DOCSLIB.ORG

White Helmets Begin Filming Fake Chemical Attack in Syria

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
White Helmets Begin Filming Fake Chemical Attack in Syria MIDDLE EAST October 31, 2018 7 Glory... Russia: (Continued From Page One) it of some of the spontaneity seen in the Arba’een. For many White Helmets Begin Filming Muslims who cannot afford to go on the hajj or cannot get a Saudi visa, the Karbala visit has become an alternative. Fake Chemical Attack in Syria Arba’een is viewed as an overwhelmingly powerful display of Shia solidarity and conveys a message of unity among Muslims MOSCOW (Press TV) – Russia says agents, he added. against the global arrogance. it has received information showing The group, the official said, sought Cities, towns and villages all over Iraq empty out during a 20-day that a Western-backed so-called aid to stage artillery shellfire with the period as their people take to the roads in an elaborately organized group is preparing to stage a false flag containers and also meant to provoke and well protected mass movement not seen anywhere else in the chemical attack in the northwestern the Syrian military to retaliate. Syrian province of Aleppo to incrimi- The White Helmets group, projected world. nate Damascus. by the West as “civil defense work- The Battle of Karbala resonates strongly with the Muslim faithful The Defense Ministry said the ers,” was founded by former British due to the sacrifices made in order to keep Islam and the tradition “White Helmets,” which according Army officer James Le Mesurier in of Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) alive. to Moscow and Damascus cooper- 2014. The self-styled volunteer res- In a Twitter post on Monday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Muhammad ate with terrorist groups in the Arab cue group has been repeatedly ac- Javad Zarif said that the annual pilgrimage bears the message that country, have already started the film- cused of acting as the media arm for ing process for the attack, Russia’s Takfiri groups, and charged with stag- “no tyrant will ever end the struggle for justice”. Sputnik news agency reported on ing false flag chemical attacks in a bid “The message of this march to the world’s people is unity among Monday. to prompt Western military interven- Muslims and harmony in fighting oppression,” chief of Iran’s Is- “The Russian center for reconcilia- tion in Syria. lamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Maj. Gen. Muhammad Ali tion [in Syria] received information In April, the United States, France, Picture taken on September 6, 2018 shows a member of the Western- Jafari said Saturday. from residents of Aleppo that they and Britain launched missile strikes backed so-called “White Helmets” group in the town of al-Tamana on are preparing another provocation against multiple targets around Syria the southern edges of the southwestern Syrian Idlib Province. with the use of toxic agents to ac- after alleging that “video evidence” cuse the government forces of using provided by the White Helmets had from southwestern Syria to Jordan and the White Helmets had transport- Erdogan... chemical weapons against the local pointed to an earlier chemical at- overnight at the request of the U.S. ed poisonous materials from the city (Continued From Page One) population,” said Lt. Gen. Vladimir tack in the city of Douma in the Arab and European countries, as Damascus of Jisr al-Shughur to the settlement of Savchenko, the head of the center, ac- country’s southwest. was preparing to launch counter-ter- Khirbat al Amud in Idlib. Riyadh insists Khashoggi’s body was handed to a “local col- cording to the ministry. Subsequent investigations showed rorism operations in those areas. Idlib is home to the last largest con- laborator” to dispose of. They arrived in Aleppo from the the video had been fake. The Sputnik report cited a story aired centrations of militants and terrorists Turkish sources have told Middle East Eye that the journalist neighboring Province of Idlib, bring- Earlier in the year, Israel transported last week by Lebanon’s Al-Mayadeen in Syria, and is subject to de-conflic- ing along containers holding toxic several hundred members of the group TV channel based on which militants tion efforts by Russia and Turkey. was cut into 15 pieces, at least one of which was thought to have been taken back to Saudi Arabia by one of the crown prince’s bodyguards. Yemeni