Alex Jones’ lawyers are having one hell of a month. First, he threatened to beat a congressman in early April (it’s a felony, btw). Then one of his lawyers said he doesn’t actually believe in the conspiracy theories he pushes. Now, greek yogurt manufacturer Chobani is joining the legal fun by suing Jones and his propaganda machine for defamation, according to the Idaho Statesman.
The lawsuit said Jones, his network, and InfoWars’ Twitter feed and YouTube channel repeatedly published false information linking Chobani, owner Hamdi Ulukaya and Twin Falls to a sexual assault case involving refugee children at a Twin Falls apartment complex.
Ulukaya, a Turkish immigrant, has drawn threats for advocating for immigrants and refugees. The company employs more than 300 refugees at its plants in Twin Falls and upstate New York.
Twin Falls drew national attention in June 2016 after three refugee boys sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl in a laundry room at an apartment complex. Right-wing websites, including Breitbart News, fanned flames of several conspiracies, including that a group of Syrian men had attacked the girl, that a rape had occurred, that a knife was present and that city officials attempted to cover up the crime, the Times-News in Twin Falls reported.
I really hope that Ulukaya and Chobani win this. It’s wrong that Jones continues to create falsehoods just to cater to his base; the hate he spreads has a real human cost. Unfortunately, it seems that Jones doesn’t seem to see immigrants and refugees as people deserving of basic human decency and respect.