A viral image of a man carrying a dead goose has been used by right-wing social media accounts ostensibly as evidence that Haitian immigrants are taking over Springfield, Ohio and eating wildlife. Donald Trump claimed that immigrants were abducting and consuming pets during his presidential debate against Kamala Harris on September 10. However, the person who took the photo, originally posted on Reddit, has blasted those who have been taking it out of context and using it against immigrant communities.
Man wishes he “never took” viral goose photo in the first place
The man who took the viral goose photo (and wished to remain anonymous) says that he ‘hates’ how it’s being weaponized, in a statement with The Columbus Dispatch:
I wish I never took it, for sure. And I hate that the picture that I took is being weaponized to use against immigrants, or really, any other group.
Further, he believes that those who are misusing the photo “always have to have somebody to use as a weapon” and need “some group to be the bad guy.”
The man, posting as the user “isitmeyourelooking4x,” released the original photo on the Columbus Reddit on July 28, 2024 with the title “Things you see while driving in CBUS” with “CBUS” being a slang word for the city.
The user has responded multiple times in the Reddit thread since September 9, clarifying what the photo actually depicts. First, he says that he took the picture in Columbus, Ohio, stating that he has “never even been to Springfield.” He calls any Facebook posts about the photo being about a supposed Haitian in Springfield as “lies.”
The man also writes that the goose was “dead,” though no one “knows what happened” to the bird as it could have died from being “hit by a car” or “from bird flu.” In the Dispatch interview, he adds that claims about Haitian immigrants “going and killing all of the wildlife and whatever” are “ridiculous.”
Kamala Harris was also accused of using earphones to ‘cheat’ during the presidential debate, while Trump has said that the moderators were unfair.
