Grabien Mobile App
Get Grabien on the go!
  Collapse  

List: 182 Hate Crime Hoaxes

List: 182 Hate Crime Hoaxes

Will they ever learn?

For at least the second time this year, the media fell for what struck many as a likely hate crime hoax.

Last week a black sixth grade girl in Virginia alleged that three of her white classmates pinned her down and cut off three of her dredlocks. 

“The 12-year-old, who is African American, said three white boy students held her down in a school playground a week ago during recess, covered her mouth, called her insulting names and used scissors to cut her hair,” The Washington Post reported. 

Almost immediately, the story went viral, thanks to an uncritical boost from America’s unusually gullible media. 

Today the girl admitted making up the whole story — much like Jussie Smollett, who likewise concocted a tall tale of racial animus the media eagerly ate up. 

Unfortunately these hate crime hoaxes are becoming an industry unto themselves. Coming with such disturbing frequency, Grabien News has started tracking them on our sister site, NewsLists.co. Below you’ll see 60 recent such hoaxes. 

If we’re missing any you’re aware of, you can update the list here.

# Date Summary Source
1 02/18/2000 'Hate Crime' a Hoax, Say Investigators; Sheriffs say incident engineered by 'victim' SFGate
2 05/03/2000 Vermont Gay Activist Pastor Admits to Torching His Own Car LifeSiteNews
3 09/21/2001 An Alaska-based Muslim destroyed his own print shop, defacing the equipment with anti-Muslim graffiti Michelle Malkin
4 10/01/2001 An ASU student Ahmad Saad Nasim claimed he was assaulted, with the perps shouting "Die Muslim, Die!" but confessed to making it up. Michelle Malkin
5 08/09/2002 (N.C.) Woman admits to faking hate crime Free Republic
6 12/18/2002 Hate crime hoax at Ole Miss Michelle Malkin
7 05/30/2003 A Nashville Iraqi-American torched his own Chevy truck, blaming a hate crime (it was actually insurance fraud) Michelle Malkin
8 07/01/2003 A Muslim Utah hotel owned burned down his own lodge, falsely blaming local white supremacists Michelle Malkin
9 03/18/2004 Professor slashed tires, shattered windows & spray-painted racist graffiti on her own car LA Times
10 09/30/2004 A Texas-based Muslim set his own meat market on fire and spray painted "Go Home" on his door; he was later charged with arson The New York Times
11 11/09/2004 THE PERFECT VICTIM Azalea Cooley, cause célèbre Williamette Week
12 02/06/2005 A Cleveland-based Muslim hired an arsonist to burn down his meat store; he blamed bigots but was convicted of insurance fraud Daniel Pipes
13 03/23/2005 A Muslim father-son due blamed anti-Islam bigotry for being put on a terror watch list (but the story was concocted) The Oregonian
14 04/28/2005 Author of 'Hate Mail' Caught, Arrested at Trinity University Christian Post
15 05/09/2005 A Calif. high school student "faked a series of gay bashing incidents" against herself The Los Angeles Times
16 08/31/2006 A Muslim Ohio-based dad-son duo set their own restaurant on fire, blaming anti-Islam bigots (they were later charged with arson) Patrick Poole
17 03/02/2007 Ada, Okla. woman confesses anti-LGBT hate crime was faked Ada News
18 04/02/2007 Sometimes a “Hate Crime” Isn’t Exactly a “Hate Crime” at All Debbie Schlussel
19 11/05/2007 Jury Acquits Man Falsely Accused by Gay Rights Activists LifeSiteNews
20 11/05/2007 A GWU student journalist faked an anti-Semitic hate crime against herself MyFoxDC
21 11/06/2007 Jewish student behind some dorm swastikas Jewish Telegraphic Agency
22 10/25/2008 John McCain staffer Ashley Todd claimed she was beat up by an Obama supporter, but later admitted making it up Huffington Post
