Jump to content

Gonzalo Lira

Extended-protected article
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AnomieBOT (talk | contribs) at 15:25, 20 January 2024 (Dating maintenance tags: {{Dubious}} {{Who}} {{Bsn}} {{Cn}}). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lira and the second or maternal family name is López.
Gonzalo Lira
Born
Gonzalo Ángel Quintilio Lira López[1][better source needed]

(1968-02-29)February 29, 1968
Burbank, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 12, 2024(2024-01-12) (aged 55)
Ukraine
Nationality
Alma materDartmouth College[2]
Occupations
  • Novelist
  • Film director
  • Life advice blogger
  • YouTuber

Gonzalo Ángel Quintilio Lira López ([ɣonˈsalo ˈaŋɣel kinˈtiljo lira ˈlopes], February 29, 1968 – January 12, 2024) was a Chilean-American novelist,[3] filmmaker,[4] commentator,[5] YouTuber and life coach[dubious – discuss] blogger. He was involved in the manosphere,[6] posting anti-feminist content under the name of Coach Red Pill. As a resident of Kharkiv, Ukraine, he vlogged about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and was described as spreading Russian disinformation and propaganda.[7][8]

In April 2022, Lira briefly disappeared and claimed to have been detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).[9][10] In May 2023 Lira was arrested and charged with producing and publishing material that attempted to justify the ongoing Russian invasion, which is illegal under Ukrainian law.[11][12][13] Lira was released on bail, but attempted to flee the country. He was arrested again for violating his bail conditions, dying of pneumonia in custody on January 12, 2024.[14]

Early life

Lira was born to Chilean parents in Burbank, California,[3] and grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Santiago, Chile, among other places.[15] He graduated from Saint George's College, Santiago in 1985.[15] From 1985 until 1991, he worked as an English teacher and traveled in South America.[15] He entered Dartmouth College in 1991, graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in history and philosophy.[2][15]

Career

Lira filming Catalina's Kidnapping in 2006

After graduating, Lira moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a screenwriter. Unsuccessful, he turned to writing novels.[15] In October 1996, Lira received a $1 million advance from G. P. Putnam's Sons for his first book, a commercial thriller entitled Counterparts, and a second novel to follow.[16] The unsolicited manuscript for Counterparts had been pulled from a slush pile by a literary agent and forwarded to editors at Putnam.[17]

Released in January 1998, Counterparts follows the exploits of a fierce female Federal Bureau of Investigation agent and her "counterpart", an ambitious Central Intelligence Agency operative.[18][better source needed] In the San Francisco Examiner, critic Patricia Holt identified it as following a trend in mainstream commercial publishing of replacing what would conventionally be a male character with a female.[19] For Newsday, Jane Goldman wrote that it was "far-fetched and heartless... as arrogant and clever as its hero".[20][better source needed] Ann Helmuth of the Orlando Sentinel panned the book.[21]

Prior to Counterparts, Lira had been working on a Spanish-language novel. He completed it in 1991 but the manuscript was initially rejected by publishers. Only after news of his publishing deal in the U.S. broke was he able to secure a Chilean publisher for the work. The coming-of-age novel, Tomáh Errázurih, was published by Grijalbo/Mondadori in 1997.[2][22]

In 1998, after moving to New York City, he wrote, produced, and directed a short comedy film, So Kinky.[15] He published a second English-language book, another commercial thriller titled Acrobat, in 2002, the movie rights to which were bought by Miramax.[23][24] In 2005, he filmed Secuestro in Chile, which came in second in the box office in Chile following its opening weekend.[25][26]

From 2010 to 2013, Lira published his thoughts on economics and other subjects on his blog, some of which were reposted by Business Insider,[4][27] though a majority of his articles have since been removed.[28] He also contributed to Zero Hedge, a far-right, sensationalist financial and geopolitics website.[29] During this period, Lira contacted Australian economist Steve Keen, proposing a collaborative project and suggesting that they start a paid subscription website. According to Keen, Gonzalo "overstated and over-promised what he could do".[7]

