The Miami Heat have published a statement protecting the Haitian community amid allegations and threats from the far right in the US.
In response to unfounded rumors that dogs and wildlife have been consumed by Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, the NBA club shared a message of solidarity on social media on Monday.
Members of our Haitian community are among the many and colorful cultures that make up the Miami HEAT crew, just like Miami itself, the team said in the statement. “It is tragic that the false narrative surrounding them has turned innocent people into the subject of physical threats and hate speech. Our friends, fans, and staff who are Haitian deserve better.
The Heat closed the message by writing: “ansanm nou kanpé fò”, or “together we stand strong” in Haitian creole.
There is a sizable Haitian population in Miami, many of whom live in the Little Haiti neighborhood.
When Donald Trump reiterated the extensively refuted myths regarding the Haitian community in Ohio during his TV debate with Kamal Harris last week, they gained significant traction.
“In Springfield, the residents are consuming the dogs, and the visitors are consuming the cats,” declared Trump. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
David Muir, one of ABC’s moderators for the debate, promptly corrected the former president.
“You mentioned Springfield, Ohio, and the city manager there was contacted by ABC News,” Muir remarked. “He informed us that there had been no reliable reports of specific allegations of abuse, harm, or damage to pets by members of the immigrant community.”
The city of Springfield thinks the rumors might have also started from an incident in Canton, Ohio, where an American citizen who had no known ties to Haiti was detained in August on suspicion of killing and devouring a cat by trampling it.
In recent days, Springfield hospitals and government facilities have received bomb threats related to the rumors.
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