23 12/22/2009 A Democratic activist, trying to create a Tea Party-driven hate crime, smashed the windows at the Colo. Democratic Party headquarters Michelle Malkin
24 03/02/2010 UCSD Student Apologizes For Hanging Noose In Library KPBS
25 06/11/2010 A British Muslim faked his own abduction, blaming racists The Daily Mail
26 07/08/2010 A Ga.-based Muslim set fire to his own mosque in an attempt to create a fake hate crime Associated Press
27 07/28/2010 Two British Muslims claimed bigotry explained being denied entry on a bus, but CCTV footage revealed they were berating the driver Daniel Pipes
28 11/18/2010 An Australian Muslim pulled over for irregular license plates blamed bigotry; police footage showed the cop behaved professionally The Daily Telegraph
29 04/05/2011 UNC officials: student wasn't hate-crime victim, may face charges The Daily Tar Heel
30 05/07/2011 UVA Declines to Charge Student for False Racial Profiling Claim The Atlantic
31 02/15/2012 Montclair State students are charged with faking racist graffiti NJ.com
32 05/18/2012 Lesbian couple accused of faking hate crime at Colorado home Fox News
33 07/05/2012 Lesbian teen faked anti-gay notes that sparked college’s ‘Solidarity Rally’ LifeSiteNews
34 08/09/2012 Montana man who claimed he was beaten by homophobic thugs actually injured self doing a flip off a curb (VIDEO) New York Daily News
35 08/22/2012 Lesbian who reported 'hate crime' attack staged incident, Nebraska police say CNN
36 10/23/2012 A black South Carolina woman wrote "KKK" on the hood of her car and set herself on fire, blaming it on others The Monroe Morning Star
37 10/30/2012 Kyle Wood Assault ‘Unfounded,’ As Wisconsin Volunteer Recants Claim Of Hate Crime Attack Huffington Post
38 02/02/2013 Austrian-Albanians torched their own pizzeria, but tried pinning the blame on racists Kurier
39 03/06/2013 An Asian American Oberlin student defaced a memorial arch with anti-Asian graffiti ("Death to Ch*nks") Michelle Malkin
40 05/01/2013 A liberal blogger at the University of Wyoming threatened herself with rape, framed conservatives Campus Reform
41 07/25/2013 An Iraqi immigrant in San Diego killed his wife, putting an anti-Muslim note next to her body; he was charged with first degree murder The San Diego Reader
42 07/31/2013 Minister who claimed racial bias pleads guilty to setting fire to his home Richmond Times-Dispatch
43 08/23/2013 'Progressive pranksters' organized a series of fake hate crimes at Oberlin College including anti-gay graffiti and swastikas Michelle Malkin
44 11/14/2013 An imam in the south of France defaced his own mosque with anti-Muslim graffiti La Rep des Pyrenees
45 11/27/2013 EXCLUSIVE: Shocking discovery in hoax bias incident at Vassar College The Daily Caller
46 11/27/2013 A New Jersey waitress wrote an anti-gay note in lieu of a tip on a receipt, blaming hateful customers The Blaze
47 12/27/2013 Report: Man Who Claimed Anti-Gay Beat Down Arrested for Filing False Police Report The Daily Caller
48 01/15/2014 Retrospective: Is Chris Christie Less Believable Than Tawana Brawley? Town Hall
49 02/15/2014 Mom’s Homophobic Response To Gay Dads’ Birthday Invite Was A Radio Show Hoax Huffington Post
50 03/06/2014 Transgender teen girl admits lying about sexual assault ‘hate crime’ in high school bathroom LifeSiteNews
51 03/24/2014 POLICE: Racist Graffiti on Dorm Door Ruled Hate Crime Hoax College Fix
52 05/06/2014 Lesbian admits she faked anti-gay ‘hate crime’ to get out of doing her homework LifeSiteNews
53 06/24/2014 Iraqi immigrant gets 26 years-to-life for killing wife in Calif., initially thought to be hate crime CBS News