From 2017 onward, Lira was active on YouTube under the pseudonym Coach Red Pill (CRP). This name is an allusion to Red Pill and Black Pill symbolism in the manosphere community. The content was misogynistic[8] and anti-feminist in nature, appealing to incels. [30] Lira posted videos with advice such as "never date a woman in her thirties" and argued that all women only want money, a house, and kids, as child-rearing is the one thing that will biologically validate them.[7] In one video, he advised viewers living in Western democracies to move to "a poor, underdeveloped country" due to the former's "totalitarian" deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.[31] He published over 500 videos, gaining 324,000 subscribers and around 2 million views.[32] In November 2021, Lira deleted most of his CRP content and began posting under his legal name.[26]

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Lira shifted the majority of his commentary to the war. Lira's content was heavily pro-Russian, praising Russian military actions and denying Russian attacks on civilians, as well as doxxing Western journalists.[29][33][34][35] His content, which has been classified as Russian propaganda and disinformation,[8][36][37] was praised by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.[38][39]

Lira lived in Kharkiv, and married a Ukrainian woman with whom he had two children, though the pair later separated.[7][40]

Arrest and prosecution

On April 15, 2022, Lira was noted to have lost contact with relatives,[who?] after which Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs began searching for his whereabouts.[9][41][42] Lira resurfaced on April 22, 2022, alleging that he had been detained by the SBU for the period he was missing.[10][38]

On May 1, 2023, Lira was arrested for violating Article 463-2 of Ukraine's criminal code, which prohibits justification of Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.[11][43] The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security noted Lira had also shared pro-Russian disinformation such as claiming the Bucha Massacre was faked, that the Ukrainian government was a Neo-Nazi regime, and noted that Lira had shared video of himself insulting Ukrainian soldiers.[12] His arrest was reported by the SBU on May 5.[44][45] Lira was subsequently released on bail and placed under house arrest.[39] He returned to social media to claim to have been tortured while imprisoned, an allegation denied by the SBU.[39] Lira attempted to flee the country by crossing the Hungarian border on July 31 to claim political asylum, but was captured and arrested again for violating his bail conditions.[29][46]

In December 2023, Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), publicly inquired about Lira on his platform, in response to a post by media personality Tucker Carlson calling Lira a political prisoner.[47][48][49] The SBU responded that Lira had been detained in accordance with the law.[43] In a Business Insider interview that month, Ukrainian military spokeswoman Sarah Ashton-Cirillo asserted that Lira had fabricated his torture accusations.[48]

Death

On January 12, 2024, Gonzalo Lira Sr., Lira's father, reported that his son had died in a Ukrainian prison at the age of 55.[citation needed] This was confirmed by the United States Department of State[50] and Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[51] Lira died of pneumonia; his father blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden for causing his son's death.[52][53][14] Cathy Young of The Bulwark criticized anti-Ukraine commentators for spreading misinformation about Lira and exploiting his death, while also issuing a call for transparency.[54]

Filmography

  • So Kinky (1998) — writer, director.
  • Secuestro (2005) aka Catalina's Kidnapping — co-writer, co-producer, director.

Publications

  • Lira, Gonzalo (1997). Tomáh Errázurih (1 ed.). Santiago de Chile: Mondadori. ISBN 956-258-057-1. OCLC 38081261.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  • Lira, Gonzalo (1998). Counterparts. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-399-14312-2. OCLC 37300650.
  • Lira, Gonzalo (2002). Acrobat (1 ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-28694-5. OCLC 48515857.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)

