Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media explained

The Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM) is a controversial group of academics and activists whose stated purpose is to study propaganda and information operations surrounding the Syrian civil war.[1] It was formed by environmental political theory professor Tim Hayward and former academic Piers Robinson in 2017.[2] [3]

Activities

The group has gained attention and attracted criticism for disputing the veracity of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War as well as for its claims that the Syrian White Helmets civil defence organisation has staged false flag attacks in order to trigger Western retaliation against the Syrian government.[4] [5] [6]

The group has produced a number of reports. The SPM's first publication, entitled, "Doubts about 'Novichoks'," questioned whether Russia's secret nerve agent programme – through which Novichok chemical weapons were developed – had ever existed.

In subsequent publications, the SPM has argued that the 2018 Douma chemical attack was faked by the White Helmets civil defence organisation.[7] The SPM report accused Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, the former head of Britain's Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, of being an agent working on behalf of a British covert influence programme.[8]

According to Bellingcat, the group used other entities such as Berlin Group 21 (BG21) as their front for publishing "statements of concern".[9] In October 2019, a former Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) employee later identified as Brendan Whelan presented his dissent with the OPCW's findings about the investigation of the Douma chemical attack. Members of the Courage Foundation who attended included Kristinn Hrafnsson, Jose Bustani, Helmut Lohre and Gunter Meyer.[10] [11] Courage Foundation published the Statement of Concern at the same time as "Berlin Group 21".[12] [13] [14] Whelan later leaked OPCW documents to WikiLeaks.[15] [16]

Controversies

In early 2018, The Times newspaper ran a series of articles critical of the SPM, in which it said the group intentionally spreads "disinformation" in support of the government of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian Civil War and "conspiracy theories promoted by Russia".[17] [18] The Times described the group's members as "apologists for Assad" and likened them to Holocaust deniers.[19] In response, the SPM said that its members have a shared interest in "investigating the 'information operations' (...) associated with the Syrian conflict" and stressed that "the Working Group does not take any position for or against the Syrian government."[20]

In 2019, The Huffington Post wrote that SPM "reported on the poisoning of Sergei Skripal, chemical attacks in Syria and a British organisation that counters Russian propaganda but its findings have been described by experts as “speculation”, “distortion” and “in the realm of conspiracy theorists”". It quoted Kristyan Benedict, a crisis response manager for Amnesty International UK, who accused SPM of promoting conspiracy theories and denying war crimes. It also noticed that SPM cofounder Piers Robinson is a 9/11 truther.[21]

In 2021, (CIJA) reported on its sting operation targeting SPM member Paul McKeigue, in which CIJA posed over email as a Russian agent named "Ivan." McKeigue corresponded with "Ivan" over the course of several months, believing that he was communicating with Russian secret services. According to CIJA, SPM attempted to coordinate with Russian diplomats including Alexander Shulgin, Russia's ambassador to the Netherlands, on publications about Syria. The report also stated that McKeigue obtained legal advice from Melinda Taylor, one of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange's personal lawyers, on how to make litigious claims against the OPCW which McKeigue referred to as "lawfare", a term generally used to describe frivolous or harassing litigation. McKeigue and Taylor also discussed promoting claims of fraud against CIJA.[22] [23]

According to CIJA, its "investigation revealed that, far from being fringe conspiracists, these revisionists, employed by some of the UK’s top universities, were collaborating with Russian diplomats in four countries; were willing to co-operate with presumed Russian security agents to advance their agenda and to attack their opponents; were co-ordinating dissemination of disinformation with bloggers, alternative media and Russian state media; appeared to be planning the doxxing of survivors of chemical attacks; and admitted to making up sources and facts when necessary to advance their cause."[24]

A March 2021 BBC News article stated that the SPM had, "echoed [...] Russian disinformation narratives," in a number of publications by suggesting that the governments of the United States and United Kingdom had a motive to kill Russian dissident Sergei Skripal in order to prevent him from testifying in a libel case against former British intelligence agent Christopher Steele.[25] The view of the UK government is that Skripal, a former Russian spy, was poisoned by Russian secret service agents.[26]

Members

Members of the SPM include:

Members of its advisory board have included:

