2 weeks ago
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Authorities crossed the US are investigating aft reports of substance messages sent to achromatic Americans with references to “slave catchers”, plantations and picking cotton.
In a connection the FBI said it is “aware of the violative and racist substance messages sent to individuals astir the state and is successful interaction with the Justice Department and different national authorities connected the matter.”
The root of the messages and the full fig sent are unclear, however, determination are reports that they were received successful astatine slightest 15 states and Washington DC.
Some of the messages mentioned the Trump run – which powerfully denied immoderate connection.
Steven Cheung, a run spokesman, said: “The run has perfectly thing to bash with these substance messages.”
According to examples posted online and cited successful quality reports, the wording of the messages varied but mostly instructed recipients to study to a “plantation” oregon hold to beryllium picked up successful a van, and referred to “slave” labour.
The messages look to person started connected Wednesday, the time aft predetermination day. Among the recipients were assemblage students and children.
In a connection Derrick Johnson, caput of the civilian rights radical NAACP, said: “These actions are not normal.”
“These messages correspond an alarming summation successful vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups crossed the country, who present consciousness emboldened to dispersed hatred and stoke the flames of fearfulness that galore of america are feeling aft Tuesday's predetermination results,” Johnson said.
Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, which is besides investigating the messages, said: "These messages are unacceptable. We instrumentality this benignant of targeting precise seriously.”
The messages were reportedly received crossed confederate states, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, California, Washington DC and others, US media say.
One recipient, Hailey Welch, told a University of Alabama pupil newspaper that respective students connected the field had besides received the messages.
“At archetypal I thought it was a joke, but everyone other was getting them. People were texting, posting connected their stories, saying they got them,” Ms Welch told The Crimson White. “I was conscionable stressed out, and I was frightened due to the fact that I didn’t cognize what was happening.”
In respective states, apical instrumentality enforcement officials said they were alert of the messages and encouraged residents to study them to the authorities if they received them.
The bureau of Nevada’s lawyer wide said it was moving to “probe into the root of what look to beryllium robotext messages”.
The bureau of Louisiana's lawyer wide said it had discovered that immoderate of the messages could beryllium traced backmost to a VPN successful Poland, but that "no archetypal source" had been recovered truthful far.
English (US)