Teacher Turns His Home Into School for 700 Students The Saudis say they have arrested 18 suspects, 15 of which saying he had nowhere to send his meni curriculum. were members of a death squad sent to kill Khashoggi. own children. However, 500 boys Despite the ramshackle setting On Monday Mujeb offered Fidan the suspects’ testimony, how- and girls aged between six and 15 and lack of facilities, the school ever Turkey is insistent that they stand trial and give evidence on signed up for lessons in that first is oversubscribed in a country Turkish soil. Saudi Arabia has said this will not happen. year. where education has been deci- Erdogan called on Mujeb to reveal the true culprits. “Who sent “All the schools closed down mated and accessible, free school these 15 people? As Saudi public prosecutor, you have to ask and we had a problem that our options are limited. kids were on the street,” Al- Some 2,500 schools have been that question, so you can reveal it,” he said. Shorbagy told Reuters. damaged or destroyed since a “Now we have to solve this case. No need to prevaricate, it “We opened this building as a Saudi-led war was launched in makes no sense to try to save certain people.” community initiative. It was my 2015, a UNICEF report said in MEE understands that Fidan is poised to issue a report on the national and humanitarian duty March. Khashoggi case, but is unwilling to do so until the journalist’s towards my neighborhood.” Two million children are out of body, or part of it, is recovered. Inside the house, facilities are ba- school in Yemen, including She- sic, with exposed brick walls and hab Mohamed Hazzaa, whose Though Riyadh has claimed a local collaborator took the body big gaps where windows should mother was trying to enroll him at from the death squad, it has not revealed any details about their Almost 700 come daily to Yemeni teacher Adel al-Shorbag’s house be. Ripped curtains are used to di- Al-Shorbagy’s school. identity. which he converted into a school in the city of Taiz. vide up space for classrooms. “I came here to register... in the “Who is the local collaborator?” Erdogan asked. “If we knew TAIZ (Dispatches) – Outside that has left millions on the brink Undeterred, the eager children school and the principal told me that, we would reveal the truth.” find any space they can on the that it is too crowded and rejected the home of Yemeni teacher Adel of famine. A source at Istanbul’s prosecutor’s office told MEE on Mon- al-Shorbagy the queue of children Both the Houthi resistance floor, with barely any room to him,” said the mother, who de- day that investigators are now exploring the possibility that the lining up for education keeps get- movement and Yemen’s former move, let alone write. They share clined to be named. ting longer. government forces have deployed donated books and follow what The only other option in the story of a local collaborator may be “Saudi misdirection”. Almost 700 come daily to his forces in various districts of the one of the 16 volunteer teachers city are private schools but they In pursuit of the collaborator, investigators have tracked a sus- house which he converted into a southwestern city, Yemen’s third writes on a broken white board. cost up to 100,000 Yemeni riyal picious vehicle to woodland on Istanbul’s outskirts and a town school in the city of Taiz, which largest. Classes include math, science ($400) per year, putting them out 90km from the city. No evidence was recovered there. has been at the center of a three- Al-Shorbagy opened the school and English, with Al-Shorbagy of reach for many in the impover- and-a-half-year Saudi-led war following the outbreak of war saying he follows the pre-war Ye- ished Arab country. Arab... Bomber Targets Afghan Election HQ, Kills Police Officer (Continued From Page One) KABUL (Dispatches) – A bomber has targeted the headquarters of Af- polls. ghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC) in Kabul, killing a po- People in Kandahar Province went to the polls on Saturday, while comments about Arabs and Muslims, on Sunday toured the lice officer and injuring at least six people in a blast in front of the building. elections have yet to be held in central Ghazni Province, which is still famed Sheikh Zayed mosque in Abu Dhabi, speaking to the cam- The Daesh terrorist group claimed responsibility for the Monday at- reeling from the Taliban’s takeover in August. era in Hebrew. tack, the latest surrounding the country’s embattled parliamentary-elec- Preliminary results of nationwide voting are not expected before mid- “This is the first time that an Israeli minister is here on a visit,” tion process. November. Regev said, surrounded by a group of people in traditional Emirati Kabul police spokesman Basir Mujahid said an attacker on foot blew The elections in Afghanistan have been regarded as a major test for himself up outside the IEC office early in the day, wounding four em- the government as the Taliban militants wreak havoc across much of dress. ployees of the commission and two police officers and killing an officer.