RantCrush Top 5: February 2, 2017

A video featuring an older, white woman in front of a rural backdrop has gone viral. The woman, Ann Corcoran, claims that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is handpicking every refugee that comes here, mainly from countries “that hate us,” and that it is under the influence of a “powerful Muslim supremacist group.” She claims that refugees are then distributed to U.S. cities in order to spread Islam and colonize the country. Corcoran claims that she is stating facts, but it’s unclear where she got her information from, and she has no experiencing studying Islam or working with refugees.

According to Vox, Corcoran started a blog, called Refugee Resettlement Watch, after some African refugees were resettled close to where she lives. But her video has garnered close to 3 million views and was produced by an influential Islamophobic organization. She has been quoted by Breitbart as an expert on the subject and has worked with Frank Gaffney, a known conspiracy theorist.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.