Axios blames surveillance cameras, 'MAGA influencers' for outrage over brutal murder of Ukrainian refugee by career criminal on NC train

Axios' report on the video of Iryna Zarutska's murder on a Charlotte, North Carolina light car rail blames "MAGA influencers" for "seeking to elevate the issue of violent urban crime." The outlet ran the article on Monday following the weekend release of surveillance video showing the brutal August 22 murder.

The article, called "Stabbing video fuels MAGA's crime message," points out that "MAGA influencers are drawing repeated attention to violent attacks to elevate the issue of urban crime—and accuse mainstream media of under-covering shocking cases." The accusation that mainstream and legacy media outlets were either downplaying or not covering the gruesome murder of Zarutska was made repeatedly on social media.

"MAGA influencers" noted that from The New York Times to the AP, media outlets that had covered George Floyd, Daniel Penny, and other news items where the perceived villain was white stayed far away from Zarutska's slaying. Zarutska was a young woman who had fled war-torn Ukraine for a peaceful life in America and instead met her end at the hands of a multiple-convicted felon who was just released from custody earlier this year on his own recognizance.

Axios called out these tweets, including those from Elon Musk, Charlie Kirk, Senator Mike Lee, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and others. Musk, Lee and Duffy are not influencers, but a tech CEO, a sitting senator, and a cabinet member.

Still others called out Axios for their reporting on Trump supporters' complaining about crime.

 

Charlotte's Democrat Mayor Vi Lyles praised those media outlets that did not share the footage, saying, "I want to thank our media partners and community members who have chosen not to repost or share the footage of out of respect for Iryna's family." Lyles took a knee for George Floyd after the video of his arrest went viral in May 2020.

For Axios, surveillance video "has become a big accelerant in these cases. The video is easily shared or leaked, and can instantly pollinate across social media–a visual counterpoint to statistics showing crime decreases." In other words, the narrative of dropping crime is dispelled by shocking videos of real-life crimes, and it's the videos, not the stats, that are the problem.

President Donald Trump has taken a tough-on-crime stance, elevating urban crime to a national priority. In Washington, DC, his efforts have contained violent crime, and he's promised to look at other cities that need intervention. Trump also said that there must be an end to "no cash bail" policies that release criminals back onto the streets without any incentive for them to come back and face trial.