An annual cultural festival held in Springfield, Ohio, has been canceled following dozens of bomb threats against the city, whose immigration population has been the target of racist conspiracy theories in recent weeks.
The decision to cancel Springfield’s CultureFest was made “to prevent any potential risks to attendees, staff, vendors and volunteers,” the city said in an announcement Monday.
“We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community,” said City Manager Bryan Heck. “However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first.”
It wasn’t clear if any threats were made directly against the festival. Attempts to reach city officials for comment Monday were not immediately successful.
A man walks past the Springfield City Hall after bomb threats were made for some buildings earlier in the day in Springfield, Ohio.
As of Monday, there have been 33 bomb threats against the city. All of them have been investigated and determined to be hoaxes and coming from overseas, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said at an afternoon news conference.
“People have the right to feel safe as well as be safe,” he said while announcing the coming arrival of 36 members of the Ohio State Patrol to patrol the city’s 17 schools daily for the foreseeable future.
“They will sweep the building every single day and will remain there during the school day,” he said. “We want to make sure as schools continue this week in Springfield that parents have confidence that school is in fact safe.”
CultureFest, scheduled for Sept. 27 to 28 in the city’s downtown district, was billed as a family-friendly celebration of diversity, arts and local culture. It would have featured live music and dance performances as well as multi-cultural food and shopping.
The city of Springfield, Ohio, will have state troopers conduct daily sweeps of its schools in response to the city receiving 33 bomb threats in recent days, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday.
The city of Springfield has received the threats after being targeted by debunked claims that its Haitian immigrants have been stealing and eating people’s pets.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs,” former President Donald Trump baselessly said during his prime-time debate against Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country. And it’s a shame.”
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio, has also spread these rumors .
Springfield’s mayor, city manager and police department have rejected these racist claims. Ohio’s governor has, too .
The allegations come as the city and state face an influx of legal immigrants, which city officials have attributed to Springfield’s lower cost of living and available work.
The executive director of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center holds hands with pastors on Sept. 12 during a prayer at the end of a press conference where religious leaders called for calm and support after growing tensions about the Haitian population in Springfield exploded when former President Donald Trump spread baseless rumors that Haitians were stealing pets and eating them.
“Now that there are numerous immigrant families residing in our community, word of mouth is adding to our population, as this communal culture is sharing their positive experiences about living in our community with family and friends who are also seeking to leave the impoverished and dangerous living conditions of their home country,” the city has said.
The rapid growth has not come without its pains, however, and so the city has encouraged its citizens to reach out to state and federal representatives for support.
“We need support at the federal level to ensure that our schools, healthcare providers, and other local services have the resources they need to serve our growing population effectively,” the city said in a letter template shared with residents.
DeWine, addressing immigration concerns at Monday’s press conference, emphasized that the Haitian community has a right to be in Springfield, though he agreed that the immigration situation along the U.S.-Mexico border “is a legitimate issue” that needs to be properly addressed.
“It’s been a mess,” he said of the number of people entering the U.S.
He added, when asked, that he believes Trump has a right to visit and campaign in Springfield if he desires, especially with the presidential election being just seven weeks away.
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