Top Haitian official denounces false claim, repeated by Trump, that immigrants are eating pets

Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — A strange moment in American politics surfaced at the U.N. General Assembly, brought up by a top Haitian official. Edgar Leblanc Fils, the president of Haiti’s transitional council, spoke to world leaders about gang violence in his country and bemoaned the large number of citizens fleeing the violence. Then he referenced false claims that Haitians living in Springfield, Ohio, were eating cats and dogs. The debunked information found its spotlight in the U.S. presidential debate earlier this month, in which former President Donald Trump repeated claims that have circulated on the internet. In his General Assembly address, Fils said the passions that arise during an election campaign should never serve as a pretext for racism.