A group of celebrities... and Soulja Boy were duped into recording video messages with anti-semitic dog whistles for a hate group, under the pretense that the messages were for a veterans group.
According to Buzzfeed, former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre; slightly off-center comedian Andy Dick and legendary Supermanner of hoes Soulja Boy were among the people swindled by the Goyim Defense League, whose name is an anti-semitic play on the Hebrew term for a non-jew.
The group used Cameo app, a social networking app that allows celebrities to record personalized messages for users for a fee. The user submits instructions for what they want included in the video and the celebrity sends the footage to the user.
“Brett Favre here with a shoutout to the Handsome Truth and the GDL boys,” Favre says in the video obtained by Buzzfeed. “You guys are patriots in my eyes. So keep waking them up and don’t let the small get you down. Keep fighting, too, and don’t ever forget the USS Liberty and the men and women who died on that day. God bless and take care.”
While I am always suspicious when white people who aren’t coached by Bill Bellichick refer to themselves as “patriots,” the video apparently didn’t raise Favre’s suspicion because it was laced with low-key racist terms. “Small” is a pejorative term for yarmulkes, or “small hats,” and the USS Liberty refers to an infamous 1967 incident when Israeli planes killed 34 people aboard a US spy ship after allegedly mistaking the Liberty for a Egyptian vessel. The survivors of the incident dispute that account, fueling conspiracy theories.
Handsome Truth, a YouTuber who runs the anti-Jewish GDL, allegedly paid $500 for the Favre video. When Favre realized that he had been duped, he issued a public statement on his Facebook page, explaining:
On November 22, I received a request to record a shout-out supporting what appeared to be a U.S. veterans organization for Cameo, a company that enables consumers to book personalized video greetings from celebrities. I had previously fulfilled more than 50 of these requests without incident. Since I match service dogs with military veterans who have PTSD, I assumed that the request stemmed from my interest in veterans affairs and recorded the message.
A few days later, I was distressed to learn that the request came from an anti-Semitic group that reposted my video with comments implying that I endorsed their mission. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am therefore donating my $500 Cameo fee to Charities supporting their fight against hate and bigotry.
Like most Americans, I am sickened by what these groups stand for and concerned about their role in fueling today’s negative political climate. The Cameo request from this organization is a prime example of how these groups are misusing social media to promote their agenda. I thought I was creating a message to support the brave men and women of our military forces. Had I understood the source of the request, I never would have fulfilled it. All of us – myself included – need to be vigilant to protect this country from these dangers.
Brett
Soulja Boy’s camp (not basic training, the other one) also claims he was hoodwinked, bamboozled and led astray when he cranked that anti-semitism for a reported $100 Cameo fee.
“Soulja Boy was unaware that the video on Cameo was tied to a group that promotes hate,” said a person who was unashamed to callthemselves a Soulja Boy spokesperson. “The promo video was what the Cameo had directed and in no way supports his personal beliefs. He greatly apologizes to anyone who may have been offended.”
The Root has also obtained exclusive footage of what may or may not be Soulja Boy describing his retaliation on the GDL when he had been tricked.