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Recent Online Resources for the Analysis of Terrorism and Related Subjects Complied and Selected by Berto Jongman
    PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM Volume 12, Issue 4 Recent Online Resources for the Analysis of Terrorism and Related Subjects Complied and selected by Berto Jongman Note from the Editor: The amount of new publications, reports, policy papers, lectures, presentations, videos and briefings in the field of terrorism and counter-terrorism can be overwhelming for the untrained researcher as well as for young counterterrorism professionals. In the following, a selection of recent open-source online publications, grouped into a dozen categories, has been made by a seasoned former intelligence analyst. An attempt has been made to select items from a variety of sources and positions, presenting different perspectives. Selection not necessarily means endorsement for a certain position or specific lines of argumentation. The following includes also a number of non- terrorism specific items from the broader spectrum of political violence and armed conflicts reports. Most of the items included below became available online in July and August 2018. They are categorised under these headings: 1. Non-Religious Terrorism: Actors, Groups, Incidents and Campaigns 2. Religious (mainly Jihadi) Terrorism: Actors, Groups, Incidents and Campaigns 3. Terrorist Strategies and Tactics 4. Conflict, Crime and Political Violence other than Terrorism 5. Counter-Terrorism – General 6. Counter-Terrorist Strategies, Tactics and Operations 7. State Repression and Civil War at Home and Clandestine & Open Warfare Abroad 8. Prevention and Preparedness Studies (including Countering Violent Extremism, De-Radicalization, Counter-Narratives) 9. Intelligence 10.Cyber Operations and Information Warfare 11.Risk & Threat Assessments, Forecasts, Analytical Studies 12.Also Worth Reading 1. Non-Religious Terrorism: Actors, Groups, Incidents and Campaigns R.
    [Show full text]
  • Stable Economic Roadmap Is Answer to Fluctuations
    WWW.TEHRANTIMES.COM I N T E R N A T I O N A L D A I L Y 16 Pages Price 10,000 Rials 39th year No.13158 Monday JULY 16, 2018 Tir 25, 1397 Dhi Al Qaeda 2, 1439 Navy to boost Stock market France win “Yeva”, “Sunset Truck” intelligence superiority index rises 13.7% the 2018 World Cup win awards at Golden in Oman Sea 2 since March 4 15 Apricot filmfest 16 Kharrazi outlines strategies to fight terrorism POLITICS TEHRAN — Kamal Tsinghua University in Beijing. deskKharrazi, head of Iran’s The three strategies are as follows: Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, on Researches on the ideology of Takfiri Sunday set out three strategies to coun- groups by “international think tanks; ter terrorist groups including Daesh, also Exchange of information and coordi- called IS, ISIL or ISIS. nated actions by Iran, Pakistan, China, Kharrazi enumerated the strategies in Russia and Central Asian countries to fight a speech at the 7th World Peace Forum at Daesh in Afghanistan; 2 Certain manipulators of cellphone market arrested POLITICS TEHRAN — Gholam during a press conference. deskHossein Mohseni Ejei, According to a list published recently the Judiciary spokesman, announced by the Telecommunications Minister on Sunday that certain individuals have Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, certain been arrested and a number of companies companies which had received foreign closed down over price violations in the currency at the official rate to import cellphone market. cellphones sold their goods at a high “Documents have been found that show price by taking advantage of the value a number of serious violations have been of dollar and other currencies at the made” in the cellphone market, he said black market.
