Does a video on social media show a "Haitian militia" in Springfield, Ohio? No, that's not true: The video shows a group called Israel United in Christ, which describes itself as a nonviolent organization of "Israelites." The group's website says, "WE DON'T ADVOCATE OR CONDONE ANY ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY RACE, ETHNICITY OR GENDER!"
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly Twitter, on September 23, 2024, with "Springfield ohio" as the on-screen title. The video's caption said:
Haitian militia is reportedly forming in Springfield, Ohio.
Kamala imported this.
This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Thu Sep 26 15:18:20 2024 UTC)
The post provided no evidence to support its assertion that the video showed a "Haitian militia" in Springfield.
Original video
The TikTok watermark in the video reads @jessereed2135, which took Lead Stories to the original video (archived here), posted on September 21, 2024. One of the commenters on the post said, "This is the religious organization Israelites United in Christ (IUIC)." It's highlighted on the righthand side of the image below:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Thu Sep 26 16:44:03 2024 UTC)
Also, in the first few seconds of the video, the marchers chanted, "I-U-I-C," which stands for Israel United in Christ, the correct name of the organization, not Israelites United in Christ. The commenter was close, but not quite right.
The group's website describes itself this way:
Israel United in Christ is NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY OTHER ISRAELITE ORGANIZATION OR GROUP! ISRAEL UNITED IN CHRIST IS A NON-VIOLENT BIBLE BASED MOVEMENT! WE DON'T ADVOCATE OR CONDONE ANY ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST ANY RACE, ETHNICITY OR GENDER! WE ADVISE THAT IF ANYONE HEARS OR KNOWS OF ANY PLOTS TO CAUSE HARM TO ANYONE OR TO BREAK THE LAWS OF THE LAND, YOU MUST CONTACT THE PROPER AUTHORITIES TO BRING AWARENESS TO ANY POSSIBLE THREAT(s), AS STATED IN: LEVITICUS 5:1
Other posts
Lead Stories found other posts on social media to support the fact that IUIC marched in Springfield in September 2024. One was a post (archived here) published on YouTube on September 23, 2024, under the title "Israel United in Christ came to Springfield, OH! Such an exciting site to see! thank you being here!"
This is what the post looked like on YouTube at the time of writing. You can see the men wearing the same purple and gold shirts seen in the original video:
(Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Thu Sep 26 17:36:14 2024 UTC)
Lead Stories found a second post showing the march on the Facebook page of the IUIC branch in Columbus, Ohio, about 45 miles east of Springfield. The post, published on September 24, 2024, included this caption:
Army Of God Hit Springfield, OH To Wake Up The So-Called Haitians The Tribe Of Levi Operation Sak Pase Was A Success
This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:
(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Thu Sep 26 17:36:14 2024 UTC)
The group's website says:
Israel United in Christ (IUIC) is a Bible-based organization steadfastly dedicated to gathering the 'Lost Sheep of the House of Israel,' who are identified as the so-called Blacks, Hispanics, and Native American Indians today. At the heart of IUIC's mission is the belief that these communities represent the true and historical descendants of the Biblical Israelites.
And adds this, regarding its mission:
Our mission is singular, to wake up the 12 Tribes of Israel. Israel United In Christ is dedicated to waking up the 144,000 elect men from the lost 12 tribes of Israel, also known as the Blacks, Hispanics, and Native Americans.
Read more
At the time this was written, Reuters and Check Your Fact had reviewed similar claims.
Additional Lead Stories fact checks of claims about immigrants can be found here.
