Russia’s disinformation campaign about the recent stabbings in northern England, which sparked riots across the country, is part of Vladimir Putin’s “gray warfare” against the West - says former MI6 chief.
A former MI6 head, Sir Richard Dearlove, has said that the disinformation surrounding the identity of a boy who fatally stabbed three girls on Monday and wounded 10 others, is a “fundamental tactic” used by Russia’s Putin against the West.
The attack had occurred at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the seaside town of Southport, northern England, and ignited riots by the far-right the following day after fake news online claimed that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.
The rioters stormed a local mosque in violent clashes that left 53 police officers wounded.
A fake news site linked to Russia fanned the flames, and added that the perpetrator was on an MI6 watchlist and known to local mental health services.
The British tabloid, the Daily Mail, also reported that the Channel3 Now social media account, which it said masquerades as a U.S. news site but in fact hails from Russia, published an inflammatory post on the X platform that was viewed two million times before being deleted.
The violence spread to the cities of Manchester, Hartlepool and London, with more than 100 people having been arrested in the capital for “violent disorder” and “assault on an emergency worker,” according to the city’s Metropolitan Police.
The circulation of fake news about the perpetrator drove the unusual decision of the judge dealing with the case to lift the restrictions on the accuser’s identity early, just days before his 18th birthday.
Sir Dearlove warned: “people just don’t seem to understand the extent of the Russian attitude to conflict and the way every aspect of their relationship with us will be seen as a basis to attack us.”
“I think we are slightly complacent, and I don’t think people necessarily understand the danger that we’re in,” he added.
The attack had occurred at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the seaside town of Southport, northern England, and ignited riots by the far-right the following day after fake news online claimed that the attacker was a Muslim asylum seeker.
The rioters stormed a local mosque in violent clashes that left 53 police officers wounded.
A fake news site linked to Russia fanned the flames, and added that the perpetrator was on an MI6 watchlist and known to local mental health services.
The British tabloid, the Daily Mail, also reported that the Channel3 Now social media account, which it said masquerades as a U.S. news site but in fact hails from Russia, published an inflammatory post on the X platform that was viewed two million times before being deleted.
The violence spread to the cities of Manchester, Hartlepool and London, with more than 100 people having been arrested in the capital for “violent disorder” and “assault on an emergency worker,” according to the city’s Metropolitan Police.
The circulation of fake news about the perpetrator drove the unusual decision of the judge dealing with the case to lift the restrictions on the accuser’s identity early, just days before his 18th birthday.
Sir Dearlove warned: “people just don’t seem to understand the extent of the Russian attitude to conflict and the way every aspect of their relationship with us will be seen as a basis to attack us.”
“I think we are slightly complacent, and I don’t think people necessarily understand the danger that we’re in,” he added.
Source: The Telegraph, The Guardian, CNN, TVP World
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