The plethora of conspiracy theories arose when the suspected assassin of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s text messages were revealed by authorities.
Numerous social media users, including a number of well-known influencers, cast doubt on the authenticity of the alleged text exchanges between 22-year-old Tyler Robinson and his romantic partner after prosecutors in the US state of Utah published them on Tuesday.
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Some openly claimed that the authorities had fabricated the texts, which show Robinson confessing to killing Kirk.
Many of the comments suggested that the exchanges’ language and tone were inappropriate for someone Robinson’s age and that the shooting’s account was overly detailed and accurate.
Notably, conspiracy theorizing united political figures on both sides of the aisle in a time of extreme political polarization in the US.
According to Matt Walsh, a right-wing commentator and podcast host with millions of YouTube subscribers, the conversations were planned to exonerate Robinson’s transgender partner from any involvement in the shooting.
Walsh claimed on X that this is “a strategy they cooked up from watching too much TV.”
The partner, who was described as a “male transitioning to a female,” has been cooperating fully with authorities, according to Utah Governor Spencer Cox.
Former US president Donald Trump’s adviser, Steve Bannon, claimed on his podcast that he was “not buying” the texts and that they were “too stilted, too much like a script.”
Majid Padellan, a progressive influencer who uses the name Brooklyn Dad Defiant on social media, claimed he had no doubts about Robinson’s writing of the texts.
No 22-year-old writes text messages like this, Padellan said on X, despite the fact that I didn’t know him personally.
How do you do, fellow kids, this seems to be a Steve Buscemi skateboard meme, right?
Liberal commentator Joanne Carducci, who uses the moniker JoJoFromJerz, noted that there was a rare ideological consensus among the assassins as a result of the official narrative surrounding the killing.
No one purchases these text messages, they say. No one appeared on X, Carducci saying, “Neither on the left nor the right.”
We are at a point where we can no longer come to terms. However, we concur. Nothing speaks volumes if that doesn’t.
A request for comment on the allegations was not received by the Utah County Attorney online.
In the polarized and irrational environment of social media and online forums, speculation and conspiracy theories have become a common feature of American response to well-known violent acts.
Right-wing conspiracy theorists claimed that a left-wing extremist was responsible for the shooting death of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband in June, or that it was the work of the state’s Democratic governor, Tim Walz.
Vance Boelter, the alleged shooter, professed vehemently conservative views on issues like LGBTQ rights and abortion.
Right-wing conspiracy theories were sparked by the 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, the 2018 high school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the 2017 Las Vegas shooting, including the claim that the attacks had been staged to serve as a pretext for the US government’s efforts to restrict gun rights.
According to Eric Oliver, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago who studies conspiracy theories, Kirk’s assassination is the most recent instance of unfounded claims that have been fueled by “cross-ideological appeal.”
According to Oliver, Robinson’s claims also crossed partisan and ideological lines with those regarding Jeffrey Epstein’s late financier and sex offender.
On the left and right, people are also emotionally charged by this, and they frequently choose stories that rationalize their fear, rage, or sense of powerlessness, Oliver said.
People “already suspicious of anything the government does or this administration does” had left a vacuum as a result of Kirk’s murder, including a relative lack of information about Robinson, Oliver continued.
The alleged texts Robinson’s allegedly allegedly wrote to prosecutors, among other things, provided some of the most lucid details about a possible motive for killing Kirk, who was lauded by conservatives but viewed as a leftist figure for his right-wing views on immigration, abortion, and transgender rights, among other issues.
Robinson allegedly told his partner that there was “some hate that can’t be negotiated out” and that he had “had enough” of Kirk’s “hatred.”
Authorities previously disclosed that they had recovered bullet casings with messages scribbled with various politically charged and online subculture-influenced phrases, including “Hey fascist! Catch”!
Robinson has been charged with aggravated murder and six other counts, according to the prosecution, who allege Kirk was targeted for his “political expression.”
The possibility that prosecutors had fabricated evidence as crucial as the suspect’s text messages was bluntly assessed by Yale Law School expert Steven B. Duke.
According to Duke, “Nothing about those messages makes it even believable that they were written by law enforcement,” according to Duke.
Anyone who agrees with conspiracy theory is crazy, just like the conspiracy theorists.
Experts don’t take it surprising that Robinson’s alleged communication with his partner after Kirk’s murder have only furthered conspiracies, as suggested by experts.
According to Joseph Uscinski, a professor of political science at the University of Miami, “many people have a worldview in which conspiracies are going on constantly and explain our social and political circumstances,” they believe a lot of conspiracy theories and exist on both the right and left.
Even though conspiracy theories are increasingly prevalent on social media, Uscinski claimed that the platforms themselves are not the issue.
Whether or not those people are on social media, he told Al Jazeera, “People have worldviews, some of which make conspiracy theories easy to believe.”
Source: Aljazeera
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