54 09/02/2014 Hate Crime Exposed as Hoax: Student Hung ‘White’ and ‘Colored’ Signs to ‘Make a Point’ College Fix
55 10/21/2014 Two Muslim bloggers filmed themselves ostensibly being harassed by the NYPD in a video that went viral; however, it was staged The Smoking Gun
56 12/02/2014 Student Fakes a Rape Threat to Advance Diversity Initiatives National Review
57 12/12/2014 Citywise: City report debunks ‘noose’ allegation at Oakland corporation yard The Mercury News
58 12/27/2014 A Fresno, Calif.-based Muslim torched his own mosque, blaming bigots; he was later arrested for arson PJ Media
59 02/16/2015 HATE-CRIME HOAX: This Muslim student’s wild tale was completely fabricated College Fix
60 03/03/2015 Gay rights activist's faked his own kidnapping, leading to arrest WLWT NBC 5
61 03/03/2015 Adam Hoover, Ohio Gay Rights Activist, Charged With Making False Kidnap Claim Huffington Post
62 07/01/2015 Man Who Claimed Ant-Gay Attackers Carved 'Die Fag' into His Arm Made up Story The Daily Caller
63 08/04/2015 Owner admits setting fire to gay nightclub in Oak Park ABC7 Chicago
64 08/05/2015 Tennessee lesbian couple faked hate crime and destroyed own home with arson for insurance claim, jury rules New York Daily News
65 09/23/2015 'Nooses' Found Hanging on University of Delaware Campus Were Lanterns NBC News
66 10/13/2015 A gay man who claimed to have been the victim of a hate crime at a Univ. of N. Dakota fraternity party fabricated his entire stor The Daily Caller
67 11/12/2015 LSU: 'Noose' on social media not what it looks like WBRZ 2
68 11/17/2015 Nov. 17 incident at Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center Vanderbilt News
69 11/18/2015 A black Saginaw Valley State Univ. student made a threat to "shoot every black person I can" The Washington Times
70 12/01/2015 Tweets threatening to kill all black students at Kean U. posted by black female activist, police say College Fix
71 12/30/2015 A Houston Muslim set fire to his own mosque, prompting a hate-crime investigation The Houston Chronicle
72 02/27/2016 New York Students Fabricated Hate Crime, Police Say Time
73 03/11/2016 Lesbian Professor Cold-Cocked Her Own Face then Swore Random Guy Beat Her up at Tobey Keith Concert The Daily Caller
74 03/29/2016 A Palestinian reported a Jewish terrorists attacked his family, defacing their house with anti-Arab graffiti; he fabricated the entire incident Arutz Sheva
75 04/28/2016 SURPRISE! Campus Noose Drawing Was Created By Black Students. NO CHARGES FILED For ‘Hate Crime’ Daily Caller
76 05/16/2016 Gay pastor apologizes, says Whole Foods cake slur a hoax USA Today
77 05/17/2016 HATE CRIME HOAX: Black student at U. of Iowa who started a bar fight will not be charged College Fix
78 06/01/2016 DePaul Students Traumatized by Pro-Trump Message, Rope Found After Milo Visit Breitbart
79 06/17/2016 Student: Clemson let white students be tarred and feathered for hate-crime they knew was hoax College Fix
80 08/13/2016 An Austin man purchased a cake from Whole Foods and falsely claimed it contained a homophobic slur The American Statesman
81 11/09/2016 VIDEO: Suspect wanted for racist Trump vandalism in South Philly Philly Voice
82 11/10/2016 Note reading 'Bye Bye Latinos Hasta La Vista' found in Kivette Hall Elon News Network
83 11/10/2016 Police: No official report of ugly racial incident at Delaware gas station Philly Voice
84 11/10/2016 Muslim Student Lied About Hate Crime By Man In ‘Trump Hat’ 11 / 21 CBS DFW
85 11/15/2016 This Indiana church was defaced with ‘HEIL TRUMP’ graffiti — and is keeping it Washington Post
