A US federal judge has blocked the sale of Infowars, the website created by far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, to satirical news outlet The Onion, according to US media.
• Also read: A famous satirical site buys the platform of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
Figure of the American extreme right, Alex Jones became famous in the United States for having cast doubt, against all evidence, on the reality of the frightening shooting at the Sandy Hook elementary school, in the northeast. in the United States in 2012, during which 20 schoolchildren and six adults lost their lives.
Alex Jones had claimed on Infowars that the killing was only a staged act directed by opponents of firearms, and the grieving parents of the “actors”. This theory had spread on the internet and parents of victims had been harassed by admirers of Alex Jones.
After years of legal battle, the latter was forced to put his site up for auction after losing a defamation trial, at the end of which he was ordered to pay nearly 1.5 billion dollars (1.4 billion euros) in fines and damages to the families of the victims of the massacre committed in 2012 at the Sandy Hook elementary school, in Connecticut.
The Onion announced last month that it had purchased Infowars at auction with the support of victims’ families.
But on Tuesday, Judge Christopher Lopez blocked the sale after a two-day hearing in federal bankruptcy court in Houston, citing problems during the auction, US media reported.
According to the same sources, Mr. Lopez said the auction did not maximize the amount of money that the Infowars sale was expected to provide to Alex Jones’ creditors, which include the Sandy Hook families, in party because the bids were submitted secretly.
The ruling is a victory for Mr Jones, who claimed the bidding process was tainted by “collusion” – an accusation rejected by the judge, according to US media.
“Finally, a judge respected the law,” reacted Alex Jones in a video published on X.
Judge Lopez ordered a court-appointed administrator, Christopher Murray, to find an alternative solution, according to The New York Times and Newsweek newspapers.
Ben Collins, CEO of Global Tetrahedron, the parent company of The Onion, said he was “deeply disappointed” by the judge’s decision. “But The Onion will continue to seek a solution that will help Sandy Hook families achieve a positive outcome after the horror they endured,” he wrote on X.
The Onion, which often mocks characters like Alex Jones, planned to make a parody of Infowars, in partnership with the organization Everytown for Gun Safety, which fights for stronger gun control in the United States.
