The man who took the viral photo showing a person carrying a duck said he regrets taking the photo as it became the weapon of the Right-wing social media accounts who claimed that photo was from Ohio’s Springfield and the man carrying the duck was a Haitian immigrant. A major controversy erupted after several Republican handles amplified the theory that Haitian migrants in Springfield have been stealing pet cats, dogs and ducks and eating them.The photographer told the Columbus Dispatch that the photo was not shot at Springfield but in Columbus — which is also in Ohio — on July 28.
The man said he posted it on Reddit thinking that this was not something one can come across every day — that a man was carrying a dead duck, he thought.
“I wish I never took it, for sure. And I hate that the picture that I took is being weaponized to use against immigrants, or really, any other group. They always have to have somebody to use as a weapon. Some group to be the bad guy,” the photographer said.
This photo served as one evidence for the Right-wingers who spread the conspiracy theory that got amplified by prominent Republicans. Another purported evidence was the video of a 27-year-old Allexis Ferrell who was arrested after allegedly eating a cat in Ohio. Neither of the incidents was in Springfield though it got dragged into the major controversy. Many establishments in Ohio’s Springfield received bomb threats after Donald Trump spoke about it at the debate.
“Then all of (these claims) supposedly they’re going and killing all of the wildlife and whatever. That’s ridiculous. But people see things that are spread and have no idea what the truth is, but they spread it like it’s truth. And I feel like the only person that knows what really happened to the goose is the guy that had the goose,” the photographer said.