Hate messages after Trump's victory Black US citizens receive racist text messages - including children
You should "pick cotton" and report to a "plantation" - numerous people in various US states have received racist messages following the US election.
08.11.2024, 21:07
08.11.2024, 21:08
dpa
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- Racist text messages have been sent after the US election.
- African-Americans have been asked to "pick cotton" or report to a "plantation".
- Pupils and students in various US states were among the recipients.
In the United States, racist text messages referring to slavery were sent nationwide after this week's presidential elections. The FBI said it was in contact with the Department of Justice. The Federal Communications Commission said it would investigate the texts along with other law enforcement agencies.
The anonymous messages were reported in several US states, including New York, Alabama, Ohio and California. They were similar in tone but contained different wording. For example, the messages asked recipients to gather at specific locations with their belongings. Some did not name a location, but mentioned the upcoming change of government in the USA.
Among the recipients were pupils and students in various US states. Black students at Missouri State University received texts mentioning Trump's victory and calling on them by name to "pick cotton" next Tuesday, according to Nimrod Chapel, president of the NAACP.
The NAACP is a human rights organization of the black civil rights movement in the USA. Students who are members of the local group reported the threatening text messages. The police were also notified. "It indicates a well-organized and resourced group that has decided to target Americans on our home soil because of the color of their skin," Chapel said in a statement.
Students in Pennsylvania have also received such messages, according to the superintendent of the Lower Merion School District in Montgomery County. "The racist nature of these text messages is extremely disturbing and is compounded by the fact that children have been targeted," she wrote in a letter to parents.
A mother from California told the AP news agency that her 16-year-old daughter had received a message under her real name asking her to report to a "plantation" in North Carolina. The address turned out to be a museum. "It was disturbing," she told AP. She reported the message to police, she said.
It initially remained unclear who was responsible for the text messages. The police encouraged those affected to report the messages. According to the cell phone association CTIA, cell phone providers are also working to block the threatening spam messages.
