn’t the first time Democrats and the media have manufactured a lynching panic where none existed.This isn’t the first time Democrats and the media have manufactured a lynching panic where none existed.Converse pulls ad after leftists see nonexistent KKK imagery: 'They want so badly to be offended'
A sneaker advertisement featuring a K-pop star has become the latest victim of the left.
Converse pulled an image featuring Karina of the group Aespa and issued a public apology after critics claimed the ad's lighting and composition evoked imagery associated with the Ku Klux Klan and lynching.
“We’re sorry,” Converse said in a statement. “We understand why this image is deeply upsetting and recognize that we got this wrong.” The company removed the ad from its channels and was working to remove it everywhere else.
“This is so ridiculous,” BlazeTV host Pat Gray comments on “Pat Gray Unleashed.”
“You have to be an absolute horrific racist yourself to see any of that,” he continues, exclaiming that “there’s nothing.”
“The chain at the beginning. Are you serious? That’s a chain of slavery? In your mind,” he adds.
Those crying racism pointed out that the shadows created a white hood reminiscent of the KKK, and the shoes Karina was holding in her hand appeared to look like a lynching.
“How do you make all of this into slavery and the KKK?” Gray asks.
To make matters worse, the creative director behind the ad was a black man.
“They want so badly to be offended and have a stupid cause. And so they find stuff that just no sane person would ever conclude,” executive producer Keith Malinak says.
Gray agrees. “Seriously, when you look at the ad, if you didn’t know there was any kind of outrage, you’d never get any of that from what occurred on the screen.”
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El-Sayed aide says Rogers ad with vintage truck and US flags is like a 'KKK cross burning'
The campaign of Abdul El-Sayed distanced itself from bizarre comments by a campaign aide comparing an innocuously patriotic ad from Mike Rogers to a Ku Klux Klan cross burning.
The ad showed Rogers riding in a bright red antique Ford truck with two U.S. flags flapping behind as the song "American Ride" by Toby Keith plays.
'Is it your official campaign position that old Ford pickups are akin to the KKK?'
"Gotta love this American Ride! There’s no better way to do the Woodward Dream Cruise!" Rogers wrote in the social media post.
While most Americans would likely approve of the video, El-Sayed aide Mason Pressler said it reminded him of a racist KKK demonstration.
"Mike Rogers’ campaign has the aesthetics of a 1960s white flight suburb and a KKK cross burning," the political manager posted on social media.
The Rogers campaign seized on the comment to slam El-Sayed.
"Is it your official campaign position that old Ford pickups are akin to the KKK? That's the statement your staff is making," the campaign responded on social media.
In an email to Fox News, El-Sayed's communications director, Roxie Richner, cited a caveat on Pressler's social media profile saying his posts were his opinions only and not representative of the views of the campaign.
The Democrat is the first Muslim to be nominated for a seat in the U.S. Senate but has been plagued by the far-left comments and associations unearthed from his past.
RELATED: VIDEO: Socialist New York lawmaker gets absolutely TORCHED for claiming theft is caused by poverty
El-Sayed argued that the Second Amendment needed to be revoked and compared President Donald Trump to Osama bin Laden. He's also publicly palled around with extremist Hasan Piker, who said America deserved the 9/11 terror attacks and has advocated for violence in the name of communism.
While El-Sayed winning the Democrat nomination in Michigan is seen as a victory for the far-left fringe of the party, others point to polling that showed the progressive did not compete as well against Rogers as the establishment candidate he defeated.
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Federal judge REJECTS the victim narrative pushed by the criminally charged SPLC
The Southern Poverty Law Center's bad year just got a whole lot worse.
Besides facing congressional scrutiny, the liberal organization whose bread and butter is smearing law-abiding conservatives as "extremists" was federally charged in April with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.
'The American people deserve to see this hate racket exposed in court.'
The SPLC — now under the leadership of CEO Ryan Haygood — tried to play the victim in hopes of having the case thrown out. The federal judge overseeing the case did not, however, buy what the professional concern-mongers were selling.
