For years, US conspiracy theorist Jones claimed that the massacre at the US elementary school Sandy Hook never happened. He is therefore supposed to pay billions in damages. A US court has now approved the liquidation of his assets.
Right-wing US conspiracy theorist Alex Jones must sell personal assets in the face of claims for damages amounting to billions. However, his company will not be touched for the time being. This was decided by a Texas bankruptcy court, according to US media reports.
The founder of the online portal “Infowars” from the orbit of the radical right around former President Donald Trump filed for bankruptcy in 2022. Previously, he had claimed for years that the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in the state of Connecticut had been staged by actors. In December 2012, a 20-year-old shot and killed 20 schoolchildren and six teachers there.
Several relatives sued Jones for his claims in various proceedings and won – he was ordered to pay a total of around 1.5 billion US dollars (about 1.4 billion euros) in damages.
Dubious sources of money
The 50-year-old earns his money mainly by selling dubious nutritional supplements on his right-wing online portal “Infowars”, through which he spreads various conspiracy theories and engages in political opinion-making. With Friday’s ruling, he can now continue to be active there.
There is disagreement among the Sandy Hook victims’ relatives on this issue: some are primarily concerned with silencing Jones and shutting down the website. They would therefore be happy with a lower amount of compensation. Others want to punish Jones financially and demand the entire amount.
This has created a dilemma: In order to raise the money, Jones must first earn it. It is uncertain whether and when his relatives will be paid out, as he has appealed the case. The Washington Post also reported that Jones transferred millions of dollars to other companies owned by family and friends before the court proceedings.
Jones fears end of “Infowars”
Before the court’s decision, Jones himself had told journalists that it would “probably mean the end of Infowars very, very soon.” But his “fight against tyranny” had only just begun. On Friday, the “Infowars” website said that this could be its “last broadcast.”
Just this week, the tragedy of Sandy Hook was once again very present in the USA. On Wednesday, dozens of students who survived the massacre twelve years ago and some of whom are still struggling with severe trauma today took part in their year’s graduation ceremony.