See also

References

  1. ^ "LIRA LOPEZ GONZALO ANGEL QUINTILIO". Genealog. Archived from the original on 17 July 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Baden, Denise (December 10, 1996). "El hombre del million de dolares" [The million dollar man]. El Mercurio. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  3. ^ a b Gomez Bravo, Andres (2002-07-12). "Gonzalo Lira: "Escribir no es ningún misterio"" [Gonzalo Lira: "Writing is no mystery"]. La Tercera. p. 45. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  4. ^ a b Leonard, Andrew (2010-09-28). "The Dumbest Attack on Paul Krugman, Ever". Salon. Archived from the original on 2022-05-08. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  5. ^ Thompson, Stuart (2022-10-25). "Russia's unsupported 'dirty bomb' claims reverberate in right-wing U.S. communities". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-10-25.
  6. ^ Fogel, Benjamin (2023-03-10). "Andrew Tate Wants Everyone to Get in on the Grift". Jacobin. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  7. ^ a b c d Hay, Mark (2022-03-21). "How a Sleazy American Dating Coach Became a Pro-Putin Shill in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  8. ^ a b c Zadrozny, Brandy (June 8, 2022). "Russian Propaganda Efforts Aided by pro-Kremlin Content Creators, Research Finds". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Pérez, Graciela (2022-04-19). "Periodista chileno está desaparecido en Ucrania: Cancillería informó que se "mantiene en contacto con las entidades pertinentes"" [Chilean journalist is missing in Ukraine: Foreign Ministry reported that it “maintains contact with the relevant entities”]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  10. ^ a b "Missing Chilean vlogger turns up after being held in Ukraine". Cyprus Mail. 22 April 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-04-24. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  11. ^ a b Rosen, Evan (2023-05-06). "Misogynist dating coach Gonzalo Lira, aka Coach Red Pill, arrested in Ukraine for Russian propaganda". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  12. ^ a b "Що не так з проросійським блогером Гонсало Лірою, за якого вступились Карлсон і Маск" [What is wrong with the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira, for whom Carlson and Musk intervened]. Ukrinform. 11 December 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  13. ^ Davis, Julia (2023-05-05). "'Red Pill' Dating Coach Gonzalo Lira, Accused of Shilling for Putin, Is Arrested in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
  14. ^ a b Butt, Maira (2024-01-18). "American dating coach turned Kremlin propagandist dies in Ukraine". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ a b c d e f Reisman, Rosemary M. Canfield (January 2007). "Gonzalo Lira". Guide to Literary Masters & Their Works. Salem Press. Retrieved 2024-01-16 – via Literary Reference Center Plus, EBSCOhost.
  16. ^ Smith, Stephen (30 November 1996). "Recalls, Slush Piles and Opening ... Rites". The Globe and Mail. ProQuest 384894544. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  17. ^ Colford, Paul D. (17 October 1996). "Two for the Books: Novice Success Stories". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 293396364. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  18. ^ Counterparts by Gonzalo Lira. Kirkus Reviews. 1997-11-15.
  19. ^ Holt, Patricia (11 January 1998). "Some Tough Gals Are Tough to Buy". San Francisco Examiner. pp. 2, 11. ProQuest 411276576.
  20. ^ Goldman, Jane (8 February 1998). "New Talents Outwrite Old Favorites". Newsday. ProQuest 279085704.
  21. ^ Hellmouth, Ann (1998-02-01). "Odd couples pursue killers through twists and turns". The Orlando Sentinel. pp. F9. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  22. ^ Gómez, Andrés (1997-07-06). ""A muchos críticos chilenos les va a cargar mi éxito"" ["Many Chilean critics are going to be bothered by my success"]. La Tercera. pp. 56–57.
  23. ^ Anderson, Patrick (5 May 2002). "An Unstable Ex-mercenary, a CIA Mod Squad, an Unenlightened JAG Lawyer and Assorted Baddies". The Washington Post. ProQuest 409324723. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  24. ^ Rose, M.J. (2002-01-08). "Preview Copies Go Digital". WIRED. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  25. ^ Tepernam, Johnny (April 27, 2005). "Tras su primer fin de semana de exhibicion cinta chilena 'Secuestro' se ubico segunda en la taquilla" [After its first weekend of release, the Chilean film 'Secuestro' ranked second at the box office]. United Press International (in Spanish) (published 2005-04-26). Archived from the original on 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-11 – via gale.com.
  26. ^ a b Fossa, Lissette (2022-04-20). "Qué se sabe de Gonzalo Lira y su misteriosa desaparición en Ucrania" [What is known about Gonzalo Lira and his mysterious disappearance in Ukraine]. INTERFERENCIA (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  27. ^ "Business Insider articles written by Lira". Business Insider. 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-04-23. Retrieved 2022-04-23.
