Suicide bomber kills 22 at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England

NBC: Police confirm suicide attack killed 22 people attending Ariana Grande concert. NBC reported that British police confirmed that a suicide bomber killed 22 people after an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. From the May 22 article:

Children were among the 22 people killed in a suicide attack after an Ariana Grande concert at Britain's Manchester Arena, police confirmed Tuesday. Meanwhile, Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins identified the suicide bomber responsible for the carnage as 22-year-old Salman Abedi and warned angry residents against any reprisals. “We understand that feelings are very raw right now and people are looking for answers,” he said. “We will not tolerate hate towards any parts of our community.” NBCNews.com, 5/22/17]

Pro-Trump media used news of the attack to smear the pop star online

Pro-Trump Facebook page “Patriots For America USA” shared an image and posted text smearing Grande as “Anti-American.” Pro-Trump Facebook page “Patriots for America USA” created a graphic image and accompanying text post that used Grande’s prior progressive activism and out-of-context statements about America to portray her as “anti-American.” The post was shared more than 23,000 times on Facebook at the time of publication and was copied and pasted verbatim into numerous pro-Trump Facebook meme groups, where it reached hundred of thousands of Trump supporters.

[Facebook.com, accessed 5/23/17]

“The Donald” subreddit featured links to Grande’s prior “anti-American” comments and spread the “Patriots For America USA" post.

[Reddit.com, 5/22/17, 5/22/17]

Troll Mike Cernovich tweeted the “I hate Americans” graphic circulating on pro-Trump social media.

[Twitter.com, 5/22/17 (since deleted)]

Rebel Media’s Jack Posobiec also tweeted the graphic.

[Twitter.com, 5/22/17]

Paul Joseph Watson used Grande’s prior anti-Trump tweets to criticize her after terror attack.

No Ariana, what's “utterly terrifying” is your fans being blown up by a terrorist. #ManchesterBombing pic.twitter.com/p4VyQCcy5d — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) May 23, 2017

[Twitter.com, 5/23/17]

Trump ally Wayne Allyn Root “can only hope” Grande can “wake up” from her “liberal ignorance” after terror attack at her show.

Sad terror happened at her concert...BUT perhaps yesterday changed liberal ignorance of Grande? Wake up? I can only hope. America is hero. — Wayne Allyn Root (@WayneRoot) May 23, 2017

[Twitter.com, 5/23/17]

White supremacist and Trump fanboy David Duke pushed Grande’s “anti-American” quote.

“I Hate Americans. I Hate America.” - Ariana Grande pic.twitter.com/N8bvydHgbj — David Duke (@DrDavidDuke) May 23, 2017

[Twitter.com, 5/23/17]

4Chan’s right-wing “/pol/” board attacked Grande for her“I hate America” comment.

[4Chan.org, accessed 5/23/17]

Grande’s “I hate America” quote was made in reaction to a donut (seriously).

Hollywood Reporter: When a donut shop employee showed Grande a rack of donuts, she said, “I hate Americans,” and she has since apologized. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that Grande said, “I hate Americans. I hate America,” while reacting to a “new tray of donuts” brought out by a doughnut shop employee. Grande later apologized for the statement, Hollywood Reporter detailed, explaining that she was simply “upset by how freely we as Americans eat and consume things” without thinking about health. She stated that she was “extremely proud to be an American.” From the July 7, 2015, article: