The FBI's attempt at virtue signaling attracted more venom than virtue when it got flagged by community notes pointing out the contentious relationship the late civil rights leader had with the law enforcement agency.
"This #MLKDay, the #FBI honors one of the most prominent leaders of the Civil Rights movement and reaffirms its commitment to Dr. King's legacy of fairness and equal justice for all," the FBI said in a post on X on Monday.
In response, a community note was posted reminding the agency that FBI agents "engaged in surveillance of King, attempted to discredit him, and used manipulation tactics to influence him to stop organizing."
"King's family believe the FBI was responsible for his death," the community note continued.
X users were quick to praise the community note, with one account writing: "Community note never disappoints."
Another wrote: "Community notes been waiting for this opportunity, nailed it."
"Honestly unless the FBI decides to atone for how it treated MLK, it should sit this day out… permanently," another person said.
The Bureau released a statement to The Independent in response to the criticism. "The FBI has long acknowledged the abuses of power that took place under Director J. Edgar Hoover and the deplorable actions taken against Dr. King and others involved in the civil rights movement. Today, the FBI honors Dr. King's life and legacy and uses those lessons from our past to reaffirm our commitment to equal justice, fairness, and diversity."
Among the most egregious of the FBI's tactics was the infamous "suicide note", which threatened to expose his "filthy, abnormal" behavior and urged him to kill himself before Christmas. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover himself is believed to have ordered an agent to send the anonymous letter.
A Tennessee jury in 1999 did find that "government agencies" were part of a conspiracy to assassinate Rev. King, yet did not specifically reference the FBI as one of those agencies.
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