Ohio City Cancels Culture Festival After Threats Linked To Racist Conspiracy Theories

An annual cultural festival held in Springfield, Ohio, has been canceled following dozens of bomb threats against the city, whose immigration population has been the target of racist conspiracy theories in recent weeks.

The decision to cancel Springfield’s CultureFest was made “to prevent any potential risks to attendees, staff, vendors and volunteers,” the city said in an announcement Monday.

“We deeply regret having to cancel CultureFest, as we know it is a beloved event for our community,” said City Manager Bryan Heck. “However, the safety of our residents and visitors must come first.”

It wasn’t clear if any threats were made directly against the festival. Attempts to reach city officials for comment Monday were not immediately successful.

As of Monday, there have been 33 bomb threats against the city. All of them have been investigated and determined to be hoaxes and coming from overseas, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ® said at an afternoon news conference.

“People have the right to feel safe as well as be safe,” he said while announcing the coming arrival of 36 members of the Ohio State Patrol to patrol the city’s 17 schools daily for the foreseeable future.

“They will sweep the building every single day and will remain there during the school day,” he said. “We want to make sure as schools continue this week in Springfield that parents have confidence that school is in fact safe.”

CultureFest, scheduled for Sept. 27 to 28 in the city’s downtown district, was billed as a family-friendly celebration of diversity, arts and local culture. It would have featured live music and dance performances as well as multi-cultural food and shopping.

The city of Springfield has received the threats after being targeted by debunked