News (USA)

Libs of TikTok blamed shooting threat on “epidemic” of trans violence. The perpetrator was cis.

Chaya Raichik has not retracted her claim, which was based entirely on a typo.
By
Mar 2, 2023; National Harbor, MD, USA; Chaya Raichik, creator of Libs of TikTok, during the Conservative Political Action Conference, CPAC 2023, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on March 2, 2023. Mandatory Credit: Jack Gruber-USA TODAY
Chaya Raichik, creator of Libs of TikTok, during the 2023 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Photo: Jack Gruber, Jack Gruber / USA TODAY NETWORK via IMAGN

Last week, the X account Libs of TikTok, run by Chaya Raichik, inaccurately claimed a school shooting threat was made by a trans person. Raichik has not recanted her claim even after law enforcement confirmed a cisgender girl made the threat.

Leaked texts reveal that on September 24, a teenage girl in Tampa, Florida threatened to “shoot up” Alonso High School. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) posted on X about the incident after they arrested her. However, their post inaccurately referred to the girl as ‘he,’ leading to Raichik assuming the girl was transgender.

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Hate influencer Chaya Raichik claims report linking her to bomb threats is vengeful “hit piece”

In the past, Raichik has celebrated that her posts have been linked to threats of violence on schools and hospitals.

“More trans violence?!” Raichik posted. “Tampa police arrested Mya Elizabeth Young for threatening to sh**t up a school. Police referred to Mya Elizabeth with he/him pronouns. This is becoming an epidemic.”

The next day, HCSO posted a correction stating, “Edit: The last line should read: At this time, detectives do not believe she has access to any weapons.”

Raichik has not updated her own post with a correction as of the time of this article.

This is far from the first time Raichik has falsely blamed trans people for school shootings. She falsely claimed that last month’s school shooter in Georgia was trans based on a misreading of a CNN report. She also falsely claimed that this year’s shooting in a Houston megachurch was carried out by a trans woman. Raichik also spread similarly false or misleading claims about a January school shooting in Iowa and about the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Raichik’s posts have been linked to multiple bomb threats across the country, although she has denied any responsibility. Her account regularly echoes right-wing claims of LGBTQ+ people and allies “indoctrinating,” ”grooming,” and “sexualizing” kids — rhetoric that leads to violence against queer people and allies. Her bio on X once proudly touted her being labeled as a “stochastic terrorist,” a person who uses mass media to provoke random acts of ideologically motivated violence.

In 2022, she told the Washington Post, “We 100 % condemn any acts/threats of violence,” yet in November 2023, she posted a photo of herself smiling with the cover of USA Today, which had a headline declaring, “When Libs of TikTok posts, threats increasingly follow.”

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Bomb Threats Chaya Raichik Libs of TikTok School shooting

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