The Miami Heat have issued a statement defending the Haitian community amid rumours and threats from the far right in the US.
The NBA team posted a message of support on social media on Monday amid false claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio have eaten pets and wildlife.
Related: ‘A very old political trope’: the racist US history behind Trump’s Haitian pet eater claim
“The Miami HEAT staff, like Miami itself, is a diverse and brilliant mix of vibrant cultures, including members of our Haitian community,” the team wrote in the statement. “The false narrative around them is hurtful and offensive and has sadly made innocent people targets of hateful speech and physical threats. Our Haitian employees, fans and friends deserve better.”
The Heat ended the statement by writing: “ansanm nou kanpé fò”, or “together we stand strong” in Haitian creole.
Miami has a large Haitian community, many of them based in the neighbourhood of Little Haiti.
The widely debunked lies around the Haitian community in Ohio were amplified when they were repeated by Donald Trump during his television debate with Kamal Harris last week.
“In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” said Trump. “They’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”
David Muir, one of ABC’s moderators for the debate, quickly corrected the former president.
“You bring up Springfield, Ohio, and ABC News did reach out to the city manager there,” said Muir. “He told us there had been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.”
The city of Springfield believes the rumours may also have arisen from a case in Canton, Ohio, where an American with no known connection to Haiti was arrested in August for allegedly stomping a cat to death and eating the animal.
Hospitals and government buildings in Springfield have been the subject of bomb threats linked to the rumours in recent days.