“ Pizzagate ” is a conspiracy theory according to which influential supporters of Hillary Clinton are associated with the secret organization of pedophiles . Appeared in the United States during the 2016 presidential election .
The theory arose as a result of the publication on various websites and social networks of articles and posts that discussed the possible connection of the popular Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washington with the secret and influential organization of pedophiles. All these publications were based on the correspondence published by Wikileaks at the height of the pre-election race between the chief of staff of Hillary Clinton, John Podesta, and the owner of the pizzeria. Proponents of the theory build their assumptions based on "suspicious" coincidences, photos on Instagram and other indirect signs.
The theory has been criticized and called fake news [1] [2] [3] by many media outlets of a wide political spectrum: from The New York Times [4] to Fox News [5] . The District of Columbia Police Department called Pizzagate “a fictitious conspiracy theory.” [6]
Appearance and distribution
Messages about Pizzagay began to appear during the 2016 presidential election race. The theory was born thanks to Internet users who studied the email of John Podesta, published on Wikileaks in early November 2016 [7] . The theory is based on speculation that some of the words regularly found in the correspondence of Podesta are code words meaning pedophilia and human trafficking [8] [9] . Proponents of the theory believe that satanic ritual violence is practiced at meetings of members of a secret pedophile organization [10] , that pedophile symbols are used in the logos of a number of organizations, and that John Podesta and his brother Tony Podesta were involved in the disappearance of Madeline McCann [9] .
The theory was presented on the Godlike Productions forum and the next day appeared on YourNewsWire, where a post from the 4chan forum was quoted [11] . History instantly scattered across fake news sites. A publication on SubjectPolitics claimed that the New York City Police Department raided the Hillary Clinton house [12] , and the headline on the Conservative Daily Post said the FBI “confirmed” the truth of the story [13] .
Around the same time, Twitter and 4chan users began to study John Podesta’s e-mails, looking for “food code words” in them that allegedly revealed the existence of a secret organization involved in human trafficking [12] . According to The New York Times , according to 4chan users, the phrase “ pizza with cheese ” in Podesta’s correspondence was a code word for child pornography (in English, these phrases have the same initials: c heese p izza, c hild p ornography) [9] . A few days before the presidential election, an article about Pizzagay appeared on Reddit , and then on other mainstream news sites [7] . An article on Reddit, subsequently removed from the site, talked about involvement in the pedophilia of Washington's pizzeria Comet Ping Pong :
| Everyone associated with this business makes half-hidden, half-cunning, or semi-sarcastic references to sex with children. Artists who work for them or with them produce cult works with the image of death, blood, decapitation, sex, and, of course, pizza [14] . |
The story was picked up by fake news sites [15] [4] [16] [17] and alternative right - wing activists began to discuss [7] .
Threats and violence
Pizzeria Comet Ping Pong began to receive hundreds of threatening messages and phone calls from people who believed in fake news [18] . The owner of the restaurant, James Alefantis, received death threats. [4] He told The New York Times : “From the moment this crazy, fabricated conspiracy theory began to spread, we were under constant attack. For days on end, I only do what I try to eliminate the consequences of this and protect my workers and friends from persecution ” [4] . Proponents of the theory discovered Alephantis’s Instagram page and used some of the photographs found there to “prove” the theory [14] .
On December 4, 2016, Edgar Maddison Welch, a 28-year-old North Carolina native, fired three shots from an AR-15 rifle at Comet Ping Pong. As a result, the walls, table and door were damaged [19] [20] . No one was hurt [21] . Welch later told law enforcement officers that he planned to conduct his own investigation into the involvement of the pizzeria and its employees in pedophilia [6] . He surrendered to the police after making sure that the pizzeria did not keep the children locked up [22] .
Notes
- ↑ Ruth, Daniel The lunacy of fake news . The Seattle Times (December 6, 2016). - "the dangerous and damaging fake allegations against a businessman and his employees simply trying to make a living have been repeatedly debunked, disproved and dismissed.". Date of treatment December 7, 2016.
