Bad Wolves singer Tommy Vext, who is a Black American, has recently made a video posted on his Instagram questioning the grassroots legitimacy of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and stated that he never experienced racism in his home country. During the video he also lists out a number of people he believes are “power players” profiting off the movement such as The Clinton Foundation, George Soros and Antifa.
Black Lives Matter is typically credited as beginning in 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin. The hashtag and movement were originated by three Black women, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi, who took the movement nationwide in 2014.
The Clinton Foundation is a non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code, for humanitarian purposes and philanthropy. While the organization has faced criticisms for its contributions from wealthy donors in the past, a subpoena from the US state department has found no wrongdoing on the organization’s part.
Soros is a billionaire philanthropist and investor, who does contribute to progressive and liberal political causes, however there is absolutely no proof that the philanthropist is tied to Antifa or the demonstrations held by Black Lives Matter.
Both Soros, who is of Jewish-Hungarian dissent and a holocaust survivor, and The Clinton Foundation, are often targets of the alt-right, while the former is also a frequent target of veiled anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Alt-right figures have accused Soros of using paid protesters/rioters for these current events, which have absolutely no evidence, while the BBC notes that the Clinton Foundation have also accused of doing the same thing, without evidence.
According to Politifact and Snopes, Soros and his foundations have not been found to be funding Black Lives Matter protests. The Clinton Foundation has also not been found to be donating to Black Lives Matter and has even had confrontations with activists from the movements in the past. While Soros has donated money to a media matters campaign, this organization has not been found to have given money to mainstream media outlets, who have various other owners and executives. The Clinton Foundation have not donated money to major media companies, however figures major media companies have donated to that organization. Due to this evidence, it should be noted that Vext’s claims of Soros or The Clinton Foundation owning the media or Black Lives Matter are false.
Antifa, a group meaning anti-Fascists, have been a frequent target of US President Donald Trump during the past couple of weeks. While Trump has declared the group a terrorist organization, the loose-knit organization has never been tied to any serious form of organized crime or any murders. It should also be noted that the organization does not even have a sense of hierarchy or leadership, meaning it is impossible to tie Soros or the Clinton Foundation as its leadership. Trump’s decision is also curious as white supremacist groups like the KKK and Neo Nazis are still not listed as terrorist organizations, despite the fact that those organizations have both been linked to the killing of civilians.
Vext stated that he has traveled across 48 out of the 50 states in the country, in addition to approximately 50 other countries world wide, and that he is convinced that the US does not have a “problem with race here.” He also made a comment criticizing “citizens policing other citizens over a veil of racism” which he claims does not exist.
“There’s a huge fucking problem going on where we have turned into citizens policing other citizens over a veil of racism that doesn’t exist,” Vext explained. “I’m African American, I’m 38-years-old. I’ve grown up in this country and I have not experienced actual racism. I’ve spent twenty years traveling through 48 states and, how many countries? I don’t know, lets say 50 countries all over the world. We don’t have a problem with race here. It’s all manufactured…”
During the video he begins using highlighters and markers to explain the roles of each individual power player, with The Clinton Foundation, Antifa and George Soros at the top. He explains an intricate web, stating that these players, alongside legacy news media such as CNN and MSNBC, are manipulating the movement against police brutality for profit.
Vext also explained that he was just a “rockstar” and not a political science major just “ANOTHER AFRICAN AMERICAN CITIZEN CALLING BULLSHIT ON VOLUNTARY SLAVERY.”
Bad Wolves released a cover of the Cranberries song “Zombie” back in 2018. The group would later donate $250,000 of the proceeds from the track to the family of the group’s late singer Dolores O’Riordan that same year.
UPDATE (6/11): Vext has clarified his comments in a post, stating that while he has not personally experienced open bigotry, he reiterated his claim that he believes systemic racism is a problem. “Systemic racism IS indeed a very real pandemic that effects the judicial, economic, healthcare, housing & education systems in underserved black communities,” Vext explained in a follow up post.