    [Show full text]
  • Security Council Provisional Seventy-Fourth Year
    United Nations S/ PV.8664 Security Council Provisional Seventy-fourth year 8664th meeting Thursday, 14 November 2019, 3.20 p.m. New York President: Ms. Pierce ..................................... (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) Members: Belgium ....................................... Mr. Pecsteen de Buytswerve China ......................................... Mr. Zhang Jun Côte d’Ivoire ................................... Mr. Ipo Dominican Republic .............................. Mr. Singer Weisinger Equatorial Guinea ............................... Mrs. Mele Colifa France ........................................ Mrs. Gueguen Germany ...................................... Mr. Heusgen Indonesia. Mr. Djani Kuwait ........................................ Mr. Alotaibi Peru .......................................... Mr. Duclos Poland ........................................ Mr. Radomski Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Polyanskiy South Africa ................................... Mr. Van Shalkwyk United States of America .......................... Mrs. Craft Agenda The situation in the Middle East This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of
    [Show full text]
  • The Syria Deception: the Public Has Been Hoodwinked Yet Again Into Supporting a Criminal War of Aggression—And One That Has Been Effectively Lost
    The Syria Deception: The Public Has Been Hoodwinked Yet Again into Supporting a Criminal War of Aggression—and One that Has Been Effectively Lost By Jeremy Kuzmarov Region: Middle East & North Africa, USA Global Research, July 09, 2021 Theme: Media Disinformation, US NATO CovertAction Magazine 8 July 2021 War Agenda In-depth Report: SYRIA All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). Visit and follow us on Instagram at @crg_globalresearch. *** United States warmakers have become so skilled at propaganda that not only can they wage a war of aggression without arousing protest; they can also compel liberals to denounce peace activists using language reminiscent of the McCarthy era. Take the case of Syria. The people and groups one would normally count on to oppose wars have been the ones largely defending it. They have also often been the ones to label war opponents as “Assad apologists” or “genocide deniers”—causing them to be blacklisted. Protest against bombing of Syria in Newark, New Jersey, in April 2017. Most protests against the war in Syria have been small like this, and protesters have been susceptible to ridicule as Assad lovers or apologists. [Source: northjersey.com] | 1 In April, The Nation magazine published an essay by Gilbert Achcar, a professor of international relations at the University of London and co-author with Noam Chomsky of a book critical of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, entitled“How to
    [Show full text]
  • The Aid in Danger Monthly News Brief
    Aid in Danger Monthly News Brief November Safety, security and access incidents 2019 Insecurity affecting aid workers and aid delivery Africa Burkina Faso This monthly digest General: In Mentao commune, Pobé-Mengao department, Soum comprises threats and province, Sahel region, mounting insecurity by armed groups has incidents of violence forced the closure of all schools in the Mentao refugee camp. affecting the delivery of Humanitarian access to the camp has become increasingly challenging, humanitarian assistance. with the distribution of aid severely hindered. Source: UNHCR Around 22 November 2019: In Djibo commune and department, It is prepared by Insecurity Soum province, Sahel region, mounting insecurity by armed groups Insight from information available in open sources. forced the UNHCR to temporarily relocate its staff to an unspecified location where they would work remotely. Source: UNHCR Join our mailing list to Democratic Republic of the Congo receive monthly reports on 22 November 2019: In Uvira, South Kivu province, four aid workers insecurity affecting the from the NGO SOS Village d'Enfants were abducted by unidentified delivery of humanitarian individuals. Their whereabouts are unknown. Source: Actualite assistance. Trend analysis on attacks on health in Eastern DRC Follow us on Twitter and An overview of reported attacks in the context of the Ebola response Facebook. in the DRC between January and November 2019. These attacks affect both the Ebola response as well as the wider Data on aid workers provision of vital health services in the area. reportedly killed, kidnapped Read the report Download the data on HDX. or arrested (KKA) is available to download on HDX Insecurity Insight.
