Verified X accounts spread tales of U.S. Marines killing FEMA officials in wake of Helene
An X account run by one of the internet's biggest promoters of conspiracy theories is being brutally mocked after attempting to spread disinformation about Hurricane Helene.
On Monday, the user, known as "RealRawNews," alleged that a U.S. military sniper was assassinating employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
"We have spoken to a Marine sniper who reportedly now has 5 confirmed FEMA kills in North Carolina," the account alleged. "He has told us 'it's the fight of our lives.'"
The account, which also runs a news website, has been successfully fooling users for years, conjuring up stories designed to confirm the biases of conspiracy theorists.
It has long dreamt up a war between FEMA and the U.S Marines in the wake of natural disasters, claiming troops ambushed FEMA convoys in the wake of deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma in and hurricanes in Florida and Texas.
But in the wake of Hurricane Helene, conservatives online have been primed to expect the worst from the agency, accusing it of purposely sabotaging efforts to aid those affected by the disaster.
The false claim from RealRawNews on Monday plays into that distrust, with many taking the tale at face value.
"Those FEMA jerks did so much bad on Maui and now they're doing it again!" one X subscriber wrote.
Bu while it's usually conspiracy theorists who help the account's false claims go viral, detractors are the one giving RealRawNews all the attention this week by mocking its ludicrous story.
"A coworker’s cousin in NC has a daughter that’s a Girl Scout and her troop already has 16 confirmed kills," one user replied.
Another jokingly alleged that they had helped FEMA by personally killing a "platoon" of the imagined snipers.
"I have neutralized an entire platoon of marine scout snipers because they were to busy doing woke and DEI to stop me," the user said.
But not everyone found the account's claims funny. Given the ability from RealRawNews to regularly fool right-wing conspiracy theorists, at least one user warned that the fabricated story could put real people in danger.
"Some backwoods freak is going to believe you and shoot a FEMA rep pulling into their driveway to deliver bottled waters," another responded. "Fuck you and anyone else that believes this."
Many also pointed to other stories promoted by RealRawNews in order to highlight its illegitimacy, including one that falsely alleged that former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot was executed at Guantánamo Bay in 2023.
Although RealRawNews is undoubtedly responsible for helping to spread harmful conspiracy theories about Helene, the account pales in comparison to Republican lawmakers.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) just last week insinuated that the hurricane was made by the government in order to harm conservative voters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
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