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The '''Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM)''' is a group of academics and activists which promotes conspiracy theories about the Syrian Civil War. It was formed by environmental political theory professor [[Tim Hayward (political scientist)|Tim Hayward]] and former academic [[Piers Robinson]] in 2017.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Keate|first=Georgie|last2=Kennedy|first2=Dominic|last3=Shveda|first3=Krystina|last4=Haynes|first4=Deborah|author-link4=Deborah Haynes|date=14 April 2018|title=Apologists for Assad working in British universities|language=en|work=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/apologists-for-assad-working-in-british-universities-2f72hw29m|access-date=22 November 2020|issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref name="Kennedy 2020 conspi">{{cite news | last=Kennedy | first=Dominic | title=Conspiracy theories spread by academics with university help - News | website=The Times | date=12 June 2020 | url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/conspiracy-theories-spread-by-academics-with-university-help-9g09xtc73 | access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="York 2020"/>
The '''Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM)''' is a group of academics and activists whose stated purpose is to study the [[propaganda]] surrounding the [[Syrian civil war]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=25 January 2018|title=About|url=https://syriapropagandamedia.org/about|access-date=22 November 2020|website=Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media|language=en-US}}</ref> It was formed by environmental political theory professor [[Tim Hayward (political scientist)|Tim Hayward]] and former academic [[Piers Robinson]] in 2017.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|last=Keate|first=Georgie|last2=Kennedy|first2=Dominic|last3=Shveda|first3=Krystina|last4=Haynes|first4=Deborah|author-link4=Deborah Haynes|date=14 April 2018|title=Apologists for Assad working in British universities|language=en|work=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/apologists-for-assad-working-in-british-universities-2f72hw29m|access-date=22 November 2020|issn=0140-0460}}</ref><ref name="Kennedy 2020 conspi">{{cite news | last=Kennedy | first=Dominic | title=Conspiracy theories spread by academics with university help - News | website=The Times | date=12 June 2020 | url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/conspiracy-theories-spread-by-academics-with-university-help-9g09xtc73 | access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="York 2020"/>


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 (Syrian Civil War)|White Helmets civil defence organisation]] has staged [[false flag]] attacks in order to trigger Western retaliation against the Syrian regime.<ref name="PBS NewsHour 2019">{{cite web | title=Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda | website=PBS NewsHour | date=24 December 2019 | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/mysterious-death-of-white-helmets-co-founder-spotlights-toxic-propaganda | access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="openDemocracy">{{cite web | title=Syria: on academic freedom and responsibility | website=openDemocracy | url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/syria-on-academic-freedom-and-responsibility/ | access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref>
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 (Syrian Civil War)|White Helmets civil defence organisation]] has staged [[false flag]] attacks in order to trigger Western retaliation against the Syrian regime.<ref name="PBS NewsHour 2019">{{cite web | title=Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda | website=PBS NewsHour | date=24 December 2019 | url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/mysterious-death-of-white-helmets-co-founder-spotlights-toxic-propaganda | access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref><ref name="openDemocracy">{{cite web | title=Syria: on academic freedom and responsibility | website=openDemocracy | url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/syria-on-academic-freedom-and-responsibility/ | access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref>


==Activities==
==Activities==
The group's stated purpose is to study the [[propaganda]] surrounding the [[Syrian civil war]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=25 January 2018|title=About|url=https://syriapropagandamedia.org/about|access-date=22 November 2020|website=Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media|language=en-US}}</ref> It has produced a number of reports.<ref name=":1" /> The SPM's first publication, entitled, "Doubts about '[[Novichok|Novichoks]]'," questioned whether Russia's secret nerve agent programme – through which Novichok chemical weapons were developed – had ever existed.<ref name=":2" />
The group has produced a number of reports.<ref name=":1" /> The SPM's first publication, entitled, "Doubts about '[[Novichok|Novichoks]]'," questioned whether Russia's secret nerve agent programme – through which Novichok chemical weapons were developed – had ever existed.<ref name=":2" />