    [Show full text]
  • The Use of Private Security Providers and Services in Humanitarian Operations
    PSP report 27 cover crc 30/10/08 10:53 am Page 3 HPG Report 27 hpg October 2008 Humanitarian Policy Group The use of private security providers and services in humanitarian operations Abby Stoddard, Adele Harmer and Victoria DiDomenico Overseas Development Institute PSP report 27 cover crc 30/10/08 8:54 am Page 4 About the authors Abby Stoddard, Ph.D., is a Non-Resident Fellow at the Center on International Cooperation (CIC), New York University. Adele Harmer, MSc., is a Research Fellow with the Humanitarian Policy Group at the Overseas Development Institute. Victoria DiDomenico, MS, is a Project Officer in the International Security Institutions programme at CIC, New York University. Research team and contributors The following individuals made significant contributions to the findings of this report through their background field research and case-study reports: • Conor Foley – Afghanistan background study •Joakim Gundel – Kenya and Somalia background study •Greg Hansen – Iraq background study •Robert Turner – Sudan background study Additionally, the study benefited from the early research contributions of Katherine Haver (CIC, Oxfam) and Peter Hoffman (City University of New York). In addition to the study’s Advisory Group, the following peer reviewers provided valuable commentary and inputs: Mark Bowden, James Darcy, Val Flynn, Paul Harvey, Bruce Jones, Naz Modirzadeh and Jean S. Renouf. Humanitarian Policy Group Overseas Development Institute 111 Westminster Bridge Road London SE1 7JD United Kingdom Tel: +44(0) 20 7922 0300 Fax: +44(0) 20 7922 0399 Website: www.odi.org.uk/hpg Email: [email protected] ISBN: 978 0 85003 888 0 © Overseas Development Institute, 2008 Readers are encouraged to quote or reproduce materials from this publication but, as copyright holders, ODI requests due acknowledgement and a copy of the publication.
    [Show full text]
  • James Le Mesurier, White Helmets Co-Founder, Discovered Dead in Turkey 11 November 2019
    www.bbc.com James Le Mesurier, White Helmets co-founder, discovered dead in Turkey 11 November 2019 James Le Mesurier/Twitter James Le Mesurier received an OBE for his work with White Helmet volunteers in Syria A former British Army officer honoured by the Queen for his work with the White Helmets civil defence group in Syria has been found dead in Turkey. The body of James Le Mesurier, who received an OBE in 2016, was discovered on Monday near his home in Istanbul, White Helmet sources told the BBC. Mr Le Mesurier set up the Mayday Rescue emergency response group, which helped train White Helmets volunteers. The cause of death is not known. Turkey has launched an investigation. www.infosources.info pg. 1 • UK rehomes Syria White Helmet volunteers • Why is there a war in Syria? In a tweet, the White Helmets said the group had "learned with shock and sadness the news" of the death of Mr Le Mesurier. Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a director of the Doctors Under Fire campaign group and a friend of Mr Le Mesurier, said: "It's absolutely tragic. He was one of the few people who have made a humanitarian footprint in Syria." Mr de Bretton-Gordon said the White Helmets had a very "strong structure" and their work would continue. But he said Mr Le Mesurier's death had left a "hole to fill". What do we know about Le Mesurier's death? Mr Le Mesurier's body was found at about 04:30 local time (01:30 GMT) on the street near his home and office in Istanbul's Beyoglu district on the European side of the city.
    [Show full text]
  • Anti-Imperialist Triangle
    ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE THE ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE Publication of the All-Ethiopian Communist League CONTINENTS IN MOTION Monthly Bulletin of News on the WORLD-WIDE Anti-Imperialist Struggle ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE - FACT SHEET - 21 DECEMBER - 2020 (PART - I ) THE SCANDALOUS Page 1 ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE "FALLOUT" FROM THE CRIMINAL & MURDEROUS "PROXY WAR" FOR "REGIME CHANGE" WAGED BY THE BRITISH IMPERIALISTS (ALONGSIDE OTHERS) IN SYRIA Page 2 ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE THE SUICIDE OF JAMES LE MESURIER : THE DIRTY ROLE OF A CRIMINAL BRITISH "UNDERCOVER OPERATIVE" Page 3 ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE IN THE "LAWLESS SUBVERSION" OF SYRIA & THE SUBSEQUENT "EXPOSE" OF THE "MODUS OPERANDI" (MODE OF OPERATION) OF Page 4 ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE FOREIGN IMPERIALIST "CRIMINAL MEDDLING" IN THE "INTERNAL AFFAIRS" OF A SOVEREIGN THIRD WORLD COUNTRY (SYRIA) Page 5 ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE A CASE STUDY OF SYRIA & ITS TIMELY LESSONS FOR ETHIOPIA **** PART - I Page 6 ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE LEAD STORY White Helmets founder James le Mesurier’s widow pins his death on a colleague in latest bid for posthumous PR By Kit Klarenberg (an investigative journalist exploring the role of intelligence services in shaping politics and perceptions) Page 7 ANTI-IMPERIALIST TRIANGLE FILE PHOTO: Founder and director of Mayday Rescue, talks to the media during training exercises in southern Turkey, March 19, 2015. © AP The campaign to rehabilitate White Helmets founder James Le Mesurier’s reputation continues apace, a saccharine hagiography framing him a “charismatic buccaneer” too busy saving lives to bother with proper financial records. The lengthy Daily Mail article, published December 20, reinforced the established, idolatrous fable of his life and death, while also adding significant new strands to the narrative.
