Rows of empty seats at US President Donald Trump’s comeback rally in Tulsa may have had something to do with K-pop fans and TikTok users playing a prank.
Mr Trump’s campaign team prepared the Oklahoma venue for capacity crowds on Saturday in what was to be his first campaign rally since the coronavirus lockdown was lifted.
But even before the event began, organisers began dismantling a spill-out stage, where the president had planned to give a second speech.
Instead, Mr Trump spoke before supporters in a stadium that was less than two thirds full. Plans for additional events outside the in the 19,000-seat BOK Centre stadium were cancelled as crowds dwindled.
Korean pop fans and users of the TikTok video-sharing app said they sabotaged the rally by signing up for tickets and then did not show. The viral campaign, spread on social media, may be responsible for potentially hundreds of thousands of prank registrations, The New York Times said.
"The teens of America have struck a savage blow against @realDonaldTrump," veteran Republican strategist Steve Schmidt tweeted. "All across America teens ordered tickets to this event. The fools on the campaign bragged about a million tickets. lol."
The trend was triggered when Mary Jo Laupp, from Iowa, posted a TikTok video on June 11, after the Trump campaign team sent out a tweet asking supporters to register for the rally.
“I recommend all of those of us that want to see this 19,000-seat auditorium barely filled or completely empty go reserve tickets now, and leave him standing there alone on the stage,” Ms Laupp said in the video.
Overnight, the clip went viral as teens shared spread the message, deleting the posts after 24 to 48 hours to prevent the Trump campaign from catching on.
The online K-pop network has become increasingly active politically in recent months, organising to drown out right-wing hashtags and raise millions of dollars for the Black Lives Matter movement.
In May, they spammed the #WhiteLivesMatter hashtag with K-pop videos to make it harder for white supremacists to find each other and share their messaging online.
YouTuber Elijah Daniel told The New York Times that the plan to sink Mr Trump's rally "spread mostly through Alt TikTok – we kept it on the quiet side where people do pranks and a lot of activism.
“K-pop Twitter and Alt TikTok have a good alliance where they spread information amongst each other very quickly. They all know the algorithms and how they can boost videos to get where they want,” Mr Daniel, who participated in the campaign, said.
Brad Parscale, Mr Trump's re-election campaign manager initially boasted of the huge turnout anticipated at the event, tweeting that it would be the "biggest data haul and rally signup of all time by 10x."
The Trump campaign uses sign-up data to direct advertisements to supporters but social media users provided tips on registering for tickets with false information to avoid being bombarded by spam messaging from the Trump team.
Participants who didn't conceal their personal details when registering, reported being flooded with advertising material from the Trump campaign.
Mr Parscale said on Saturday night that “radical protesters” had interfered with attendance but rubbished claims that TikTok users were behind empty seats at the rally.
"Leftists and online trolls doing a victory lap, thinking they somehow impacted rally attendance don't know what they're talking about.... these phoney ticket requests never factor into our thinking," he said in a statement on Sunday.
But others credited the efforts of youth participating in the scheme. “Actually you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok,” Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York tweeted in response.
“KPop allies, we see and appreciate your contributions in the fight for justice.”
The Trump campaign responded by accusing Ms Ocasio-Cortez of promoting the interference of a foreign-owned platform in US elections. TikTok is owned by a Beijing-based company called ByteDance.
Joe Biden's campaign denied any involvement in the social media scheme. “Donald Trump has abdicated leadership and it is no surprise that his supporters have responded by abandoning him,” his spokesman, Andrew Bates said in a statement.
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The%20specs%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%204cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E261hp%20at%205%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E400Nm%20at%201%2C750-4%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E10.5L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C999%20(VX%20Luxury)%3B%20from%20Dh149%2C999%20(VX%20Black%20Gold)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
