Haiti dispute: Photographer of viral 'man carrying duck' says he thought it was …

The man who took the viral photo of a person carrying a duck said he regretted taking the photo because it had become a weapon of right-wing social media accounts claiming the photo was from Springfield, Ohio and the man carrying the duck was a Haitian immigrant. A major controversy erupted after several Republican spokespeople amplified the theory that Haitian immigrants in Springfield are stealing and eating domestic cats, dogs and ducks. The photographer told the Columbus Dispatch that the photo was not taken in Springfield, but in Columbus – also in Ohio – on July 28.
The man said he posted it on Reddit because he thought it was unusual to see a man carrying a dead duck.
“I wish I had never done it, for sure. And I hate that the image I took is being used as a weapon against immigrants or really any other group. They always have to have someone to use as a weapon. A group that is the bad guy,” the photographer said.
This photo was used as evidence by the right-wingers who spread the conspiracy theory, which was amplified by prominent Republicans. Another alleged piece of evidence was the video of 27-year-old Allexis Ferrell, who was arrested after allegedly eating a cat in Ohio. Neither incident occurred in Springfield, although it was drawn into the major controversy. Many establishments in Springfield, Ohio, received bomb threats after Donald Trump spoke about it at the debate.
“Then supposedly all these claims are made and they're killing all the wildlife and so on. It's ridiculous. But people see things that are being spread and have no idea what the truth is, but they spread it like it's the truth. And I feel like the only person who knows what really happened to the goose is the guy who had the goose,” the photographer said.