Thursday 22 February 2018

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Florida Shooting Survivors Are Being Targeted by Conspiracy Theories. Here's What to Know

By  February 22, 2018  
After surviving a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead, many of the student survivors have become vocal advocates for gun control and changes in mental health care and school safety.

Just days after they lived through the worst high school shooting in U.S. history, they’re being targeted by conspiracy theories that claim they are paid “crisis actors” involved in a shooting hoax.

Other, more mainstream conservatives are questioning whether the survivors are little more than pawns manipulated by Democrats, gun-control activists and even the FBI.

The conspiracy theories are being promoted by fringe right-wing media outlets and social media accounts. An aide to Florida state Rep. Shawn Harrison was fired on Tuesday after he falsely told a Tampa Bay Times reporter that two Stoneman Douglas students were actually actors “that travel to various crisis when they happen,” using a conspiracy video to back up his claim.

Some claims are threatening to go mainstream because of attention from President Donald Trump’s son. Donald Trump Jr. liked two tweets spreading a conspiracy theory about student David Hogg, accusing him of working with the FBI to criticize the president.

As students, politicians and tech companies continue to respond to the conspiracy theories, here’s what to know about the controversy:

What are the hoax conspiracy theories?

The false conspiracy theories have focused heavily on Marjory Stoneman Douglas student David Hogg, the high school’s student news director who has been one of the most most visible and vocal advocates in the wake of the shooting. Hogg’s father is a former FBI agent — a detail that conspiracy theorists pounced on because the FBI is facing criticism for not investigating tips that were made about the Parkland shooter. President Trump has linked that failure to investigate with the ongoing investigation into Russian interference with the 2016 presidential election.

 Source: Yahoo News