86 11/17/2016 BG police say student lied about politically driven attack ABC13 WTVG
87 11/18/2016 Man admits to faking hate crime in Malden Boston Herald
88 11/19/2016 BGSU: Second report of slur, attack false too The Blade
89 11/20/2016 Fake Hate Crime on Campus Terrifies Students The Minnesota Republic
90 11/21/2016 Students Face Disciplinary Action After Hoaxing ‘KKK’ Vandalism Breitbart
91 11/23/2016 ANOTHER TRUMP-INSPIRED ‘HATE CRIME’ TURNS OUT TO BE A HOAX The Daily Caller
92 12/01/2016 A 58-year-old black New Jersey man painted anti-black, pro-Trump graffiti in his neighborhood after Election Day The Philadelphia Inquirer
93 12/02/2016 Villanova U. ends probe into report of post election incident Philadelphia Inquirer
94 12/12/2016 Cops: Man faked 'KKK' hate crime, own kidnapping after lighting car on fire Orlando Sentinel
95 12/14/2016 Muslim Woman Reportedly Admits To Fabricating NYC Subway Attack The Daily Caller
96 12/19/2016 Pro-Trump Babson students cleared in Wellesley incident Boston Globe
97 12/21/2016 Long Island man charged in Nassau Community College swastika case WABC 7 New York
98 12/21/2016 Arab student at University of Michigan falsely claims someone threatened to set her on fire Michigan Radio
99 12/22/2016 Miss. black church fire was called a hate crime. Now parishioner has been arrested for it. The Washington Post
100 12/26/2016 White husband confesses to wife to setting their cars on fire and painting racial slur on their garage door in staged 'hate crime' Daily Mail
101 01/10/2017 SDSU Police: No Suspect in Attack on Muslim Student NBC 7 San Diego
102 01/11/2017 Police charge Arundel High student in connection with threatening tweet FOX 5 Baltimore
103 02/03/2017 STUNNER: Allegedly Muslim Student Faked Vile Hate Crime To Get People To Pay Attention To Him Stateline.com
104 03/23/2017 College ‘Diversity Council’ Admits to Posting Fake Racist Flyers On Campus National Review
105 04/10/2017 Charlotte arson case blamed on“white America” Trump supporters actually set by black man Charlotte Observer
106 04/14/2017 2 teen girls from Frisco charged with spray-painting racial slurs on Plano West Senior High Dallas Morning News
107 04/21/2017 U.S./Israeli Man Charged in Connection with Threats to Jewish Community Centers, Conveying False Information, and Cyberstalking U.S. Dept. of Justice
108 04/21/2017 ISU professor arrested, accused of making up threats and attack Terre Haut Tribune-Star
109 05/11/2017 Another Fake ‘Hate Crime’: ‘Fabricated’ Note Sparked Protests at Minnesota College Mediaite
110 06/26/2017 Police Report Contradicts ‘Hate Crime’ Narrative In Milwaukee Attack On Muslim Woman Daily Caller
111 06/28/2017 University of Maryland Police Investigate Discarded Plastic Wrap as a ‘Hate-Bias’ Incident Breitbart
112 08/01/2017 Jackson LGBTQ rights activist charged with arson Fox News
113 08/09/2017 Police Say Reported Noose In Ivy City Was Rope Used For Moving Equipment DCist
114 09/13/2017 A Des Moines Muslim started a fire at a mosque, sparking a fake hate crime Michelle Malkin
115 09/13/2017 A Houston Muslim set fire to his own mosque, sparking a hate-crime investigation Michelle Malkin
116 09/13/2017 A New York Muslim who killed his wife falsely blamed "a group of bigots who called the family 'terrorists'" Michelle Malkin
117 09/13/2017 An Ontario Muslim faked an assault against himself, claiming his assailant shouted anti-Muslim epithets Michelle Malkin
118 09/13/2017 A Muslim Indiana State University professor for "fabricating anti-Muslim threats and an assault" Michelle Malkin
119 10/06/2017 The ‘Noose’ Discovered In A Michigan State Dormitory Was Someone’s Lost SHOELACE Daily Caller
