Update (10/31/23): A spokesperson for Catholic Charities USA responded to Peters’ dangerous rhetoric, stating (via Newsweek and Raw Story):
“These comments are deeply disturbing and could endanger Catholic Charities staff members and volunteers, who on a daily basis selflessly serve people in need in every corner of this country. … Sadly, these reprehensible threats against our agencies are an extension of a disturbing trend from a small but vocal group of critics who misrepresent and malign the basic humanitarian care — a warm meal, fresh clothing, a bed to sleep in for a night — that some Catholic Charities agencies provide to migrants after they have been released into the country by federal authorities. As our nation continues to mourn in the wake of yet another mass shooting, we pray for all victims of gun violence and for an end to dangerous, hateful rhetoric.”
Rumble host and X influencer Stew Peters called for the murder of Catholic Charities workers, stating that the best option to stop undocumented immigration is “shooting everyone involved” with the nonprofit. X has been monetizing Peters' account and placed an ad for the Philadelphia Eagles on Peters' post featuring video of him calling for violence.
Peters, who has also hosted numerous Republican officials, additionally called for the murder of doctors who provide gender-affirming care.
Peters is a white nationalist and antisemite who calls for the murders of his perceived enemies. He streams on Rumble, where he has more than 500,000 followers. Peters last month posted a segment calling for the execution of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. He recently praised Rumble after The Guardian reported that the Republican National Committee-backed platform allows him to post extremism, writing: “Rumble held the line and did NOT cave, staying true to their commitment to FREE SPEECH.”
He also has a verified account on X (formerly Twitter) with more than 448,000 followers and uses that account to endorse the killings of politicians and LGBTQ advocates.
Despite Peters’ background, numerous Republican politicians have appeared on his show, including U.S. Reps. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Bob Good (R-VA), Pete Sessions (R-TX), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ); Arizona state Sen. Wendy Rogers; and U.S. Senate candidate Kari Lake. Robert F. Kennedy Jr also appeared on his show before he ran for president. Peters spoke at the ReAwaken America tour in Las Vegas this summer along with Donald Trump Jr., Lara Trump, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Michael Flynn, among others.
On October 28, Peters attacked Catholic Charities USA while speaking at “Stew Peters’ Fall Fest,” which was sponsored by Goldco and others. He posted a stream of the speech on Rumble and X. (Update 11/1/23: Rumble appears to have removed the Peters video and it has claimed to OSV News that the platform “has strict moderation policies banning the incitement of violence,” among other content.)
The nonprofit, which Republicans have recently targeted for helping undocumented immigrants and are attempting to defund, states on its website that its “approach to migration is rooted in the Gospel and Catholic social teaching. … In addition to providing essential services to immigrants and refugees to the U.S., we also advocate for policies that protect family unity and allow newcomers to contribute to and more fully participate in their new communities.”
Peters took the opposition effort even further during his speech by directly calling for people to murder employees of the group.
After claiming that Catholic Charities helps “coach illegals on how to get admitted here,” he said: “We need troops on the border that will shoot people that are trying to invade our country. That'd be a good first step. But you know what a better second step would be? Shooting everyone involved with these fake charities.”
