Conspiracy theorist and InfoWars host Alex Jones said he has received sympathy and support in court where a trial is taking place to determine how much he should pay the parents of a child killed in the 2012 school massacre. Sandy Hook Elementary.
Jones was found liable last year in a lawsuit bought by the parents of a Sandy Hook victim after he falsely claimed the deadly school shooting was a hoax fabricated by gun control advocates.
He has since reversed his position, admitting the attack did take place.
The trial in Austin, Texas, will determine how much Jones must pay for defaming Neil Heslin and Scarlett Lewis, whose 6-year-old son, Jesse Lewis, was among 20 children and six educators killed.
In a clip that has gone viral on Twitter, Jones says he has been inundated with support in public places during the trial.
Alex Jones says that everywhere he goes, people come up to him to say they support him in the Sandy Hook trial: “They say this is wrong. We are ashamed. Fist bumps. They give us free food. The waitresses kiss us. They all said, ‘We’re really sorry about what’s happening to you. It’s wrong.” pic.twitter.com/munjg4sO3b
-Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) July 30, 2022
He said he has been punched by staff at the Travis County courthouse, while people have also expressed their support for him in coffee shops and grocery stores.
The clip, from a recent episode of Jones’ show, was shared on Twitter on Saturday and has since amassed more than 140,000 views.
“Courthouse staff have told me, almost all of them, I walk by and talk to them. ‘We appreciate you. We understand what you’re going through. This is wrong. We’re embarrassed,'” Jones said.
“They punch us and my team. When I go to the little cafe next door during a break, they give us free food and the waitresses kiss us on the cheeks and say, ‘Hey, that reporter from the New York Times came and He asked me if you were drinking alcohol. [them] you are not.’ I mean, it’s like Fight Club where it is.”
Jones also said that she had received support during a recent visit to a grocery store.
“I was at the grocery store yesterday,” he said. “Shaking 20 hands, probably 50 people walked. They all said, ‘We’re so sorry this is happening. It’s wrong. Keep fighting. How do you take it?’ I had crew members like a bunch of them come into my office this morning and hug me.”
Twitter users largely dismissed Jones’ anecdotes, with some comparing them to the exaggerated or false stories former President Donald Trump reportedly liked to tell.
“Sounds like a ‘Mr.’ Trump story,” one person tweeted.
Another added: “None of this really happened of course.”
It comes as Jones’s media company, Free Speech Systems, filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday.
news week has contacted Jones’ attorney for comment.
Briana Sanchez/Austin American-Statesman via AP, Pool