120 11/06/2017 K-State Hate Graffiti Turns Out To Be — You Guessed It — A Hoax The Daily Caller
121 11/08/2017 A black student wrote those racist messages that shook the Air Force Academy, school says The Washington Post
122 11/21/2017 Racist Graffiti at High School Was Written by ‘Non-White’ Student The Daily Caller
123 01/15/2018 Hijab-cutting incident did not happen, Canadian police say ABC News
124 04/23/2018 Racist, anti-black graffiti at Easter Michigan University turns turned out to be painted by a black man Detroit News
125 06/12/2018 What really happened that night at Pulse NBC News
126 07/23/2018 Waiter faked story that customer wrote ‘We don’t tip terrorist’ on receipt The Washington Post
127 07/24/2018 A Muslim waiter in wrote "we don't tip terrorist" and blamed a patron, who was banned BBC
128 07/31/2018 Area sheriff livid over lie spread about employee on social media CBS 10 KWTX
129 08/24/2018 Michigan children who claimed white man urinated on black girl and called her names made up story AL.com
130 09/15/2018 Woman Who Said She Found Hateful Note on Car After Teens Yelled ‘Trump 2016!' Made Up Story: Police NBC 4 New York
131 10/06/2018 Shoelace mistaken for noose causes racial uproar at Michigan State University Fox News
132 10/09/2018 Ohio University student charged with making 'false alarms' after claiming she received homophobic death threats Yahoo! Finance
133 11/09/2018 Report: High School Marching Band Racial Slur Incident Actually a Hoax Breitbart
134 11/12/2018 Racial Incident at Kansas State Revealed to Be a Hoax Breitbart
135 11/19/2018 Chipotle Rethinking Manager Firing over Apparent Race Hoax Breitbart
136 12/01/2018 A black college lacrosse player spray painted the N word and death threats -- against himself The Daily Mail
137 12/02/2018 Four out of Five Racist Notes Were Fake at an Iowa University: School Officials The Daily Caller
138 02/12/2019 Actor Jussie Smollett claimed 2 Trump fanatics found him at 2 AM, beat him up, poured bleach on him, tied a noose around him, and yelled "This is MAGA country"; turns out he orchestrated it CBS News
139 02/23/2019 Student in cowboy outfit causes racial angst at Wake Forest U. College Fix
140 02/25/2019 A transgender activist burned down his own home, killing his pets, presented it as a hate crime Detroit News
141 07/17/2019 Not a hate crime: ‘Noose’ at U. Michigan hospital was a fishing knot College Fix
142 08/15/2019 Witnesses say Stanford University noose likely was used ‘to hang ornaments’ College Fix
143 09/15/2019 Ex-NFL player accused of staging hate crime, painting 'MAGA' and swastikas on walls of bakery NBC News
144 09/30/2019 Virginia sixth-grader now says she falsely accused classmates of cutting her hair The Washington Post
145 10/22/2019 ‘Act of hate’ at Michigan State was actually just a Halloween prank College Fix
146 12/05/2019 ‘Heil Trump’ and an anti-gay slur scrawled on a church lead to an unlikely suspect - and a hoax The Washington Post
147 12/20/2019 Rantz: Trans hate crime near Seattle? No. She was the aggressor KTTH AM 770
148 12/31/2019 Kansas police officer claimed a McDonalds worker wrote "pig" on his receipt, but actually he did The New York Times
149 04/13/2020 Racist Threats and Attacks that Rattled a California University Campus Were Faked, Police Say Newsweek
150 06/18/2020 'Nooses' in Oakland park were exercise aids, man says ABC News
151 06/23/2020 FBI Says Noose Found In Bubba Wallace’s Stall Had Been There Since 2019 Daily Caller
152 06/24/2020 University of La Verne: Student Charged with Hate Crime Hoax Shows Power of Racism in America Breitbart
