Conspiracy theories Liars and agitators pour oil on the Los Angeles fires with fake news
As the fires continue to rage in Los Angeles, the search for the causes has begun. Alongside serious investigations, however, conspiracy theories are increasingly spreading.
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- As the wildfires rage in Los Angeles, numerous conspiracy theories are spreading on social media.
- Conspiracy theorists claim, among other things, that the fires were caused by "wokeness".
- Others blame it on P. Diddy.
The fires in Los Angeles continue to burn. The search for the causes of the fires has now begun. But it's not just experts who are coming up with possible explanations; conspiracy theorists are also indulging in crude lies.
As a result, various false reports are spreading. Here are the most important ones:
"Woke has consequences"
One of the most widespread misrepresentations suggests that the fires are linked to the authorities' "Diversity, Equality and Inclusion" (DEI) initiative. DEI initiatives are measures and programs aimed at ensuring that people are not discriminated against on the basis of their gender or skin color.
Kristin Crowley, the fire chief of Los Angeles, is under fire. She is the first woman and queer person to hold this position. Conspiracy theorists are now claiming that the DEI initiative led to an unqualified person being hired because the fire department needed to pay attention to diversity.
On Telegram, a group of men shared a meme with Crowley. It reads, "0 percent contained, 100 percent DEI." Another group posted a picture of flames near Sunset Boulevard with the caption: "Woke has consequences".
Similar theories also circulated after the Canadian wildfires in 2023.
Jewish people are said to be to blame for the fire
Claims that the Jewish community is to blame for the fires are currently spreading on X and Telegram.
For example, the conspiracy theorist Stew Peters. He published a post on X by Stewart and Lynda Resnick, the owners of the Wonderful Company. He referred to them as a "Jewish billionaire couple" and wrote: "It really is a group that causes all the world's problems." The Resnicks were accused of "controlling" the water in California and contributing to the water shortage.
On Telegram, anti-Semitic conspiracy theorist Ali Alexander questioned why Jews would not help fight fires or act as "public servants".
He also questioned Jewish ownership of insurance companies that deny claims and insinuated that Jews would act solely out of self-interest. Even at the expense of others.
Others claimed that Jewish people had made God angry and that's why it was burning. On X, an anti-Semitic influencer shared pictures of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, which was destroyed in the fire, and wrote: "God is angry at the Jews."
War in Gaza
Another conspiracy theory: there is speculation on social media that funding for foreign conflicts - particularly the war between Gaza and Israel - has affected firefighting resources. There were similar theories during Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton.
"State-controlled weather"
On X, Stew Peters claimed that the "geoengineered fires" - the deliberate manipulation of the climate system by humans - was deliberately influenced by the government to "try to kill us".
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones also makes similar claims. On X, he writes: "The Los Angeles fire is part of a larger globalist plot to wage economic warfare and de-industrialize the United States before total collapse."
These claims also emerged after the forest fires on Maui, Hawaii, in 2023. These were attributed by conspiracy theorists to "directed energy weapons", high-tech weapons that aim energy beams at targets, and "government-controlled weather". Posts on X mentioning "directed energy weapons" have increased significantly since the fires began.
Hollywood's "inside job"
Others claim the fires were deliberately set to cover up evidence from celebrities. For example, QAnon supporters claim that Hunter Biden's home was destroyed in the fires to cover up a crime. The extent to which the house was destroyed is still unclear. So far, there is no evidence that his house was intentionally destroyed.
Similar theories suggest that the fires were started to cover up evidence of sex trafficking in Hollywood. They point to the fire near the Getty Mansion, one of Los Angeles' most famous museums, in Pacific Palisades, with QAnon claiming that thousands of children were being held in tunnels beneath the museum.
Other conspiracy theorists linked the fires to Sean "Diddy" Combs: According to them, the fires were deliberately set to cover up evidence in his case. For example, to destroy evidence of the so-called freak-off parties, at which systematic sexual abuse is said to have taken place.