Tyler O'Neil, author of "Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center," told Blaze News, "The SPLC just tried to weasel its way out of accountability for allegedly propping up the Ku Klux Klan by complaining about President Trump’s mean social media posts. Judge Marks rightly saw through this charade."
"Abbe Lowell’s legal team must have known it was a stretch to ask a judge to dismiss the case for vindictive prosecution before trial, but to do so without any evidence tying alleged animus directly to prosecutors required real chutzpah," continued O'Neil. "The motion may have been catnip to the legacy media, but it was dead on arrival in court."
How it started
Prosecutors have accused the SPLC of secretly pouring several million dollars in donated funds to individuals linked to various extremist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, the National Alliance, Aryan Nations, and National Socialist Party of America — groups the liberal organization was supposedly fighting against.
According to the superseding indictment filed by the Justice Department in June, which charges the SPLC with the same 11 counts, some of the donor funds were dumped into "fictitious accounts" and used ultimately to pay for so-called field sources "who were either leading or affiliated with multiple violent extremist organizations."
Field sources allegedly used SPLC donor money for numerous questionable activities, including creating racist paraphernalia that extremist groups sold at rallies; publishing extremist literature for recruitment purposes; purchasing materials for cross burnings and Ku Klux Klan hoods; and creating new chapters of extremist groups.
RELATED: SPLC director allegedly used donor cash to fund secret romance with neo-Nazi informant: Indictment
A former SPLC director is also alleged, among other things, to have used donor cash to fund her secret romance with a neo-Nazi informant.
Blaze Media did not immediately receive a response from the SPLC.
In May, the SPLC, which denies any wrongdoing, filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Alabama to dismiss the federal charges, claiming that it is the victim of "a vindictive prosecution" launched in response to speech protected under the First Amendment — the "latest manifestation of a top-down, retributive campaign."
The SPLC claimed that it has been "falsely accused" by the Trump administration of being anti-Christian, aiding the Biden administration's weaponization of the DOJ, participating in political violence, and helping rig the 2020 election.
The SPLC claimed further that the administration's supposed animus "culminated in the criminal charges against the SPLC — an indictment premised on conclusory accusations but devoid of provable facts or a proper statement of the law."
Should the court refuse to dismiss the charges, the SPLC asked that it at least require discovery into the government's prosecutorial motives.
How it's going
U.S. District Court Judge Emily Marks, a Trump appointee, delivered some bad news to the SPLC on Friday.
"The SPLC is not entitled to discovery or dismissal of the indictment," Marks said in her order. "The SPLC has failed to offer some evidence tending to show animus on the part of the prosecutors involved in bringing this case and that such animus resulted in the prosecution, the showing required for discovery. Because it cannot satisfy that standard, it necessarily fails to satisfy the higher standard that would entitle it to dismissal of the indictment."
In her order, Marks also highlighted the inevitable fallout of presuming vindictiveness on the part of the government just because the SPLC was bashing the Trump administration prior to its indictment.
"It is true that before its indictment, the SPLC extensively criticized the Trump administration," wrote the judge. "But if that were sufficient to warrant a presumption, then the Government's fears would be realized, and an entity could effectively immunize itself from prosecution simply by engaging in protected speech, such as criticizing political figures and their policies."
Marks stressed that the "Court cannot license a fishing expedition based on innuendo or speculation."
"It is the SPLC’s, not the Court’s, burden to show that the Government’s prosecution was improperly motivated," continued the judge. "The SPLC cannot merely provide the rough outline of a theory — the President is out to get it — and expect the Court to fill in the blanks."
An SPLC spokesperson said in a statement obtained by The Hill, "While the Southern Poverty Law Center is disappointed with the outcome of the motion, we will continue to vigorously defend ourselves, our staff, and our work."
The spokesperson for the group accused of reviving at least one hate group and bankrolling the creation of KKK garb added, "SPLC will continue to fight hate, and we will continue to envision and create a safer and more just world."
