Those who lived to describe the mass shooting face flood of abuse on social media accusing them of being actors, as hoax claims flourish on YouTube
ed note–we warned you years ago, beginning with Jim Fetzer’s ‘No one died at Sandy Hook’ nonsense that this was going to be more than just a nuisance and now we are seeing it full blown and in our faces and the worst part is that it is not gong away, at least not in our lifetimes.
The Guardian
Braden Matejka and his girlfriend, Amanda Homulos. Matejka is among the shooting survivors facing harassment from conspiracy theorists. Photograph: Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Braden Matejka survived a bullet to the head in the Las Vegas massacre. Then, the death threats started coming.
“You are a lying piece of shit and I hope someone truly shoots you in the head,” a commenter wrote to Matejka on Facebook, one week after a gunman killed 58 people and injured hundreds more. “Your soul is disgusting and dark! You will pay for the consequences!” said another. A Facebook meme quickly spread with a photo of him after the shooting, captioned: “I’m a lying cunt!”
The 30-year-old victim – who narrowly escaped death in the worst mass shooting in modern US history – has faced a torrent of online abuse and harassment, forcing him to shut down his social media accounts and disappear from the internet. The bullying, taunting and graphic threats have also spread to his family and friends.
Abusive comments have attacked Matejka on Facebook. Photograph: Facebook/Screengrab
“There are all these families dealing with likely the most horrific thing they’ll ever experience, and they are also met with hate and anger and are being attacked online about being a part of some conspiracy,” said Taylor Matejka, Braden’s brother, who shared with the Guardian dozens of screenshots of the abuse. “It’s madness. I can’t imagine the thought process of these people. Do they know that we are actual people?”
Conspiracy theorists – some of whom claim that the government staged the shooting on 1 October or that the tragedy was a hoax – have targeted survivors and victims’ loved ones, spamming every social media platform with misinformation and abuse. On Facebook and YouTube in particular, users have published viral posts and videos calling people like Braden “crisis actors”, alleging they were hired to pose as victims.
While fringe conspiracies have often emerged after national tragedies and major historical events, social media has dramatically expanded the scope and scale of the problem, making it easy for false claims to reach massive audiences and giving trolls easy access to targets online.
“It makes you angry,” said Rob McIntosh, 52, who was shot in the chest and arm in Las Vegas and has since been accused of being an actor who faked his injuries. “You’ve already been through something that’s traumatic and terrible, and you have someone who is attacking your honesty. You don’t even have the opportunity to respond.”
‘I hope someone comes after you’
Braden Matejka, from British Columbia, Canada, traveled to Las Vegas with his girlfriend, Amanda Homulos, to celebrate his 30th birthday at a country music festival. Police say the gunman, Stephen Paddock, whose motives remain unknown, fired into the crowd of people at the outdoor concert from a 32nd-floor room of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
As the couple was fleeing, Braden was knocked down by a bullet in the back of his head, landing on his face. He was covered in blood, but remained responsive, and he and his girlfriend, who was not hit, quickly made it inside the car of another concertgoer, who drove them to a hospital.
The wound to his skull was not life-threatening, and days later, the couple gave an emotional interview on camera to the Associated Press about their escape.
“I’m just so grateful that we’re still here, and I can’t even express how sorry I am for people that didn’t make it out,” Homulos said through sobs. In another video interview, published by the Guardian and other news organizations, Braden explained that the bullet was very close to killing him: “If it was an inch over … it would’ve been in my brain, and I would’ve been gone.”
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9alWt53fyoc?enablejsapi=1&rel=0&showinfo=0&origin=https://www.theguardian.com]
‘If it was an inch over I would have been gone’: Las Vegas survivor recounts being shot – video
His brother Taylor and others began promoting on Facebook a GoFundMe campaign to help raise money for Braden, who was suffering from bleeding and swelling in his brain and blurred vision. The heavy-duty mechanic and welder also had to take time off work.
Friends and relatives posted messages of love and support in response. But soon, the nasty messages began to arrive, with strangers sending comments at such a rapid rate that it was hard for the family to keep up.
“Obviously a TERRIBLE CRISIS ACTOR,” wrote a Facebook user named Samantha. “HE’S SCAMMING THE PUBLIC … This was a government set up.”
“YOUR A LIAR AND THEFT PIECE OF CRAP [sic],” wrote Karen.
“You’ll pay on the other side,” said a user named Mach. Others called Braden a “LYING BASTARD”, “scumbag govt actor” and “fuckin FRAUD”, while one user named Josh wrote: “I hope someone comes after you and literally beats the living fuck outa you.”
Taylor, 28, recalled: “I was just blown away by what these people were saying.”
One woman posted 26 consecutive messages under Taylor’s request for donations for his brother, saying she had been a nurse for more than two decades and that she was certain Braden was a liar and con artist.
