Post by addisona on Apr 8, 2022 13:07:33 GMT
Anti-vax conspiracy groups lean into pro-Kremlin propaganda in Ukraine
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Booba — one of France's most popular rap artists, with an online audience of millions — spread wild claims about COVID-19.
But since late February, the French musician has shifted gears to another global crisis: the war in Ukraine. And in post after post, Booba, who canceled a sponsorship deal with Puma after the German company pulled out of Russia, has shared content with his 5.6 million Twitter followers aligned with pro-Kremlin talking points.
The rapper, whose real name is Élie Yaffa, is just a high-profile example of how Western anti-vaccine groups and conspiracy theorists have shifted quickly from parroting falsehoods about the global pandemic to peddling misinformation about the war, often from Moscow's viewpoint.
Over the last four weeks, Russia’s invasion of its European neighbor has grabbed global attention, putting everything else on the back burner — including the two-year-long COVID-19 crisis. For those deeply involved in online conspiracy theories, that means having to find another topic to keep online audiences interested and engaged. With the common denominator of Russia-backed misinformation and a ready-made digital ecosystem of Facebook groups, Telegram channels and various alternative social networks, it's been a seamless pivot from the coronavirus to the war in Ukraine.
The information war is playing out in real time across the European Union and the United States as well-organized and large online communities that had previously pushed back against COVID-19 restrictions are now framing Russia’s invasion as being between good-guy Moscow and Kyiv and its Western allies — now cast as New World Order oppressors — according to misinformation experts and fact-checking groups.
"The conspiracy sphere is an empty shell of sorts that aggregates as news unfolds," said Pauline Talagrand, who’s overseeing Agence France-Presse’s fact-checking work worldwide. "Whether it's vaccines or masks, there is always something that will trigger people who can be easily manipulated and are distrustful of traditional information."
“The problem with these recurring crises is that they contribute to the enlargement of these spheres and lead to the entrenchment of their narratives,” she added.
As with COVID-related misinformation, social networks like Telegram and alternative video-sharing platform Odysee — one of the remaining platforms that provides ready access in Europe to banned Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT and COVID-19 conspiracy documentaries — are playing a key role. While mainstream platforms have removed, or demoted, much of this conspiracy content, there are few if any restrictions on the outer fringes of the web.
COVID-19 conspiracy groups on Facebook — some with tens of thousands of members — blame the West, not Russia, for causing the war. Telegram channels that in early February railed against the so-called deep state now post pictures of dead Ukrainians, claiming they are fake. QAnon-affiliated websites suggest Russia invaded its Western neighbor to weed out child sexual abusers — a central mantra of that conspiracy theory framework.
www.politico.eu/article/antivax-conspiracy-lean-pro-kremlin-propaganda-ukraine/
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Booba — one of France's most popular rap artists, with an online audience of millions — spread wild claims about COVID-19.
But since late February, the French musician has shifted gears to another global crisis: the war in Ukraine. And in post after post, Booba, who canceled a sponsorship deal with Puma after the German company pulled out of Russia, has shared content with his 5.6 million Twitter followers aligned with pro-Kremlin talking points.
The rapper, whose real name is Élie Yaffa, is just a high-profile example of how Western anti-vaccine groups and conspiracy theorists have shifted quickly from parroting falsehoods about the global pandemic to peddling misinformation about the war, often from Moscow's viewpoint.
Over the last four weeks, Russia’s invasion of its European neighbor has grabbed global attention, putting everything else on the back burner — including the two-year-long COVID-19 crisis. For those deeply involved in online conspiracy theories, that means having to find another topic to keep online audiences interested and engaged. With the common denominator of Russia-backed misinformation and a ready-made digital ecosystem of Facebook groups, Telegram channels and various alternative social networks, it's been a seamless pivot from the coronavirus to the war in Ukraine.
The information war is playing out in real time across the European Union and the United States as well-organized and large online communities that had previously pushed back against COVID-19 restrictions are now framing Russia’s invasion as being between good-guy Moscow and Kyiv and its Western allies — now cast as New World Order oppressors — according to misinformation experts and fact-checking groups.
"The conspiracy sphere is an empty shell of sorts that aggregates as news unfolds," said Pauline Talagrand, who’s overseeing Agence France-Presse’s fact-checking work worldwide. "Whether it's vaccines or masks, there is always something that will trigger people who can be easily manipulated and are distrustful of traditional information."
“The problem with these recurring crises is that they contribute to the enlargement of these spheres and lead to the entrenchment of their narratives,” she added.
As with COVID-related misinformation, social networks like Telegram and alternative video-sharing platform Odysee — one of the remaining platforms that provides ready access in Europe to banned Kremlin-backed broadcaster RT and COVID-19 conspiracy documentaries — are playing a key role. While mainstream platforms have removed, or demoted, much of this conspiracy content, there are few if any restrictions on the outer fringes of the web.
COVID-19 conspiracy groups on Facebook — some with tens of thousands of members — blame the West, not Russia, for causing the war. Telegram channels that in early February railed against the so-called deep state now post pictures of dead Ukrainians, claiming they are fake. QAnon-affiliated websites suggest Russia invaded its Western neighbor to weed out child sexual abusers — a central mantra of that conspiracy theory framework.
www.politico.eu/article/antivax-conspiracy-lean-pro-kremlin-propaganda-ukraine/