Update (10/10/24): After publication, TikTok removed the videos flagged in this reporting.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation in the southeastern U.S., misinformation and conspiracy theories have stirred up calls for violence and mass mobilization against Federal Emergency Management Agency personnel on TikTok, in posts which have garnered millions of views.
Misinformation about the response to Helene — ranging from accusations that FEMA is failing to mobilize resources to hard-hit areas to conspiracy theories that the government controls the weather — has surged across social media platforms in the past several weeks, including on TikTok.
TikTok users have called for violence against FEMA personnel, falsely alleging that the federal agency is blocking hurricane aid
Media Matters has found multiple TikTok posts calling for violence against FEMA employees, including posts saying that “the charge will be TREASON” and that they should be “arrested or shot or hung on sight” amid false claims that FEMA is blocking aid to hard-hit areas.
One video with over 204,000 views threatens FEMA employees, saying, “Dear Feds and Fema… If you’re trying to deny people access to help in the affected area, be advised. We’re still under the War on Terror emergency declaration, if you violate your constitutional oath to protect and assist, the charge will be TREASON. Punishment can mean being unalived immediately by the citizens you are withholding aid from.”
Media Matters also identified a sponsored video with at least 4,450 views which purports to be a “Public Notice” and states that “We, The United States of America, have declared FEMA Personnel engaged in obstructing local rescue efforts in the area impacted by Hurricane Helene to be ’Enemies of the State.’” The video goes on to call for “FEMA personnel who offer any further obstruction or fail to immediately assist to the best of their ability” to be “arrested or shot or hung on sight."
Another video with 24,000 views claims that in Florida “they just issued evacuation order and when they did, FEMA closed the roads and the bridges. So they announced an evacuation order and FEMA locked the door and said ‘Not you can’t go nowhere.’” The top comment on this post reads “Run FEMA over. Pretty simple.”
In a video with over 322,000 views, a TikTok user addresses people who have been “encountering roadblocks and getting pulled over and your stuff taken in Tennessee and Georgia,” and says, “I’m part of a group that we are willing to get you through any and all roadblocks by any means necessary. Any means necessary. You know what I mean. If you encounter any, post on here where they’re at and if you have video of it that’d be even better.”
Media Matters also identified several videos promoting an unverified claim that a FEMA agent “got a whopping” from local residents for “acting arrogant” and denying aid to North Carolina hurricane victims. One video with 2 million views celebrates this rumor, saying, “Way to go locals. Stand up for yourself. You guys are doing an amazing job. I mean that’s just the beginning. People need to stand up and put FEMA down.”
TikTok users have promoted the idea of “civil war” and general violence in the wake of Hurricane Helene
On TikTok, the rampant misinformation in the aftermath of a storm has also spurred calls for “civil war” and “revolution.”
A video with 82,000 views celebrates the same unverified claim about a FEMA agent being assaulted and suggests that the U.S. government is going to “execute martial law and roll out the National Guard to protect FEMA.” The creators of the video go on to say that “this might be the beginning of that war that everybody’s been thinking about.”
Another video with 26,000 views calls for TikTok users to rise up and defend the U.S. from its supposed domestic enemies, saying, “If you have ever sworn an oath to the Constitution of the United States of America to defend this country against all enemies foreign and domestic — then it got real fucking domestic. Stand by awaiting the rally point. I trust we will all do the right thing together.”
On a video with 54,000 views perpetuating misinformation about FEMA “confiscating supplies” and blocking supplies from entering affected areas, the top comment reads “Civil war is coming.”
A video with over 114,000 views and 26,000 likes calls for TikTok users to “organize” a convoy against these perceived injustices while invoking the “great replacement” conspiracy theory, which claims that elites are trying to replace white Americans with nonwhite immigrants.
Another video with over 64,000 views has on-screen text that reads “We’re at the point of revolution.” It features a user speculating for over six minutes that Hurricane Helene was somehow part of a plan to suppress white Republican votes.
