Russia Organized Anti-Immigrant Protests In U.S. Using Facebook: Report
The Russian attack on the 2016 election was much more sophisticated than previously thought.
Russian intelligence agents have used Facebook to promote protests in the United States, including at least one anti-immigrant protest during the 2016 presidential campaign, according to a new report by The Daily Beast.
The anti-immigrant protest took place in August 2016 in Idaho.
The report also noted that Facebook confirmed that it has since “shut down several promoted events as part of the takedown we described last week.”
One protest focused on Muslim refugees in an Idaho town. “Due to the town of Twin Falls, Idaho, becoming a center of refugee resettlement, which led to the huge upsurge of violence towards American citizens, it is crucial to draw society’s attention to this problem,” the protest’s event read.
“We must stop taking in Muslim refugees! We demand open and thorough investigation of all the cases regarding Muslim refugees! All government officials, who are covering up for these criminals, should be fired!”
As The Daily News reports, “The Facebook events—one of which echoed Islamophobic conspiracy theories pushed by pro-Trump media outlets—are the first indication that the Kremlin’s attempts to shape America’s political discourse moved beyond fake news and led unwitting Americans into specific real-life action.”
Last week Facebook admitted for the first time that Russian operatives bought advertising on Facebook as part of its effort to help Donald Trump win the election.
Read the full report by The Daily Beast here.
