Republicans Put up ‘Eat Less Kittens’ Billboards That Some Call Racist
Lauren Kobley et al., KTVK, September 12, 2024
The Arizona Republican Party put up billboards reading “Eat Less Kittens,” touting a false claim former President Donald Trump made about Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets.
A dozen billboards with the slogan, which plays off Chick-fil-A’s famous ‘Eat More Chikin’ ad campaign, popped up in Phoenix after Trump’s Tuesday night debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, AZ Family reports.
During the debate, Trump drew attention to false rumors from Ohio that claim Haitian immigrants are abducting pets and eating them.
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The Arizona Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is among a number of groups condemning the billboards, saying they promote unsubstantiated, racist claims about Haitian immigrants.
“This kind of rhetoric is rooted in ignorance and prejudice,” said Azza Abuseif, executive director of CAIR-AZ. “One of the main reasons why there are harmful stereotypes out there, like Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Blackness, anti immigration, is spitting out misinformation and disinformation to our communities.”
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