153 07/07/2020 Oregon Politician Said He Received Racist Letter. He Wrote It Himself, Police Say Daily Caller
154 07/10/2020 Police: Student Who Claimed Racist Notes Were Left On His Car Put Them There Himself LaCorte News
155 10/02/2020 Prosecutors: Not enough evidence to prove Wisconsin attack Associated Press
156 10/04/2020 Busted! Yet Another Race Industry Hoax Winter Watch
157 11/10/2020 Owner of SUV spray-painted with racist and homophobic graffiti facing insurance fraud charges WGRZ
158 11/19/2020 Black teen spray painted racist graffiti on his own car WGRZ
159 02/25/2021 CAUGHT IN THE ACT: Police conduct surveillance at KC church that was target of vandalism, arrest black man KCTV 5
160 03/03/2021 The Media-Fed Race Hoax at Smith College Reveals an Aversion to Facts for Journalists Town Hall
161 04/01/2021 15 Years Ago Duke Hate-Crime Hoax Was Peddled by Media and Racial-Justice ‘Reformers’ Minding the Campus
162 04/09/2021 Black student responsible for racist graffiti at American college The Post Millennial
163 04/16/2021 Minnesota high school student who was falsely accused of sending racist Instagram messages to a black classmate fears for her safety despite officials confirming they were a hoax Daily Mail
164 05/01/2021 Black Penn State profs report ‘noose’ behind house; ends up being part of neighbor’s swing set College Fix
165 05/25/2021 Another Hate Hoax: Vandals Target Black-Owned Auto Repair Shop with Racist Graffiti, Smash Up Cars – Security Footage Shows it’s Two Black Guys Gateway Pundit
166 05/31/2021 Hate-crime hoax: Noose reported on campus just crane’s steel cable loop College Fix
167 06/09/2021 Nolte: Fact Check — No, Spokane Students Were Not Forced to ‘Pick Cotton’ Breitbart
168 06/11/2021 Hate-crime hoax: Black student likely egged her own door, police say College Fix
169 06/14/2021 Black student who set fire to her dorm in hate-crime hoax awaits court hearing College Fix
170 06/21/2021 Pride Crash Now Blamed On Accident, Not Attack KTSA
171 09/09/2021 A 20-year-old Spanish man who claimed 8 hooded men carved [fag] on his butt made it up El Mundo
172 09/30/2021 Black student is revealed to have written N-word graffiti that called for death of black people and led to walk-out at Missouri high school The Daily Mail
173 10/01/2021 HOAX: Black woman charged after allegedly posing as white male and sending violent, racist notes to neighbors The Post Mellenial
174 10/07/2021 Black college student arrested after allegedly posting fake racist frat party invite that read, 'No blacks' Blaze Media
175 10/11/2021 Superintendent rails against noose found in HS restroom as 'breach' of district's 'values.' Turns out student attempting self-harm created it. NEWS Blaze Media
176 02/02/2022 Man who drew Union Station swastikas is twice-deported criminal Washington Examiner
177 02/20/2022 Black female high school student is identified as vandal behind racist graffiti that saw Sacramento high school's water fountains scrawled with 'white' and 'colored' Daily Mail
178 06/14/2022 Fake letters posing as Right Wing group tells Muslims to "Go back to Sh*tholes". The National Pulse
179 08/30/2022 Racist Comments at BYU Volleyball Game Never Happened, Sources Suggest BYU Cougar Chronicle
180 12/02/2022 Black female in ‘head scarf’ attacked UVA ‘Black Cultural Center’: police The College Fix
181 12/13/2022 Investigation found no n-word slurs at Wash. state football game, some media keep misleading KTTH
182 06/22/2023 Gay man claimed he was set on fire in hate-crime attack; but cops say video shows him beating up pregnant woman - who fought back with flame Blaze Media
Like our work? Support the cause.
$
/