QAnon conspiracy theorists force National Butterfly Center to shut down for the weekend – “We simply cannot risk the safety and lives of our staff and visitors during this dangerous time”

By Shoshana Wodinsky
28 January 2022

(Gizmodo) – After spending years coming after furniture and pizza, QAnon followers are finally ruining life for butterflies and those who enjoy them.

Far-right conspiracy theories have latched onto baseless claims that major Texas butterfly sanctuary is a hub for sex trafficking, leading to real-world threats against the sanctuary’s staff. On Thursday, the National Butterfly Center in Mission, Texas, sent out an email blast letting supporters know that the hub would be closed from Friday through Sunday “due to credible threats we have received from a former state official.”

You might be scratching your head about why a bunch of conspiracy theorists are losing their shit over the National Butterfly Center, a nature sanctuary whose claim to fame is housing more than 240 species of butterflies. But it’s not the butterflies at issue here (thank goodness), it’s where the sanctuary is located.

The center is located right on the U.S.-Mexico border. In fact, it’s the site of one of the biggest border wall fights during the Trump era. The former president wanted to build a wall along the refuge, sparking an outpouring of anger and a two-year campaign to stop construction because of the threat it would pose to the delicate ecosystems. (This was a common theme in the Trump era, and the sections of the wall that were built have already seen that play out.)

This 3-day, fundraising event organized by Trump operatives is just too similar to the 3-day Wall-o-thon organized by Bannon, Kolfage, and Tommy Fisher, in celebration of their first, private border wall project (prior to their Mission project) that likely incited the Wal-mart Massacre in El Paso.

National Butterfly Center email announcement, 28 January 2022

Naturally, those on the far-right responded the way they usually do: by lobbing baseless threats. One of the core figures responsible was Brian Kolfage, who was once the leader of a private fundraising effort to build Trump’s border wall. Kolfage regularly tweeted about the sanctuary, including the baseless assertion that it “openly supports illegal immigration and sex trafficking of women and children.” While Kolfage ended up being indicted for fraud for his fundraising scheme and having his Twitter account suspended for repeated violent threats, the rumors and accusations against the sanctuary have kept burbling in the fetid swamp of right-wing disinformation.

The sanctuary’s email describes that ahead of an upcoming pro-MAGA event happening in the nearby city of McAllen this weekend, an unnamed “congressional candidate from Virginia” came to visit the sanctuary alongside a friend who claimed to be a Secret Service agent.” (Sleuths later found it was fringe candidate Kimberly Lowe.) The duo said they were there to see a dock at the crossing, which Kolfage and others had claimed was used for “sex traffickers” looking to smuggle victims to and from the sanctuary.

In response to this bonkers request, the email goes on to note that the center’s director, Marianne Wright, asked the two to leave. Instead, Lowe allegedly knocked Wright to the ground, stole her phone, and attempted to bolt. When Wright’s son tried closing the sanctuary gates in order to prevent them from leaving with the stolen phone, the email alleges that Lowe literally tried to run him over with her car. [more]

QAnon Conspiracy Theorists Force Butterfly Sanctuary to Shut Down

National Butterfly Center email announcement, 28 January 2022

28 January 2022 (National Butterfly Center) – Dear Members, Donors & Supporters,

We are writing to let you know the National Butterfly Center will be closed Friday, Jan. 28 – Sunday, Jan. 30, due to credible threats we have received from a former state official, regarding activities planned by the We Stand America event, taking place in McAllen, TX, this weekend. 

This MAGA, mid-term election rally, hosted by Trump’s former National Security Advisor and pardoned-criminal, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, is the national, kick-off event for what they are calling their “Take Action Tour.”

You may visit the website to see the rogue’s gallery of featured speakers and presenters at what is sure to be an inflammatory exercise in free, hate-speech.

We were alerted to this event on Friday, Jan. 21, following a visit by a congressional candidate from Virginia.  She appeared with a friend, who claimed to be a Secret Service agent, and demanded access to the river so they could “see the rafts with the illegal crossing” our property. (See fake photo of rafts at our dock composed and disseminated by Kolfage & crew.) When asked to leave, they attempted to film Marianna, while reiterating the malicious and defamatory lies of Steve Bannon and Brian Kolfage, whose concerted, public attacks against the North American Butterfly Association, the National Butterfly Center, and our director, Marianna, remain the subject of the lawsuit we have brought against their “dark money” fundraising organization, We Build the Wall. (See false Kolfage tweet claiming butterflies swarming a decomposing body.)

As the Virginia candidate fled the center, she tried to run over Marianna’s son, who was filling in at the visitor’s pavilion. Nick was trying to close the front gate to prevent the candidate and her friend from leaving with Marianna’s phone, which they had taken from her after knocking her to the ground outside the pavilion.  All of this was caught on our security cameras, and the visitor who witnessed the attempted aggravated assault with a deadly weapon on Nick called 9-11. It took Mission Police Department more than an hour to respond…

At present, we are still waiting to see whether Mission PD will be pursuing prosecution of the candidate and her friend, who has also been reported to the Secret Service for impersonating a federal law enforcement officer. 

We made the difficult decision to close the center when Marianna was advised by the former state official (whose daughter is the Hidalgo County GOP chairperson) that she should be armed at all times or out of town this weekend, because the We Stand America events include a “Trump Train”-style, “caravan to the border.”  He said the National Butterfly Center would likely be a stop on this “take action tour,” and she and the center are targets. 

This 3-day, fundraising event organized by Trump operatives is just too similar to the 3-day Wall-o-thon organized by Bannon, Kolfage and Tommy Fisher, in celebration of their first, private border wall project (prior to their Mission project,) that likely incited the Wal-mart Massacre in El Paso. 

We simply cannot risk the safety and lives of our staff and visitors during this dangerous time.  

As if we needed further confirmation of the violent sentiment being stirred up against us, this morning, as we drove to work, we found someone had ripped down the National Butterfly Center sign, erected by the Texas Department of Transportation.

We truly appreciate your support and understanding at this time.

We still cannot believe we are at the center of this maelstrom of malevolence rising in the United States. 

The majority of our staff are hourly-wage earners, and we have made the decision to pay them for the 3 days of unexpected closure, because this disruption to our operations caused by the disparagement of our organization should not result in their suffering the loss of wages that feed their families and pay their bills.

Similarly, this 3-day closure–over a weekend–will further compound the financial strain the center continues to experience as a result of COVID.

As always, we ask that you SHARE OUR STORY.  Usually, we want you to share the NBC, beautiful butterfly photos, exceptional finds, the Texas Butterfly Festival and other special events, like Spike’s Birthday Party, but right now, we need people to understand what is happening; not just to us, but to the country.  

We appreciate your continued support and appreciate any assistance you may be able to provide at this time. 

With gratitude and great sadness,

Everyone at the National Butterfly Center

National Butterfly Center email announcement 28 January 2022