FBI investigating racist 'cotton picking' texts sent anonymously to black citizens across the US

9 November 2024, 08:04 | Updated: 9 November 2024, 08:07

The FBI is investigating after racist text messages were sent to black people across the United States.

The anonymous messages told recipients to report to a plantation "to pick cotton" - an offensive reference to the historic enslavement of Black people in the United States.

Alarming black Americans across the country, the messages were sent to recipients in at least 25 US states following Wednesday's US election, including Alabama, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia,

One horrifying message told the recipient she had "been selected to become a slave at your nearest plantation".

The texts come just days after Donald Trump claimed victory in the US election, leading many to fear the president's racist rhetoric has green lighted such behaviour.

“The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter,” the agency said after news of the messages emerged.

Black Americans, including school and university students at traditionally black colleges, were among the recipients, with the FBI's enforcement bureau now looking into the messages.

It remains unclear who is behind the reported texts, how many people had received them, or how the recipients were targeted.

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Lousiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican, told Reuters on Friday that her office is among those investigating the text messages, adding that some targets - herself included - also received emails.

Murrill, who is white, told the news agency that one such message hit her personal email box at 8:17 a.m. Friday, according to a screenshot seen by the outlet.

The message included an ethnic slur and said "Now that trump is president, you have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation" and that "Our guys will come get you in a van."

The Trump campaign has strongly denied any connection.

Steven Cheung, a campaign spokesman, said: “The campaign has absolutely nothing to do with these text messages.”

The area codes have so far suggested recipients are spread across at least 25 different US states, according to CBS.

Another recipient, who is still at high school, passed the messages to her 42-year-old mother in Indiana.

The distressing message told the teenager she had "been selected to become a slave at your nearest plantation" and would be "picked up in a white van" and "searched thoroughly once you’ve reached your destination".

The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, labelled the messages “extremely, extremely alarming”.

Civil rights group NAACP condemned the messages, labelling them a result of Trump’s election rhetoric and subsequent election.

"These actions are not normal, ” said chief executive Derrick Johnson.

“These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country, who now feel emboldened to spread hate and stoke the flames of fear that many of us are feeling after Tuesday's election results.”