Violent threats against FEMA on social media

FEMA workers struggling to cope with the devastation left by hurricanes Milton and Helene are facing a new, unexpected challenge: violent threats on social media.

Posts on TikTok calling for violence or applauding unverified claims about physical attacks against FEMA personnel have been viewed millions of times, according to a report yesterday by the nonprofit Media Matters for America. Another analysis published yesterday by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) said TikTok has also been fertile ground for threats of violence against FEMA.

"This content is reaching millions of people and, in some cases, poses a credible risk to public safety," ISD says.

Misinformation on social media has fueled mistrust in FEMA, which officials warn could hamper efforts to help people in the wake of Helene and Milton. "If it creates so much fear that my staff doesn't want to go out in the field, then we're not going to be in a position to help people," FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a call with reporters on Tuesday, Axios reported. "I'm concerned they won't apply for assistance, which means I won't be able to get them the things they need to get help." According to Media Matters, one post from a person with about 5,700 followers on TikTok has been viewed 204,000 times. It's a video that reads, "Dear Feds and FEMA... if you violate your constitutional oath to protect and assist, the charge will be treason. The punishment could mean not being immediately alive by the citizens whose assistance you are withholding." Among other misleading rumors about disaster aid that have spread online recently, FEMA has faced false claims that it is seizing donations for hurricane survivors, turning away volunteers, or using funds to help migrants. The agency created a webpage dedicated to “Hurricane Rumor Response” last week.

That post and others mentioned in the Media Matters report appear to have been removed when searched by The Verge today. However, the users who created those videos have posted other content that still exists, including similar, thinly veiled threats or misinformation about FEMA’s role in hurricane response.

Anyone who blocks assistance from FEMA, the federal government, and people in need... the US military knows what you're doing and what a crime you're committing," says another video created by the same user. It's set to a song whose lyrics declare "let the bodies fall to the ground." That video was also uploaded this morning and has been viewed more than 1,000 times.

Another video from the same account says, "FEMA is not your friend... If the federal government tries to exercise its nonexistent authority, do what you have to do to survive." The text is accompanied by audio ringing bells that sound like "death knell." That video, posted two days ago, has been viewed more than 1,500 times.

TikTok spokesperson Ariane De Celliers said in an email to The Verge, "We immediately removed all content in the report and are actively working to keep misinformation from spreading on TikTok and connecting people to reliable information from FEMA." The Verge also found links to that user's since-deleted video on Elon Musk's X. Musk himself has spread misinformation about FEMA, including a post last week that said the agency was "actively blocking citizens trying to help." FEMA's acting director of response and recovery, Keith Turi, denied that claim on ABC on Monday.

Meanwhile, ISD analyzed 33 posts promoting false claims about the hurricane response on X that had been viewed 160 million times as of October 7. The report said misinformation about the hurricane response "has generated credible threats and incitements to violence directed at the federal government – including calls to send militias to confront FEMA for refusing assistance or to shoot and/or harm FEMA officers and the agency's emergency responders." Nearly a third of the posts analyzed also included anti-Semitic hate, according to ISD. Much of the content targeted Jacqueline Rothenberg, the public affairs director at FEMA. Posts questioning "her loyalty to the country based on her Jewish heritage" were viewed millions of times. And the same accounts spreading misinformation about Helen also linked to content insulting immigrants and denying climate change, ISD says.

X did not immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment. The company filed a lawsuit against Media Matters last year for allegedly "threatening X's relationships with large multinational advertisers and global publishers."

FEMA has been the subject of right-wing conspiracy theories for several years, an issue that's resurfacing as the election approaches. "Just because of the level of reach and misinformation we have to deal with, we have additional staff, and we're increasing those efforts," FEMA's Criswell said in a press briefing yesterday. "I do believe the amount of misinformation is starting to decrease, but we still have to continue to focus on our mission, and our mission is to help people."