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 25 January 2018. About. 22 November 2020. Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. en-US.
  2. News: Keate. Georgie. Kennedy. Dominic. Shveda. Krystina. Haynes. Deborah. Deborah Haynes. 14 April 2018. Apologists for Assad working in British universities. en. The Times. 22 November 2020. 0140-0460.
  3. News: Kennedy . Dominic . Conspiracy theories spread by academics with university help - News . The Times . 12 June 2020 . 22 February 2021.
  4. Web site: 'We were their only hope'. 2021-11-04. De Groene Amsterdammer. 12 September 2021 . nl.
  5. Web site: 24 December 2019. Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda. 22 February 2021. PBS NewsHour.
  6. Web site: Syria: on academic freedom and responsibility. 22 February 2021. openDemocracy.
  7. Web site: 24 December 2019. Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda. 17 March 2020. PBS NewsHour. en-us.
  8. News: Loyd . Anthony . Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, the Iraq veteran on the front line of the war against chemical weapons in Syria - Magazine . The Times . 4 September 2020 . 22 February 2021.
  9. Web site: 2021-05-14. Berlin Group 21, 'Ivan's' Emails and Chemical Weapons Conspiracy Theories. 2021-11-04. bellingcat. en-GB.
  10. Web site: Whitaker . Brian . 2023-02-15 . A Notorious Syria Conspiracy Theory Is Definitively Debunked . 2023-02-20 . New Lines Magazine . en.
  11. Web site: Team . Bellingcat Investigation . 2020-10-26 . Unpublished OPCW Douma Correspondence Casts Further Doubt on Claims of 'Doctored' Report . 2023-02-20 . bellingcat . en-GB.
  12. Web site: 2021-04-10 . Statement of Concern: The OPCW investigation of alleged chemical weapons use in Douma, Syria Courage Foundation . 2023-02-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210410152901/https://couragefound.org/2021/03/statement-of-concern-the-opcw-investigation-of-alleged-chemical-weapons-use-in-douma-syria/ . 10 April 2021 .
  13. Web site: 2021-04-10 . Additional Background Information (provided by the Berlin Group 21) Regarding the OPCW FFM Investigation of the Alleged Chemical Attack in Douma, April 7, 2018 Courage Foundation . 2023-02-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210410135038/https://couragefound.org/2021/03/additional-background-information-regarding-the-opcw-ffm-investigation-of-the-alleged-chemical-attack-in-douma-april-7-2018/ . 10 April 2021 .
  14. Web site: Waters . Nick . 2021-05-14 . Berlin Group 21, 'Ivan's' Emails and Chemical Weapons Conspiracy Theories . 2023-02-20 . bellingcat . en-GB.
  15. Web site: Weiss . Michael . Goldsmith . Jett . 2021-04-20 . How an Email Sting Operation Unearthed a pro-Assad Conspiracy—and Russia's Role In It . 2023-02-20 . New Lines Magazine . en.
  16. News: Goldsmith . Michael Weiss, Jett . 2021-04-20 . Syria Chemical-Attack Deniers Admit Links to WikiLeaks and Russia . en . The Daily Beast . 2023-02-20.
  17. News: Blanchard. Georgie. Keate. Sam. 28 May 2020. To say Douma attack was staged is to enter an Orwellian world. en. The Times. 6 July 2020.
  18. News: Webster. Ben. 16 April 2018. Academics accused of speaking for Assad condemn Syria raids. en. The Times. 22 November 2020. 0140-0460.
  19. News: Assad's Useful Idiots. en. The Times. 28 May 2020. 0140-0460.
  20. Web site: 25 June 2019. Working Group Response to Smears. 22 November 2020. Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. en-US.
  21. Web site: A UK Thinktank That Examines Propaganda Just Recruited A Pro-Russian Propagandist. Chris York. The Huffington Post. 2019-02-28.
  22. News: Goldsmith. Michael Weiss, Jett. 2021-04-20. Syria Chemical Attack Deniers Admit Links to WikiLeaks and Russia. en. The Daily Beast. 2021-04-20.
  23. Web site: 2021-04-20. How an Email Sting Operation Unearthed a pro-Assad Conspiracy—and Russia's Role In It. 2021-04-20. Newlines Magazine. en.
  24. Spinning bomb . 10.1177/03064220211033782 . 2021 . Jelacic . Nerma . Index on Censorship . 50 . 2 . 16–23 . 236179842 .
  25. News: Hadjimatheou. Chloe. 26 March 2021. The UK professor and the fake Russian agent. en-GB. BBC News. 26 March 2021.
  26. Web site: 2018-03-08. Sergei Skripal: former Russian spy poisoned with nerve agent, say police. 2021-08-20. the Guardian. en.
  27. Web site: York . Chris . The 'Useful Idiots': How These British Academics Helped Russia Deny War Crimes At The UN . HuffPost UK . 29 January 2020 . 22 February 2021.
  28. Web site: York . Chris . Jewish Students 'Intimidated' By Professor's Comments As Williamson Defends 'Free Speech' . HuffPost UK . 20 February 2021 . 22 February 2021.
  29. News: York . Chris . A UK Thinktank That Examines Propaganda Just Recruited A Pro-Russian Propagandist . 25 December 2020 . Huffington Post UK . 28 February 2019.
  30. News: Kennedy. Dominic. 10 April 2020. British academics sharing coronavirus conspiracy theories online - News. The Times. 22 February 2021.
  31. Web site: Hammond . Philip . Syria: stop asking questions! . openDemocracy . 17 April 2022 . en . 17 April 2018.

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