Hatewatch: Chauvin Trial Inspires Racist Conspiracy Theories

[Nevilledog]

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Michael Edison Hayden
@MichaelEHayden
The Chauvin trial proved to be a grim moment for America's post-Trump right. They ignored evidence, spun lies and cheered on the defense of a killer.

My latest analysis for @Hatewatch:

Chauvin Trial Inspires Racist Conspiracy Theories
White supremacists, far-right extremists and other reactionaries set the tone early during the trial of Derek Chauvin by repeatedly intimating that the former Minneapolis police officer committed no
splcenter.org
6:53 PM · Apr 25, 2021

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2021/04/25/chauvin-trial-inspires-racist-conspiracy-theories

The propagandists did this both by suggesting that no trial ending in a conviction of Chauvin could be fair and by disproportionately hyping to their audience the arguments Chauvin’s defense team presented. By the time the jury found Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter on the afternoon of April 20, propagandists switched to a more apocalyptic tone, framing the verdict as the latest salvo in what they perceive to be a relentless culture war targeting white people. Hatewatch has elected to highlight influential propaganda about the Chauvin trial due to its historical importance to the country, adding context where possible to mitigate the spread of racist disinformation.

Cheerleading the defense of an accused murderer

Chauvin’s early defenders chose to ignore basic facts of the case, such as the degree to which prosecutors merely had to prove that his conduct served as a “substantial causal factor” in ending Floyd’s life, rather than its sole one. Similarly, propagandists focused on details that held little bearing on whether Chauvin may have acted with reckless disregard for his life, such as Floyd’s drug use. Although Floyd ingested illegal drugs, medical experts testified that he did not overdose, and the impact they had on his state of mind at the time Chauvin crushed him with his knee has been disputed.

Ann Coulter, a far-right, anti-immigrant pundit with nearly 2 million Twitter followers, propped up Chauvin’s defense early in the trial with posts published by the white nationalist non-profit VDARE. VDARE first published Coulter’s musings about the Chauvin trial on March 31, two days after it started. She called the then-accused murderer a “human sacrifice” in that post and stated her belief that our society “offer[s] up white men as human sacrifices to the PC gods.” Coulter’s post framed the discussion of the trial only around Chauvin’s plight and ignored Floyd’s suffering outright. VDARE, which Fox News talking head Laura Ingraham and former Trump adviser Stephen Miller have cited in the past, published two more posts authored by Coulter during the trial that indulged in the concept of Chauvin’s innocence and victimhood.

Coulter also wrote that Chauvin’s defense team put him in a strong position to be acquitted. Legal experts repeatedly stressed the degree to which the opposite was true – that Chauvin’s defense team faced substantial obstacles in making their case, due to the existence of video evidence of their client appearing to crush Floyd for over nine minutes. But Coulter and others ignored consensus assessments about the strength of the evidence in favor of creating positive spin for Chauvin.

*snip*

[maxrandb]

1. They're pissed that the jury affirmed Mr. Floyd's humanity

They were supposed to be able to just show a picture of Mr. Floyd and have the jury conclude that, no matter what, he looked like someone that should have been killed.

If America starts seeing people like Mr. Floyd as human, it's all over for the KKK.

[Progressive Jones]

2. There are dummies in every race, but right wing white dummies can be the dummyest. nt

[ck4829]

3. K&R

[bullwinkle428]

4. Today's racists even make Father Charles Coughlin look tame by comparison.