"The SPLC can scream to high heaven about FBI Director Kash Patel calling the group a 'partisan smear machine,' but that doesn't make it any less true," Tyler O'Neil told Blaze News. "The SPLC scares donors and demonizes its opponents by putting mainstream conservative and Christian nonprofits on a 'hate map’ with Klan chapters. Now it stands accused of reimbursing cross-burning materials and paying for KKK hoods. The American people deserve to see this hate racket exposed in court — and Marks’ ruling brings this case one step closer to trial."
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Indictment: Leftist Mega-Nonprofit SPLC Paid For Wood And Gas For KKK To Burn Crosses
The government is alleging that the SPLC, which presents itself as America's foremost anti-hate organization, quite literally funded Klan robes.War against 'race-baiting' SPLC opens new front in Alabama
The Southern Poverty Law Center was federally indicted on April 21 for allegedly funneling millions of dollars to the very racist and extremist groups it claimed to be fighting, including the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, the American Front, United Klans of America, and the National Socialist Party of America.
The Alabama-headquartered smear- and fearmongering racket — charged with six counts of wire fraud, four counts of making false statements to a federally insured bank, and one count of conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering — pleaded not guilty on Thursday to all counts.
'We have always suspected that they were monetizing hate.'
"The charges against the SPLC are provably wrong," stated SPLC interim president and CEO Bryan Fair. "They are based on inaccurate facts and a misapplication of law. Our informant program was successful in accomplishing its purposes: Threats and attacks were prevented, criminal activity was stopped, and information was gathered to dismantle the efforts of hate and extremist groups."
Now thanks to the state of Alabama, SPLC smear merchants will have to mount a defense on more than one front.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced on Monday that his office has launched a civil investigation into the SPLC, alleging deceptive fundraising practices under Alabama's consumer protection statutes.
The probe is looking specifically at whether the SPLC's alleged activities referenced in the federal indictment violated Alabama's Deceptive Trade Practices Act or other state laws concerning charitable organizations.
RELATED: Klansman allegedly on SPLC payroll was 'true believer' white supremacist, not reformed infiltrator
Marshall's office has subpoenaed SPLC documents disclosing to Alabama donors or prospective donors the organization's use of "informants"; identifying the annual donations received from donors in Alabama and beyond; showing annual disbursements of donated funds to "informants"; reflecting the percentage of the SPLC's annual budget blown on "informant"-related costs; and showing payments to groups or individuals appearing in the SPLC's extremist files or on its hate map.
The SPLC, which has been ordered to produce these documents by June 1, confirmed to WSFA-TV that the organization's leaders "have received notice of a subpoena and are currently reviewing."
"My office has been fighting the SPLC for years — whether fighting them to protect minors from transgender medical procedures, fighting them to keep bad guys behind bars, or fighting them to preserve Alabama’s Republican congressional districts," Marshall said in a statement.
"We have always suspected that they were monetizing hate and trading on race-baiting; it was just a matter of proving it," continued Marshall. "Thanks to the U.S. Justice Department’s action to deal with the SPLC, the state’s efforts have now received a shot in the arm. We look forward to learning more about the inner workings of an organization that we have long believed was rotten but, until recently, has been impervious."
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Video of man lurking in KKK garb unnerves Rhode Island residents — police say it is not what it seems
A video of a man walking around in a Ku Klux Klan robe in Rhode Island shocked many into believing racism was making a resurgence — but police say it was something else entirely.
The video shows the man skulking around a gazebo on Main Street in West Warwick at about 2 a.m. Monday and went viral on social media.
'It’s weird because I know there’s racism around here, but not like that. That’s a whole different level of racism.'
"When you see a pointy hood and two eyeballs staring at you, I mean what the hell else is it?" local Ryan Fitzgerald said. "It didn’t look like the boogeyman. It looked like the KKK to me."
He added, "It’s weird because I know there’s racism around here, but not like that. That’s a whole different level of racism."
The hooded man was also caught on surveillance video from a business named Candy’s Curiosities & Vintage. The owner said the video upset her.
"It churned my stomach to watch that," said Leslie Letourneau.
The video made national headlines and led to an investigation from the West Warwick Police Dept. Only days later, police said the jig was up.
It turns out the video was recorded by Fitzgerald and his brother Sean.
