Video doesn't show a Haitian militia marching in Springfield, Ohio | Fact check

Nate Trela, USA TODAY

The claim: Video shows a 'Haitian militia' forming in Springfield, Ohio

A Sept. 23 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows a video of dozens of similarly dressed people walking down a residential street.

“Haitian militia is reportedly forming in Springfield, Ohio,” text in the video reads.

Similar claims were made on Facebook and on X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The video shows a religious group marching in Springfield. There is no evidence it is connected to a Haitian militia.

Religious group posted videos, photos of march

The Haitian community near Springfield has received unwelcome attention in recent weeks after Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, claimed falsely that immigrants there were eating people’s pets. In the ensuing weeks, the community has seen threats of violence.

The march in the video, however, is not of a Haitian militia forming in Springfield. It shows members of Israel United in Christ, a religious group whose members from nearby Columbus, Ohio, said on Facebook they "BLITZED Springfield, Ohio On A Mission To Wake Up The So Called Haitians Who Are The Tribe Of Levi."

Israel United in Christ says on its website that it believes people of color are “the true and historical descendants of the Biblical Israelites” and wants to unite various communities. But it has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, and it is described as an “extremist sect within the Black Hebrew Israelite movement” by the Anti-Defamation League because of anti-Semitism and racism seen at its events.

The group’s identity is clear in the first moment of the video, as it starts with people calling out “IUIC,” an acronym for the group.

IUIC Columbus, based about 45 miles east of Springfield, posted photos of the march to its Facebook group. IUIC Haiti posted a video of the march along with news coverage of the false claims about Haitian migrants in Springfield. The video of the march in the Instagram post shows the corner of John Street and Lincoln Park in Springfield, as confirmed by Google Maps.

Fact check: No, Haitian migrants aren’t ‘decapitating ducks’ in Springfield, Ohio

USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

Reuters and Check Your Fact also debunked this claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows religious group march, not a Haitian militia | Fact check

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