Chased off the internet
Brothers Taylor (left) and Braden Matejka. Photograph: Courtesy of Taylor Matejka
Braden tried to defend himself, but eventually gave up and deleted his Facebook and Instagram accounts. Some said the decision was further evidence that he was part of a government-organized hoax – a staged fake shooting meant to help push gun control policies.
Taylor said he tried to respond to the conspiracy theorists, but nothing seemed to work: “I’d be happy to talk to these people, but it seems there’s no reasoning. A really sad part of this is that a lot of these people think they’re fighting the good fight and exposing truth.”
By some measures, YouTube seems to be making the problem worse. This week, a search for “Braden Matejka” on the Google-owned video platform suggested a video titled “How To Spot Crisis Actors & Fakest News Ever” as one of the top results. That’s despite the fact that YouTube said it was immediately changing its algorithm to better promote legitimate sources after Las Vegas victims criticized the site for spreading conspiracies.
Mike Cronk, another Las Vegas survivor, was also widely targeted by conspiracy theorists after he did interviews with ABC and NBC news stations. So many users on YouTube have published videos calling him a fake that a search for his name autocompleted to “Mike Cronk crisis actor” and “Mike Cronk fake”. The top three search results for “Mike Cronk Las Vegas” were conspiracy videos, promoted higher than the ABC News segment.
I am fully aware that you will not post my comment. That’s not my intent. This is for you idiots. Do you think it in any way plausible that a man that claimed to be shot in the head would not have had the area around the wound shaved to inspect for fragments, irrigate the wound, stitch the wound and watch for infection? Are you people THAT FUCKING STUPID? Do you believe that a man who was “shot in the head” would be allowed to leave a hospital within days of being admitted? ARE YOU THAT FUCKING STUPID? Do you believe a man that claimed he had brain swelling would be allowed to leave the hospital to drive/ride from Las Vegas to Canada? This site is a fucking joke. Reply to me personally. I challenge you.
ed note–Growing up, there was an old lady who lived down the street from us whose name was Ruth. She was diagnosed as a schizophrenic, was often seen walking around town pushing baby carriage with no baby in it and had a sign out front of her place that read as follows–
‘Ruth, mother of President Richard M. Nixon and actress Marlynn Monroe. Former world famous stripper. 12 teeth’.
We knew we had to stay away from Ruth because she was not just ‘crazy’ but dangerous crazy. She had tried to cave in one guy’s head with a flower pot and on another occasion told me personally she was going to cut my head off with a steak knife.
I learned a lot about crazy people dealing with Ruth as a kid and I think this has given me a ‘leg up’ as they say in dealing with the crazies in this ‘movement’, who come in all sorts of interesting shapes, sizes, and species.
As I read your ‘list’, interspersed with the ‘F’ word (I guess for emphasis) it was like listening to Ruth go on about her son President Nixon and her daughter Marlynn Monroe–Things that are just thrown out there without any basis in fact whatsoever but which you believe with all your heart, just as Ruth did vis a vis the various ideas she had swimming ’round in her head.
The story we posted about Las Vegas deals with conspiracy nuts such as you who are so convinced of the veracity of their story concerning what did or didn’t happen that they are contacting the survivor victims of it and threatening their lives. This is not the behavior of sane, rational people, but rather the behavior of those who hear voices in their own heads and believe these voices to be true, and even when they are not.
You are one of those people, and I just called your ‘dare’ by posting your delusional comment.
I’ll also be saving your IP address to share with whatever LEA happens to be contact me after reading this post who might be concerned that you might be one of those nuts out there who decides to do something dangerous in order to get your ‘point’ across. According to the info I have, you are using an AT&T wireless connection originating out of Kansas, close to Witchita.
Yeah, and soon the MSM, always a reliable source, will ‘confirm’ that Hezbollah brainwashed Paddock and got him to do it. And, Melissa Gilbert, one of dem Jooz, was there to record the event for posterity. 🙄
“This week, a search for “Braden Matejka” on the Google-owned video platform…..” “Google Platform”… notice the jews deceiving hand at work folks. When will people point at the true terrorists dividing and conquering on a daily basis? Before it’s too late?
The only people who would threaten people are psychopaths (IE antifa), who work for the deep state, shabbos goy toadies and hot-room propagandist from…Israel wishing for more chaos…Fetzer is his own man and no one owns him, he knows who pushes the buttons of liars and deceivers. If you believe sane Americans posted attacks like you say, you need to re-calibrate your radar. Sane people know the world is full of liars and don’t react to them with threats. Eventually all the truth will come out in a free speech nation.
ed note–WRONG. People with crazy ideas about things act in crazy ways, and this includes the ‘hoaxer’ crowd who have demonstrated on numerous occasions over the last couple of years that they are inclined toward violet and criminal behavior towards those they perceive being ‘part of the conspiracy’. Simply look at how many survivors of Sandy Hook and other massacres who have been stalked, threatened and in some cases even assaulted by these types, and NO, they are not ‘ANTIFA’.
so you guys only post what you want too shame on you, I just deleted your site as I do with all other who do agenda driven sites