    [Show full text]
  • 'White Helmets Involved in Organ Trafficking in Syria'
    MIDDLE EAST November 23, 2019 7 Look... ‘White Helmets Involved in (Continued From Page One) sailed this week through the Strait of Hormuz for the first time since it was deployed to the region in May. Large Iranian military maneuvers and U.S. aircraft carriers in the Persian Gulf have previously coincided, as they did when Nimitz-class USS John C. Stennis Organ Trafficking in Syria’ entered the region amid the Great Prophet drills in December. On Friday, a top commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said the United States must act responsibly to protect the lives of its soldiers in DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – The lier this month. the region, warning that Iran is ready to respond to any threat by using defensive White Helmets, which operates under Syria has been gripped by foreign- and offensive measures. the guise of an aid group in Syria, has backed militancy since March 2011. “Washington has to act responsibly in protecting and not endangering the lives been involved in the forcible removal The Syrian government says the Zi- of American soldiers by avoiding any mistakes in the region, specifically in the of organs from civilians living in areas onist regime and its Western and re- Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz,” Major General Gholam Ali Rashid said. controlled by militants, a survey by a gional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist Rashid, commander of the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters, added that Russian institution has revealed. groups that are wreaking havoc in the Tehran does not seek war, but that branches across Iran’s Army and IRGC forces are always prepared to defend Iran’s interests.
    [Show full text]
  • SW.38 Expert Visit Aw
    REPORT Small arms and security in South Eastern Europe Small arms and light weapons in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The nature of the problem Ian Davis May 2002 Small arms and light weapons in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The nature of the problem Ian Davis, Saferworld SAFERWORLD MAY 2002 Acknowledgements Saferworld and the author are grateful to the British Government for project funding. Special thanks to Bozo Prelevic, Special Adviser to the Minister of Interior of the Republic of Serbia and his colleagues, without whose support, the expert group would have been unable to conduct its research. Acronyms AAK Alliance for the Future of Kosovo DOS Democratic Opposition of Serbia DPS Democratic Party of Socialists (Montenegro) EU European Union FRY Federal Republic of Yugoslavia GSZ Ground safety zone ICG International Crisis Group IMF International Monetary Fund IWPR Institute of War and Peace Reporting JIAS Joint Interim Administrative Structure (UN, Kosovo) KFOR Kosovo Force (NATO and Russia) KLA Kosovo Liberation Army KPC Kosovo Protection Corps KPS Kosovo Police Service KPSS Kosovo Police Service School KWECC Kosovo War and Ethnic Crimes Court LDK Democratic League of Kosovo MUP Ministarstvo Unutrasnjih Poslova (Ministry of Interior) NGO Non-governmental organisation NLA National Liberation Army (Macedonia) OSCE Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe PDK Democratic Party of Kosovo PfP Partnership for Peace (NATO) PSHDK Albanian Christian Democratic Party of Kosovo SALW Small arms and light weapons SDB State
    [Show full text]
  • Malicious Use of Social Media: Case Studies from Bbc Monitoring
