The Ohio town where Donald Trump alleged Haitian migrants are eating cats and dogs canceled its annual cultural festival due to safety concerns.
“In light of recent threats and safety concerns, the City of Springfield has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s CultureFest celebration,” city officials posted on social media. “The decision was made with the utmost consideration for the safety and well-being of our community and event participants.”
The nearly 60,000-person Ohio community became a target for bomb threats after the Republican presidential candidate spread the false Internet rumor about the immigrant community there during a nationally televised presidential debate last week.
“In Springfield they’re eating the dogs,” he declared. “The people who came in, they’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people who live there.”
Local and state officials have categorically debunked Trump’s claims. The Ohio woman blamed for starting the rumor online confessed she has no firsthand knowledge of migrants stealing and devouring domesticated animals.
The two-day festival was scheduled to begin Sept. 27. It’s billed as “an event that celebrates diversity, arts and local culture.”
City officials said they decided against hosting the celebration to protects attendees, staffers, vendors and volunteers. Springfield City Hall as well as other civic operations and several schools were forced to close amid bomb threats following the 78-year-old presidential nominee’s claims.
“This was a piece of garbage that was simply not true,” Republican Gov. Mike DeWine told ABC News Sunday when asked about Trump’s accusations. “There’s no evidence of this at all.”
Trump continues to rail against immigrants on the campaign trail. When told during the debate there’s no basis in truth for his claims about Haitians in Ohio, Trump defended he’s simply repeating what “people on television” said.
AP
Fountain Square in Springfield, Ohio. (AP)
“We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community,” Springfield City Manager Bryan Heck said in his statement canceling the aborted celebration. “However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first.”
Trump’s safety appeared to have been threatened Sunday on a golf course where U.S. Secret Service agents discovered a gunman they said was lying in wait for the GOP leader. The suspect once described himself as a disillusioned former Trump supporter on social media.
Trump was shot at in July by a would-be assassin who was killed by a sniper protecting the former president. He’s expected to speak about his sons’ new cryptocurrency venture Monday night.