- ↑ Religious zeal drives NC man in 'Pizzagate' , The Courier-Tribune (December 6, 2016). Released December 7, 2016. "Though debunked by sources as diverse as The New York Times, Fox News Channel and the web hoax investigator Snopes, more than a million messages have traversed Twitter since November about #Pizzagate.".
- ↑ Alam, Hannah . Conspiracy peddlers continue pushing debunked 'pizzagate' tale , Miami Herald (December 5, 2016). Released December 7, 2016. "One might think that police calling the motive a 'fictitious conspiracy theory' would put an end to the claim that inspired a gunman from North Carolina to attack a family pizzeria in Washington over the weekend."
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Kang, Cecilia . Fake News Onslaught Targets Pizzeria as Nest of Child-Trafficking (November 21, 2016).
- ↑ Man with rifle arrested at DC restaurant targeted by fake news conspiracy theories , Fox News (December 5, 2016). Date of treatment December 9, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 Arrest Made in an Assault with a Dangerous Weapon (Gun): 5000 Block of Connecticut Avenue, Northwest | mpdc , mpdc.dc.gov (December 5, 2016). Date of treatment December 9, 2016. ,
- ↑ 1 2 3 Wendling, Mike . The saga of 'Pizzagate': The fake story that shows how conspiracy theories spread (December 2, 2016).
- ↑ What to Know About Pizzagate, the Fake News Story With Real Consequences , Time (December 5, 2016). Date of treatment December 8, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 3 Dissecting the #PizzaGate Conspiracy Theories , The New York Times (December 10, 2016). Date of treatment December 10, 2016.
- ↑ The Consequences of 'Pizza Gate' are Real at Comet Ping Pong , Washington City Paper (November 15, 2016). Date of treatment December 8, 2016.
- ↑ Gillin, Joshua How Pizzagate went from fake news to a real problem . PolitiFact (December 6, 2016). Date of treatment December 6, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 Silverman, Craig How A Completely False Claim About Hillary Clinton Went From A Conspiracy Message Board To Big Right Wing Blogs . BuzzFeed News (November 4, 2016). Date of treatment November 29, 2016.
- ↑ Emery Jr., C. Eugene Evidence ridiculously thin for sensational claim of huge underground Clinton sex network . PolitiFact (November 4, 2016). Date of treatment November 29, 2016.
- ↑ 1 2 LaCapria, Kim A detailed conspiracy theory known as "Pizzagate" holds that a pedophile ring is operating out of a Clinton-linked pizzeria called Comet Ping Pong . Snopes (December 2, 2016). Date of treatment November 30, 2016.
- ↑ Don’t get fooled by these fake news sites . cbsnews.com . CBS Date of treatment December 9, 2016.
- ↑ Fake news is domestic terrorism , CNN (December 7, 2016). Date of treatment December 10, 2016.
- ↑ What the hell is #Pizzagate? , Death and Taxes (November 28, 2016). Date of treatment December 3, 2016.
- ↑ Reilly, Katie . Washington Pizza Place Flooded With Threats Over False Hillary Clinton Conspiracy (November 22, 2016).
- ↑ Religious zeal drives NC man in 'Pizzagate' , The Courier-Tribune (December 6, 2016). Released December 7, 2016. "Though debunked by sources as diverse as The New York Times, Fox News Channel and the web hoax investigator Snopes, more than a million messages have traversed Twitter since November about #Pizzagate.".
- ↑ With Pizzagate, Is Cybersteria The New Normal? , Forbes (December 7, 2016). Date of treatment December 8, 2016.
- ↑ Svrluga, Susan . NC man told police he went to DC pizzeria with assault rifle to 'self-investigate' election-related conspiracy theory (December 4, 2016).
- ↑ The Latest: Pizzagate Shooting Suspect Ordered Held by Judge , ABC News (December 5, 2016). Archived December 6, 2016. Date of treatment December 7, 2016.