DISINFO: White Helmets fabricated evidence used to bomb Syria
SUMMARY
The United States has taken the fabrications of the White Helmets’ concerning “chemical attacks” in Syria as an excuse to call for direct airstrikes in this country.
RESPONSE
A recurring disinformation narrative claiming that chemical attack in Douma, Syria was staged, along with narratives aiming to discredit the White Helmets. See our and Bellingcat's reporting how Russian and Syrian state media have used fiction movies to "prove" that the Douma attack was fabricated.
The Report of the OPCW fact-finding mission in Syria regarding the incident of alleged use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in Douma states that "Based on the levels of chlorinated organic derivatives, detected in several environmental samples gathered at the sites of alleged use of toxic chemicals (Locations 2 and 4), which are not naturally present in the environment, the FFM concludes that the objects from which the samples were taken at both locations had been in contact with one or more substances containing reactive chlorine."
According to the World Health Organisation, during the shelling of Douma, an estimated 500 patients presented to health facilities exhibiting signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals, even the United Nations Human Rights Council stated that the Syrian government forces are responsible for the attack.