Paris mayor supports Olympics opening ceremony director after death threats; The Athletic, August 2, 2024

Ben Burrows and Brendan Quinn, The Athletic; Paris mayor supports Olympics opening ceremony director after death threats

"The mayor of Paris has offered her “unwavering support” to the artistic director behind the Olympics opening ceremony after he was subjected to harassment online including death threats.

Thomas Jolly has filed a complaint with authorities after the opening ceremony — which took place on Friday night — saw him targeted by “threats” and “defamation”...

A statement from Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo on Friday read: “On behalf of the City of Paris and in my own name, I would like to extend my unwavering support to Thomas Jolly in the aftermath of the threats and harassment he has been subjected to in recent days, which have led him to lodge a complaint.”

Paris’ Central Office for Combating Crimes Against Humanity and Hate Crimes (OCLCH) is now investigating Jolly’s complaint.

Jolly’s complaint related to “death threats on account of his origin, death threats on account of his sexual orientation, public insults on account of his origin, public insults on account of his sexual orientation” as well as “defamation” and “threatening and insulting messages criticizing his sexual orientation and his wrongly assumed Israeli origins.”"

Death threats against the author of ‘American Dirt’ threaten us all; The Washington Post, January 30, 2020

Ron Charles , The Washington Post; Death threats against the author of ‘American Dirt’ threaten us all

"The co-owner of Politics and Prose, Lissa Muscatine, articulated that goal when she introduced Cummins last week. She noted that “American Dirt” raises questions such as: “Who is entitled to tell whose story? What is the purpose of literary fiction? Does a white-dominated publishing world perpetuate cultural bias in its choices of authors and books to promote?” Before turning over the microphone to Cummins, she reminded us, “Here at P and P, our only requirement is that we all remain respectful and generous as we listen to and hear from one another, even when we disagree.”

How grotesquely that modest requirement of liberal society has been soiled this week."

Sandy Hook father Lenny Pozner on death threats: ‘I never imagined I’d have to fight for my child’s legacy’; Guardian, May 2, 2017

Hadley Freeman, Guardian; 

Sandy Hook father Lenny Pozner on death threats: ‘I never imagined I’d have to fight for my child’s legacy’

"Pozner realised quickly that there was no point in arguing with these hoaxers, so instead he attacks through copyright law. Every day, he Googles Noah’s name to see if anyone has put up a photo or video of his son without his permission and, if so, he files copyright claims. Thanks to Pozner’s dedication and experience as an IT consultant, he has scrubbed Noah’s search results of toxic-hoaxer content. He has sued other hoaxers for invasion of privacy, and successfully petitioned a Florida university to fire a professor, James Tracy, for hoaxing. (Tracy has sued for wrongful termination.) He also founded the HONR Network, which helps grieving families deal with online abuse, and it lobbies YouTube, Google and Facebook to stop hosting such abuse. "

N.C. man told police he went to D.C. pizzeria with assault rifle to ‘self-investigate’ election-related conspiracy theory; Washington Post, 12/5/16

Faiz Siddiqui and Susan Svrluga, Washington Post; N.C. man told police he went to D.C. pizzeria with assault rifle to ‘self-investigate’ election-related conspiracy theory:

[Kip Currier: In the wake of post-2016 Presidential Election revelations by fake news writers, research findings on fake news here and here and here, and efforts by tech giants over the past few weeks to rein in fake news dissemination and proliferation here in the U.S. and abroad, this story about a seemingly fake-news-weaponized assailant's dangerous "conspiracy theory reconnaissance" on Sunday at a popular pizza eatery in Chevy Chase, Maryland and his impact on other businesses and area residents is a chilling example of the potentially dire consequences that fake news and conspiracy theories can have. Thankfully no one was physically injured. But this is a wake-up call to all of us about the legitimate threat fake news poses to democratic values and democracy itself, as well as to personal liberty and public safety. I've not been to Comet Ping Pong yet but have enjoyed browsing the nearby Politics and Prose bookstore (which each month hosts an incredible array of authors for book talks nurturing the free flow of information, ideas, and speech!) and grabbing a delicious Fox BLT at The Little Red Fox on my way back to Pittsburgh.]

"The popular family restaurant, near Connecticut and Nebraska avenues NW in the Chevy Chase neighborhood, was swept up in the onslaught of fake news and conspiracy theories that were prevalent during the presidential campaign. The restaurant, its owner, staff and nearby businesses have been attacked on social media and received death threats...

The restaurant’s owner and employees were threatened on social media in the days before the election after fake news stories circulated claiming that then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief were running a child sex ring from the restaurant’s backrooms. Even Michael Flynn, a retired general whom President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to advise him on national security, shared stories about another anti-Clinton conspiracy theory involving pedophilia. None of them were true. But the fake stories and threats persisted, some even aimed at children of Comet Ping Pong employees and patrons. The restaurant’s owner was forced to contact the FBI, local police, Facebook and other social-media platforms in an effort to remove the articles.

Last month, citing its policy against posting the personal information of others, Reddit banned the “pizzagate” topic.

But it didn’t stop the harassment, and nearby businesses have received threats as well, according to police. On Sunday, Washington Post reporters involved in this article were the target of online threats shortly after it posted.

Matt Carr, the owner of the Little Red Fox market and coffee shop, said his business started getting threats last weekend...

Politics and Prose, the bookstore that has been a Washington institution and neighborhood fixture for more than 30 years, was in the middle of a book event when attendees and staff saw police converging on the block, said Bradley Graham, a store co-owner.

They, too, had received threats recently, Graham said, and were planning to meet with police Monday “because we had feared that what, up to now, had been simply despicable menacing verbal attacks online or on the phone might escalate.”"

Man falsely connected to the shooting by Dallas police is now getting ‘thousands’ of death threats; Washington Post, 7/8/16

Ben Guarino, Washington Post; Man falsely connected to the shooting by Dallas police is now getting ‘thousands’ of death threats:

"Amid the confusion, a man in a camouflage T-shirt briefly became one of the most sought individuals in the United States.

Late Thursday, the Dallas Police Department sparked a manhunt for Mark Hughes though a Twitter post, writing, “This is one of our suspects. Please help us find him!”...