Republicans put up ‘Eat Less Kittens’ billboards that some call racist

PHOENIX (KTVK/KPHO/Gray News) - The Arizona Republican Party put up billboards reading “Eat Less Kittens,” touting a false claim former President Donald Trump made about Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets.

A dozen billboards with the slogan, which plays off Chick-fil-A’s famous ‘Eat More Chikin’ ad campaign, popped up in Phoenix after Trump’s Tuesday night debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, AZ Family reports.

During the debate, Trump drew attention to false rumors from Ohio that claim Haitian immigrants are abducting pets and eating them.

“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people that live there,” Trump said.

Harris laughed at his remarks and called them “extreme.”

The City of Springfield released a statement Wednesday about the rumors that read in part, “There have been no credible reports or specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”

Despite the clarification, the billboards remain up to welcome Trump, who is scheduled to visit Arizona on Thursday and speak to supporters in Tucson.

The Arizona Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations is among a number of groups condemning the billboards, saying they promote unsubstantiated, racist claims about Haitian immigrants.

“This kind of rhetoric is rooted in ignorance and prejudice,” said Azza Abuseif, executive director of CAIR-AZ. “One of the main reasons why there are harmful stereotypes out there, like Islamaphobia, anti-Semitism, anti-Blackness, anti immigration, is spitting out misinformation and disinformation to our communities.”

Political consultant Stan Barnes with Copper State Consulting in Phoenix said it’s not unusual for political parties on both sides to post misleading or false ads whose sole purpose is to get voters’ attention.

“It’s easy to make fun of it, but in politics, that kind of thing is sometimes the ‘thing’ that actually makes a difference,” Barnes said. “In this case, I can’t tell if it will make a positive or negative difference for Republicans, but it’s there and we’re talking about it.”

In a statement, the Arizona GOP said the ads humorously underscore the need for border security, The Associated Press reports.

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