Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik uploaded a new profile photo for her personal X account Monday night: an image of her posing happily with a copy of USA TODAY, whose front page story detailed bomb threats her account allegedly inspired.
In the article, USA TODAY said it “confirmed dozens of bomb threats, death threats and other harassment after Libs of TikTok’s posts since February 2022,” based on research from the progressive group Media Matters.
Last year, the Washington Post reported that children’s hospitals across the U.S. had been subject to threats and harassment after being targeted by Raichik’s account.
The Boston Children’s Hospital received a bomb threat as well as “hostile internet activity, phone calls, and harassing emails including threats of violence toward our clinicians and staff” after Raichik falsely claimed that the hospital performs hysterectomies on children.
More recently, eleven schools or school districts across the country have reported bomb threats after being targeted by Raichik, according to an investigation published Saturday by VICE News.
Libs of TikTok now boasts 2.6 million followers on X and uses tips submitted by users to showcase a range of frequently anti-LGBTQ content, frequently filmed on TikTok.
“There’s a clear pattern of the sexualization of children going on in public schools, and I think that’s a problem,” Raichik told USA TODAY. “I think it’s super harmful, and I want to call it out, and raise awareness to it.”
Raichik has consistently condemned violence and threats, telling the Post that “we 100 % condemn any acts/threats of violence.”
Raichik, who spoke to USA TODAY for its article, similarly said she opposes violence but there’s no proof the threats come from her followers.
Conversely, Raichik has been targeted herself.
After her identity was revealed by the Daily Dot and the Washington Post, Raichik said that she had “received about a dozen death threats.” A book reading by Raichik, scheduled in March, was canceled because of threats the bookstore had received.
Although Raichik posed gleefully with the copy of USA TODAY, she revealed in a longer video posted to X Monday that she was unhappy with the story.
“USA TODAY wrote this insane hit piece on me,” she said, adding: “What they left out of the article is that I denounced violence and called for law enforcement to take action about these bomb threats not once, not twice, not three times, but a total of 14 times.”
“The whole framing of the article is how I’m some harmful, hateful, dangerous, violent terrorist who’s inciting violence,” Raichik added before posting recordings of the instances in which she denounced violence during her USA TODAY interview.
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