Anti-LGBTQ+ Libs of TikTok reportedly “inspired” Texas gunman’s pro-Hitler screed

The gunman who opened fire at an outdoor mall in Allen, Texas, on Saturday reportedly credited Libs of TikTok as the inspiration for a social media post praising Adolph Hitler.

According to The New York Times, authorities are examining a profile on Russian social media site OK.RU which they believe belonged to 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia. On Sunday, officials identified Garcia as the gunman responsible for the mass shooting at the Allen Premium Outlets, which left eight people dead and at least seven injured. Officials have indicated that more than one child was killed in the shooting, and those injured reportedly range in ages from five to 61. Garcia, who wore a “Right Wing Death Squad” patch during the shooting and espoused white supremacist ideology, was killed by a police officer at the scene.

Related:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calls LibsOfTikTok creator Chaya Raichik “super transphobic” in viral vid

Raichik’s tweets have inspired death and bomb threats against a Boston children’s hospital.

Authorities are examining the OK.RU profile, which matches the gunman’s birthdate and refers to a motel where he was staying, to determine a motive for the shooting. The profile is reportedly full of racist and misogynist screeds.

Stay connected to your community

Connect with the issues and events that impact your community at home and beyond by subscribing to our newsletter.

Daily

Weekly

Good News

On Monday, Aric Toller, director of training and research for the Netherlands-based independent investigative journalism collective Bellingcat, identified and posted a link to the OK.RU profile believed to be Garcia’s, along with screenshots of the vile content posted to the profile. Among the posts espousing white supremacist ideology and advocating for rape and violence, UC Berkeley Human Rights Center researcher Brian Nguyen identified a post in which the writer, believed to be Garcia, described harassing a former teacher by performing Nazi salutes in class and repeatedly praising Hitler.

The user credited the anti-LGBTQ+ Libs of TikTok, the social media alias of former Brooklyn real estate agent Chaya Raichik, as inspiring the post.

Over the past year, Raichik has risen to prominence on the far right, amassing over 1.9 million followers on Twitter thanks to her posts falsely accusing LGBTQ+ people and their allies of “grooming” children for abuse. She’s been accused of helping “set off the moral panic that has led to countless LGBTQ people being falsely accused of ‘grooming’ kids.”

In the OK.RU post, the writer complains of their former teacher promoting “diversity hippie bulls**t” and describes Hitler as “one of histories most powerful men [sic].”

“You better believe their [sic] wouldn’t be we’ll convert your children drag queen story hour loser’s [sic] running around loose…under Hitlers [sic] watch,” the user wrote.  

Raichik has used her Libs of TikTok account to accuse teachers, parents, activists, and doctors of “sexualizing” kids through LGBTQ+ media content, drag queen performances, and gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. Her posts have made led to death threats against medical professionals and rescue shelters, armed protesters at drag events, and the harassment and firing of LGBTQ+ allied teachers.