Right-Wing YouTuber Behind Viral Minnesota Fraud Video Has Long Anti-Immigrant History
theintercept.com
Before alleging fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community, right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley built a following with anti-immigrant clips.

Before alleging fraud in Minnesota’s Somali community, right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley built a following with anti-immigrant clips.

The day after Christmas, far-right YouTuber Nick Shirley posted a video claiming to have exposed fraud at Somali-owned day care centers in Minnesota. Portions of the 42-minute video — mostly scenes where Shirley is turned away at the day cares — went viral in conservative circles, catching the attention of the Trump administration, which was already at work targeting Minnesota’s Somali community amid its broader war on immigrants.

The video, which has been viewed more than 2.2 million times on YouTube and millions more on other platforms, sparked a renewed crackdown in Minneapolis, with the Department of Homeland Security announcing on Monday it would visit 30 sites suspected of fraud across the city.

This isn’t the first time the conservative YouTuber has gotten the attention of the Trump administration. Shirley participated in Donald Trump’s “Roundtable on Antifa” in October after an altercation at an anti-ICE protest. At age 23, his videos aren’t merely influencing his audiences — they’re also influencing government action.

  • AnchoriteMagus@lemmy.worldEnglish
    90·
    1 day ago

    He also made videos in Kyiv insinuating that the war in Ukraine doesn’t exist and that US aid money is going to buy luxury cars for Ukrainians.

    When pushed about this in a live video chat, he backpedals, claims he never meant to push that narrative, and conclusively identifies his “reporting” as unserious and satire.

    https://youtu.be/VaZYMeYWMic

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.worldEnglish
      4·
      19 hours ago

      I’d love to see a lot of these little fuckers arrested. Benny Johnson ranks very high on my list.

      I had to laugh that some of these assholes were all a-quiver over getting “Kirked” in the aftermath of that…it’s almost like they KNOW they are pissing off a whole lot of people and suddenly thought - holy shit - you mean I might have to face any consequences at all for the shit I do?

      Not that I’m condoning violence mind you, but it was wild to see it suddenly dawn on them that their actions have real consequences, and it might involve more than just getting them money, “owning the libs” and giving Donvict a reach-around. It might involve negative consequences.

      Imagine if those negative consequences involve going to fucking prison for their fraudulent bullshit. James O’Queefe taught a generation of even younger dickheads just how to do it, and now they don’t even need a platform like Faux to help them…I’d like to see some real consequences for their lies and deception - long prison terms and HUGE, debilitating fines, as well as clawing back all the money they make doing their “influencing”.

    • fox2263@lemmy.worldEnglish
      18·
      1 day ago

      Great video. And infuriating. Hard to watch.

      These fuckers exist and “influence” people in such bad ways.