In subsequent publications, the SPM has argued that the 2018 [[Douma chemical attack]] was faked by the [[White Helmets (Syrian Civil War)|White Helmets civil defence organisation]].<ref name="PBS">{{Cite web|date=24 December 2019|title=Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/mysterious-death-of-white-helmets-co-founder-spotlights-toxic-propaganda|access-date=17 March 2020|website=PBS NewsHour|language=en-us}}</ref> 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 [[MI6|British covert influence]] programme.<ref name="Loyd 2020">{{cite news | last=Loyd | first=Anthony | title=Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, the Iraq veteran on the front line of the war against chemical weapons in Syria - Magazine | website=The Times | date=4 September 2020 | url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hamish-de-bretton-gordon-the-iraq-veteran-on-the-front-line-of-the-war-against-chemical-weapons-in-syria-kfq7w76pm | access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref>
In subsequent publications, the SPM has argued that the 2018 [[Douma chemical attack]] was faked by the [[White Helmets (Syrian Civil War)|White Helmets civil defence organisation]].<ref name="PBS">{{Cite web|date=24 December 2019|title=Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/mysterious-death-of-white-helmets-co-founder-spotlights-toxic-propaganda|access-date=17 March 2020|website=PBS NewsHour|language=en-us}}</ref> 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 [[MI6|British covert influence]] programme.<ref name="Loyd 2020">{{cite news | last=Loyd | first=Anthony | title=Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, the Iraq veteran on the front line of the war against chemical weapons in Syria - Magazine | website=The Times | date=4 September 2020 | url=https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/hamish-de-bretton-gordon-the-iraq-veteran-on-the-front-line-of-the-war-against-chemical-weapons-in-syria-kfq7w76pm | access-date=22 February 2021}}</ref>

Revision as of 22:25, 31 October 2021

The Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM) is a group of academics and activists whose stated purpose is to study the propaganda 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][4]

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 regime.[5][6]

Activities

The group has produced a number of reports.[1] 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.[2]

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]

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".[2][9][10] The Times described the group's members as "apologists for Assad" and likened them to Holocaust deniers.[2][11][10] 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."[12]

In March 2021, the BBC and The Times published reports of a sting operation targeting SPM member Paul McKeigue by the organisation Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA), 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. In April 2021, The Daily Beast and Newlines Magazine reported on McKeigue's emails to "Ivan" and the SPM's attempts 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.[13][14]

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.[15] The view of the UK government and the OPWC is that Skripal, a former Russian spy, was poisoned by Russian secret service agents.[16]

Members

Members of the SPM include:

Members of its advisory board have included:

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "About". Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Keate, Georgie; Kennedy, Dominic; Shveda, Krystina; Haynes, Deborah (14 April 2018). "Apologists for Assad working in British universities". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  3. ^ Kennedy, Dominic (12 June 2020). "Conspiracy theories spread by academics with university help - News". The Times. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d York, Chris (29 January 2020). "The 'Useful Idiots': How These British Academics Helped Russia Deny War Crimes At The UN". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  5. ^ "Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda". PBS NewsHour. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Syria: on academic freedom and responsibility". openDemocracy. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda". PBS NewsHour. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  8. ^ Loyd, Anthony (4 September 2020). "Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, the Iraq veteran on the front line of the war against chemical weapons in Syria - Magazine". The Times. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  9. ^ Blanchard, Georgie; Keate, Sam (28 May 2020). "To say Douma attack was staged is to enter an Orwellian world". The Times. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  10. ^ a b Webster, Ben (16 April 2018). "Academics accused of speaking for Assad condemn Syria raids". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Assad's Useful Idiots". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  12. ^ "Working Group Response to Smears". Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  13. ^ Goldsmith, Michael Weiss, Jett (20 April 2021). "Syria Chemical Attack Deniers Admit Links to WikiLeaks and Russia". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 20 April 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  14. ^ "How an Email Sting Operation Unearthed a pro-Assad Conspiracy—and Russia's Role In It". Newlines Magazine. 20 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  15. ^ Hadjimatheou, Chloe (26 March 2021). "The UK professor and the fake Russian agent". BBC News. Retrieved 26 March 2021.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ "Sergei Skripal: former Russian spy poisoned with nerve agent, say police". the Guardian. 8 March 2018. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  17. ^ York, Chris (20 February 2021). "Jewish Students 'Intimidated' By Professor's Comments As Williamson Defends 'Free Speech'". HuffPost UK. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  18. ^ York, Chris (28 February 2019). "A UK Thinktank That Examines Propaganda Just Recruited A Pro-Russian Propagandist". Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
  19. ^ Kennedy, Dominic (10 April 2020). "British academics sharing coronavirus conspiracy theories online - News". The Times. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  20. ^ Hammond, Philip. "Syria: Stop asking questions!" OpenDemocracy. 17 April, 2018. (Accessed August 20, 2021).

External links

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