  28. ^ "Pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira allegedly dies in Ukrainian detention center". The New Voice of Ukraine. 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  29. ^ a b c Bowden, John (2023-12-12). "Meet the 'Putin propagandist' Tucker and Elon Musk want freed in Ukraine". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  30. ^ Alday, John (2022-04-18). "Todo sobre Gonzalo Lira, el chileno del que se perdió contacto en Ucrania". Mala Espina (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  31. ^ Codrea, David (2022-03-18). "Conservative Sympathy for Russia in Ukraine War an Exercise in Cognitive Dissonance". Firearms News. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-05-09. a past contributor to the popular "conservative" website Zero Hedge
  32. ^ "Social Blade statistics for Coach Red Pill YouTube channel". Social Blade. 2022-04-24. Archived from the original on 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  33. ^ "Gonzalo Lira Court Documents - Ukraine". Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office & Kiev District Court of Kharkiv.
  34. ^ "Robberies, rapes happening in Ukraine after govt armed civilians to fight Russians: YouTuber". The Week. 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  35. ^ Kurianowicz, Tomasz (2023-12-10). "Amerikanischer Blogger in ukrainischer Haft: Elon Musk reagiert" [American blogger in Ukrainian custody: Elon Musk reacts]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  36. ^ Romero-Vicente, Ana (2022-09-22). "The 3F formula of disinformation entrepreneurs: make it Fast, Fake and Famous. Part 1". EU DisinfoLab. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  37. ^ "Фейк от «американского писателя» в Киеве: «Россия никого не убивает!»" [Fake from an “American writer” in Kyiv: “Russia doesn’t kill anyone!”]. StopFake. 2022-03-01. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  38. ^ a b Young, Cathy (2022-04-29). "The Redpill Grifter Who Became an Anti-Ukraine Propagandist". The Bulwark. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  39. ^ a b c Shashkova, Maryna (2023-12-13). "EXPLAINED: Why Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk are Big Fans of Gonzalo Lira". Get the Latest Ukraine News Today - KyivPost. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  40. ^ Sideris, Felicia (2023-12-12). "Ukraine : un Américain est-il réellement emprisonné depuis cinq ans "pour avoir critiqué Zelensky"?" [Ukraine: has an American really been imprisoned for five years "for criticizing Zelensky"?]. TF1 INFO (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  41. ^ Núñez, Vladimir (2022-04-18). "Chileno que informaba sobre la guerra en Ucrania está desaparecido: esto escribió en caso de quedar inubicable" [Chilean who reported on the war in Ukraine is missing: this is what he wrote in case he became untraceable]. Meganoticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  42. ^ "Cancillería: Familiares de chileno en Ucrania no tienen noticias de él desde el 15 de abril" [Foreign Ministry: Relatives of Chilean in Ukraine have not heard from him since April 15]. CNN Chile (in Spanish). 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  43. ^ a b Shcherbak, Alla (2023-12-10). "SBU responds to Musk's comments on arrest of pro-Russian blogger Lira". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  44. ^ Borysenko, Ivan (2023-05-05). "Pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira detained in Kharkiv". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  45. ^ "Ucrania confirma arresto de chileno Gonzalo Lira por justificar invasión rusa" [Ukraine confirms arrest of Chilean Gonzalo Lira for justifying Russian invasion]. Swissinfo (EFE) (in Spanish). 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  46. ^ Miasyshchev, Oleksandr; Skibitska, Yuliana (15 December 2023). "Elon Musk asks Biden to save "American journalist" Gonzalo Lira, who was detained by the SBU. In fact, he is a pro-Russian propagandist, sexist, conspiracy theorist and favorite of Maria Zakharova'". babel.ua. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  47. ^ Shcherbak, Alla (2023-12-10). "Musk seeks explanation from Zelenskyy over pro-Russian blogger detention". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  48. ^ a b Shoaib, Alia (2023-12-17). "Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk have rallied behind an American 'red pill' dating coach turned Russian propagandist detained in Ukraine". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  49. ^ "Who is Gonzalo Lira? US citizen claimed to be under Ukrainian 'captivity'". The Times of India. 2023-12-10. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  50. ^ Quinn, Allison (2024-01-17). "U.S. Finally Confirms American Dating Coach-Turned-Kremlin Shill Died in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  51. ^ Gómez S., Rodrigo (13 January 2024). "Cancillería confirma la muerte de periodista chileno Gonzalo Lira, quien estuvo preso en Ucrania" [Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  52. ^ "Denuncian la muerte del periodista chileno-estadounidense Gonzalo Lira en Ucrania" [Denoucement of the death of Chilean-American journalist Gonzalo Lira in Ukraine] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  53. ^ Rubio, Paz (2024-01-13). "Quién era Gonzalo Lira, el reportero chileno-estadounidense que falleció tras ser arrestado en Ucrania" [Who was Gonzalo Lira, the Chilean-American reporter who died after being arrested in Ukraine]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  54. ^ Young, Cathy (2024-01-16). "Anti-Ukraine Chorus Seeks to Exploit an American's Death". plus.thebulwark.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gonzalo Lira.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gonzalo_Lira&oldid=1197450723"