A racist pro-Trump message found at a Tennessee college is the latest example of a fraudster seeking to stoke fear by perpetrating a fake hate crime.
Rhodes College in Memphis said the culprit admitted carrying out and reporting the vandalism, with the intention of blaming someone else. The school didn’t release the perpetrator’s name.
“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our Campus Safety officers and the Memphis Police Department, the investigation into the hate crime that occurred recently on our campus has ended with the identification of the perpetrator and the conclusion this incident was fabricated,” the college said in a statement Wednesday to news outlets. “This individual has admitted responsibility.”
The message discovered last month at the National Pan-Hellenic Council Plaza, which honors historically Black fraternities and sororities, was spelled out on 13 sheets of paper saying: “Trump Rules/F—- N———.”
The handwritten screed prompted the college to launch an investigation and hold a Dec. 10 open meeting on campus culture.
Last week, dozens of students held a silent anti-racism protest at the library, wearing black and holding signs with messages such as “hold racists accountable” and “hate speech will not be tolerated,” as reported by Action News 5 in Memphis.
The update met with eye-rolling Thursday on social media by conservative accounts such as Libs of TikTok, which said, “Another FAKE race hoax.”
“This matter has caused enormous pain to our community, and we are taking the appropriate steps to hold this individual accountable, including all legal avenues that may be available to us,” the college said.
In a shocking twist, Rhodes College says the person who came forward about a racist message left on campus during fall break was the writer behind it.
— Action News 5 (@WMCActionNews5) December 19, 2024
The hateful rhetoric sparked a demonstration demanding changes at the school last week. https://t.co/9yyZ5gH8ew pic.twitter.com/te2HOSC2dq
Cases of falsified hate crimes have ballooned in the past decade, prompting Kentucky State University professor Wilfred Reilly to write the book “Hate Crime Hoax: How the Left Is Selling a Fake Race War” (Regnery, 2019).
The most notorious example came when “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett, who is Black, claimed he was beaten up in Chicago by two White men shouting “This is MAGA country.” He was found guilty of disorderly conduct and falsifying a police report in 2021 and sentenced to 150 days in prison.
Last month, the Illinois Supreme Court overturned his conviction, finding that the special prosecutor was wrong to charge Mr. Smollett after he reached a deal with the Cook County district attorney that included dropping the charges.
Two Nigerian American brothers who worked on the set of “Empire” said he paid them $3,500 to help him stage the attack. Mr. Smollett has long maintained his innocence.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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