Culture Society, Identity and Belonging
A Haitian community organisation has filed criminal charges against Donald Trump and JD Vance over disinformation they spread about migrants in Springfield, Ohio. The Haitian Bridge Alliance criticised the pair’s attempts to “vilify and threaten” the community in Ohio, where state law allows private citizens to bring charges. The group alleges that Trump and Vance committed offences including disrupting public services, aggravated menacing and making false alarms. In the fortnight since Trump falsely accused Haitian migrants of eating dogs in Springfield, the city has received more than 30 bomb threats and been forced to close schools and government buildings. This hasn’t deterred Trump, who promised to do “large deportations” from the city, or Vance, who said he was willing to “make up stories” to get attention. The lawyer representing the Haitian Bridge Alliance told Tortoise that if Trump came to Springfield he should be arrested.
