Disinfo: White Helmets are a "rebranding of Al Qaeda"

Summary

The next chemical attack provocation in Syria is already filmed. [—] The White Helmets are a “rebranding of Al Qaeda”. There is no doubt that the White Helmets are working for Al Qaeda.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation on the White Helmets. euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=douma&disinfo_issue=&date=, https://euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=white+helmets&disinfo_issue=&date= The White Helmets are a volunteer search and rescue group made up of Syrian civilians, which has been attacked by the pro-Kremlin and pro-Assad media on numerous occasions. medium.com/dfrlab/syriahoax-part-two-kremlin-targets-white-helmets-c6ab692d4a21 It was the White Helmets’ footage that documented the chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun in April, which killed at least 83 people, a third of them children. UN war crimes investigators later concluded the attack was carried out by the Syrian regime. www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/syria-white-helmets-conspiracy-theories

publication/media

  • Reported in: Issue 118
  • DATE OF PUBLICATION: 16/09/2018
  • Outlet language(s) Russian
  • Countries and/or Regions discussed in the disinformation: Syria
  • Keywords: false flag, White Helmets, Provocation, Chemical weapons/attack, Al-Qaeda, Terrorism, Syrian War
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Disinfo: Idlib: Another provocation, which is likely to be carried out by the so-called White Helmets, is being prepared

Another provocation, which is likely to be carried out by the so-called White Helmets, is being prepared. — The White Helmets and Nusra Front terrorists have approved videos of two scenes which will be transferred to the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons; the rest will be distributed in social networks, the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation noted. /// White Helmets Stage Attacks to Give Pretext to US to Attack Syria. /// The White Helmets, together with terrorists, have chosen 22 families with children, as well as orphans kidnapped from refugee camps to participate in their staged filming.

Disproof

No evidence given. Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation on White Helmets and chemical attacks in Syria. euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=&disinfo_issue=&disinfo_keywords%5B%5D=77488&date= euvsdisinfo.eu/disinformation-cases/?text=syria&disinfo_issue=&disinfo_keywords%5B%5D=77353&date= Earlier, pro-Kremlin disinformation has claimed that both the 2017 attack in Khan Sheikhoun and 2018 in Douma were faked. UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism found Syria’s Government responsible for last year’s attack in Khan Shaykhun. On April 10 2018 Russia vetoed a U.S.-drafted U.N. Security Council resolution that would have created a new inquiry to ascertain responsibility for chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Read more: www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2018/08/31/attaques-chimiques-en-syrie-les-intox-de-la-russie-pour-brouiller-les-pistes_5348708_4355770.html#xtor=AL-32280270 Background: On 7 April 2018, a high number of civilians were killed in the besieged Syrian city of Douma, with evidence pointing towards another chemical attack by the regime, according to the EU. According to the World Health Organisation, during the shelling of Douma on Saturday, an estimated 500 patients presented to health facilities exhibiting signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/statements/2018/chemical-attacks-syria/en/ See also Bellingcat's open source survey on the suspected chemical attack: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/mena/2018/04/11/open-source-survey-alleged-chemical-attacks-douma-7th-april-2018/ In September 2017, the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic summarized 33 separate incidents where it had found use of chemical weapons. Since then there have been several additional suspected chemical attacks. Between March 2013 and March 2017, the Commission documented 25 incidents of chemical weapons use in the Syrian Arab Republic, of which 20 were proven to have been perpetrated by government forces and used primarily against civilians. http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/IICISyria/Pages/IndependentInternationalCommission.aspx

Disinfo: The EU is conducting a hybrid war against Moscow

Since the European Union is actively participating in the hybrid war against us [against Russia], it is important for us that it has no consolidated position – so that not all of them together could impose sanctions on us. […] Therefore, we are just interested in getting the European Union weakened.

Disproof

The EU is not conducting a "hybrid war" against Russia. The EU's most recent policy vis-a-vis Russia has been formulated in 2016 in the Five Guiding Principles that include selective engagement with Russia on issues like migration, counter-terrorism, or climate change; or support for Russia's civil society. See remarks by HRVP Federica Mogherini: https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/5490/remarks-high-representativevice-president-federica-mogherini-press-conference-following-foreign_en

Disinfo: A real horror is going on in Northern Europe as a result of joining the EU, Sweden and Finland economically collapsed

There has been a complete collapse of industry in Sweden after joining the EU, there was a similar collapse in Finland where GDP fell by 25 per cent after the collapse of the USSR.

Disproof

Although there had been a slight decline in Finland's GDP after 1991, this was followed by a much longer period of stable growth and currently, Finland's GDP is approximately 100-150 per cent higher than it used to be in the beginning of the 1990s: see the historical data here. "Collapsed" Sweden has 22nd-23rd highest GDP in the world (depending on whether the ranking is by IMF, World Bank, or the UN).