In a press release Friday, police said they had dedicated "significant investigative resources" to the incident and determined that the brothers had "orchestrated the event in an effort to generate attention on social media and in the news."
RELATED: Activists rage over racist vandalism at Sacramento school. The district says it was a hoax.
The brothers admitted the scheme and provided evidence that they alone were responsible for the incident, according to police. The brothers told WJAR that Ryan wore the robe while Sean filmed him.
They also denounced the KKK, and police found no evidence that the two had any affiliation with the group.
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SPLC Finally Faces A Reckoning For The Political Violence It Stoked
Those who weaponize the language of justice while violating its core principles will ultimately answer for it.Klansman allegedly on SPLC payroll was 'true believer' white supremacist, not reformed infiltrator
The Justice Department announced an indictment last week against the Southern Poverty Law Center for allegedly funneling millions of dollars to the very extremist groups it claimed to be fighting.
In addition to allegedly having a hand in the planning of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right event in Charlottesville, Virginia — which led to over $106.47 million in contributions in fiscal year 2024 alone — the SPLC has been credibly accused of bankrolling leaders and organizers in the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation, the American Front, United Klans of America, the National Socialist Party of America, and the National Alliance.
'The SPLC engaged in a massive fraud operation to deceive their donors.'
Eager to reassure deep-pocketed donors, SPLC CEO Bryan Fair claimed in a recent video statement that the individuals inside various extremist networks whom his organization has funded were actually "paid confidential informants" tasked with gathering "credible intelligence."
Liberals rushed to embrace and defend Fair's suggestion that the SPLC wasn't backing its purported foes but rather "paying informants to expose and prevent violence by the KKK, neo-Nazis, and other hate groups."
This narrative might have survived the month had the identities of the SPLC's "informants" remained secret.
The New York Post, however, claims to have identified at least two of the eight radicals the smear- and fearmongering racket bankrolled.
The Post reported that one of the two alleged SPLC field sources referred to as "F-unknown" in the indictment was Bradley Scott Jenkins, an imperial wizard of the United Klans of America who regarded himself as the leader of the "true Klan."
RELATED: History of violence: How the SPLC's demonization racket helped set the stage for at least 1 shooting
The SPLC noted in 2013 that the original United Klans of America — which was responsible for the deadly bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church in 1963 — "dissolved after it was sued by the Southern Poverty Law Center in the 1980s, but in June 2011, longtime white nationalist Bradley Jenkins of Ashland, Ala., (now the UKA’s self-proclaimed imperial wizard) registered a domain name and attempted a comeback. Jenkins ... dreams of rehabilitating the Klan’s image."
Jenkins, a virulent white supremacist until his death in 2023 at the age of 50, not only revived a group that the SPLC identified as a "serious domestic threat" but reportedly showed no signs of reform or undermining the KKK's agenda, according to his son, Noah Jenkins.
Noah Jenkins, 24, told the Post, "When I went to the rallies with him as a kid, I never saw anything that made me think he wasn’t a true believer."
The wizard's son long suspected that his father "was working with someone" but figured that "maybe he got into trouble and was threatened by [law enforcement] to become an informant to avoid jail or something."
The SPLC did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.
The other individual suspected of being one of the SPLC's alleged "informants" is April Chambers of Georgia.
According to the Post, Chambers is the "F-unknown" described in the indictment as a KKK member who, along with her husband, "an Exalted Cyclops" of the Klan, sued the Peach State over the KKK's unsuccessful attempt to participate in Georgia Adopt-a-Highway program.
The indictment alleges that "during the course of the litigation, known payments were traced from the SPLC to F-unknown which exceeded $3,500.00."
Chambers, who did not respond to the Post's request for comment, now apparently runs a home cleaning and handyman service.
FBI Director Kash Patel recently stated, "The SPLC engaged in a massive fraud operation to deceive their donors, funded the very hate groups they claim to oppose, and then hid their operations from the public through shell companies and fake entities."
The SPLC has been charged with 11 counts of wire fraud, false statements to a federally insured bank, and conspiracy to commit concealment money laundering.
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