    COUNTERING MALICIOUS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MALICIOUS USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA: CASE STUDIES FROM BBC MONITORING Olga Robinson BBC Monitoring ISBN: 978-9934-564-41-3 ISBN: 978-9934-564-41-3 Author: Olga Robinson Project manager: Sebastian Bay Text editor: Anna Reynolds Design: Kārlis Ulmanis Riga, November 2018 NATO STRATCOM COE 11b Kalciema Iela Riga LV1048, Latvia www.stratcomcoe.org Facebook/stratcomcoe Twitter: @stratcomcoe BBC Monitoring is a specialist unit within BBC News that tracks thousands of international media outlets, including hard-to-reach broadcast sources, to report news from and about the world’s media and social media. This publication does not represent the opinions or policies of NATO or NATO StratCom COE. © All rights reserved by the NATO StratCom COE. Reports may not be copied, reproduced, distributed or publicly displayed without reference to the NATO StratCom COE. The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of NATO StratCom COE. NATO StratCom COE does not take responsibility for the views of authors expressed in their articles. CONTENTS INTRODUCTION WHAT WE ARE SEEING: EXAMPLES AND TACTICS Confuse and rule . .7 Focus on networks. 8 Tailored messages. .11 Bot or not? . .12 Bot battles . .13 Inflated trends . 14 Hijacking existing campaigns. 15 Comment manipulation. .15 Fake jihadist propaganda. 16 State control. 16 CHALLENGES AHEAD Cat-and-mouse account blocking. .17 Private chat apps. 18 Deepfake technology. .18 Proliferation of sources. .19 CONCLUSION ENDNOTES BBC Monitoring uses a range of tools for social media analysis, and continues to explore ways of using evolving technology to improve its journalists’ ability to track multiple sources and spot media manipulation INTRODUCTION BBC Monitoring (BBCM) is a specialist unit within BBC News that tracks thousands of international media outlets, including hard-to-reach broadcast sources, to report news from and about the world’s media and social media.
    [Show full text]
  • Spinning Bomb
    INDEX ON CENSORSHIP | VOL.50 | NO.2 16 INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG index50-2.indb 16 07/07/2021 19:03:04 FEATURES PICTURED: The White Helmets search for survivors among the ruins of a building in Amirah, Syria. The building collapsed after an alleged regime air strike in July, 2019 Spinning bomb NERMA JELACIC argues dangerous revisionists are manipulating free speech defenders CREDIT: Anas Alkharboutli/DPA/Alamy INDEXONCENSORSHIP.ORG 17 index50-2.indb 17 07/07/2021 19:03:05 INDEX ON CENSORSHIP | VOL.50 | NO.2 HIRTY YEARS for facts completes the postmodernist extremist Islamist groups sit in CIJA’s SEPARATE the assault on the truth. But more important vaults and inform criminal investigations Tbeginnings of than the philosophical effect is the fact by European and American law conflicts in Bosnia- that disinformation campaigns have enforcement and UN bodies. These Herzegovina, where I been politically weaponised by Russia. documents tell, in the organisers’ and come from, and Syria, Under the flag of freedom of expression, perpetrators’ own words, a deplorable ABOVE: Nerma Jelacic where I work now. they have become a dangerous tool in story of a pre-planned campaign of Bosnia and Syria are information warfare. murder, torture and persecution, a story the bookends that encompass the three I know this, because I am one of that started in 2011 when the Syrian decades when we lived in a world where their targets. regime began its systematic and violent our collective conscience, eventually, Earlier this year, the Commission for crackdown on protesters. recognised we had a responsibility to International Justice and Accountability CIJA’s work is pioneering and protect the innocent, to bring those (CIJA), an NGO of which I am one of the painfully necessary as it ensures responsible for war crimes to justice, directors, flung itself into the eye of the crucial evidence is secured, analysed and to fight against revisionism and Syria disinformation storm by exposing and properly stored when there is no denial.
    [Show full text]