SoylentNews

As Notre-Dame Burned, Alt-Right Figures Launched a Campaign on Social Media Falsely Blaming Muslims

posted by janrinok on Wednesday April 17 2019, @12:17PM   
from the even-SN-is-vulnerable dept.

aristarchus writes:

From the insides of Business Insider

As a huge fire took hold of Paris' Notre-Dame Cathedral on Monday evening, alt-right figures were in no time spreading rumours and disinformation on social media linking the blaze to Muslims and hinting at a sinister cover up.

French officials on Monday night were quick to say that arson was unlikely to be the cause of the blaze as it engulfed the roof of the 12th century cathedral, but far-right activists and propagandists were already all over social media channels pushing conspiracies.

Conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec compared the blaze to 9/11, despite no link having made to terrorism by French officials, while alt-right activist Faith Goldy falsely claimed that three days previously "a Muslim jihadis [sic] in Paris was arrested for planning a terrorist attack at Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Funny, there was this little AC scurrying about here on SN yesterday, saying things like this.

• https://soylentnews.org/breakingnews/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=31108&page=1&cid=830165#commentwrap
• https://soylentnews.org/breakingnews/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=31108&page=1&cid=830026#commentwrap

...but well countered here, also by an AC:

• https://soylentnews.org/breakingnews/comments.pl?noupdate=1&sid=31108&page=2&cid=830205#commentwrap

See Also:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/apr/16/notre-dame-fire-investigators-seek-cause-of-cathedral-blaze-paris

Police have begun questioning workers who were carrying out renovations at the cathedral. The Paris prosecutor's office has opened an inquiry into "involuntary destruction by fire", indicating they believe the cause of the blaze was accidental rather than criminal.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/notre-dame-fire-cause-everything-know-cathedral-paris/

The Paris prosecutor's office said it was treating the fire as an accident, ruling out arson and possible terror-related motives, at least for now.

---

Original Submission

• average of three churches are attacked every day average of three churches are attacked every day (Score: 4, Informative) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 17 2019, @02:52PM (2 children)

  by Runaway1956 (2926) on Wednesday April 17 2019, @02:52PM (#831057) Journal

  France: An average of three churches are attacked every day

  https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/04/france-an-average-of-three-churches-are-attacked-every-day [jihadwatch.org]

  Apr 1, 2019 3:00 pm By Robert Spencer

  Let’s see. What has changed about France in the last few years that could account for this? Could it be the introduction of a massive population of people who believe that Christians are among “the most vile of created beings” (Qur’an 98:6)? Or would that be “Islamophobic” even to consider?

  “Macron’s France: Average of Three Church Attacks Per Day,” by Chris Tomlinson, Breitbart, March 30, 2019 (thanks to Robert):

          French churches are coming increasingly under attack with an average of nearly three churches per day targetted for vandalism alone over the past three years.

          A report from the Central Criminal Intelligence Service (SCRC) of the gendarmerie noted that from 2016 to 2018 there had been thousands of cases of church vandalism, peaking in 2017 with 1,045 cases, Le Figaro reports.

          According to the French Ministry of the Interior, when cemeteries and other sites are taken into consideration, the number of acts of vandalism rose to 1,063 in 2018.

          Earlier this year, in one week alone France saw twelve churches vandalised, including attackers attempting to set fire to the church of Saint-Sulpice in Paris.

          In Nimes, an even more heinous attack occurred, with vandals smearing faeces on the wall of the church of Notre-Dame des Enfants and stealing objects from the altar.

          In March, the over 800-year-old Basilica of Saint-Denis in the now heavily migrant-populated suburbs of Paris was also vandalised, with the basilica’s organ being heavily damaged and stained glass windows were broken….

  Again, I'm not saying Muslims did it. But, anyone who concludes that Muslims are NOT doing it, has their head so far up their ass they can watch their own hearts beating.

  Starting Score:	1		point
  Moderation		+3
  Flamebait=1, Troll=1, Insightful=2, Interesting=1, Informative=3, Overrated=1, Total=9
  Extra 'Informative' Modifier		0
  Total Score:		4

• Re:average of three churches are attacked every da (Score: 1, Troll) by Alfred on Wednesday April 17 2019, @09:52PM

  by Alfred (4006) on Wednesday April 17 2019, @09:52PM (#831335) Journal

  And radical muslims have this lack of respect for anything different from themselves to justify all these actions too. Burning Notre Dame is just the continued extrapolation of the pattern. France is lost to the invasion of barbarians who of course have no use of culture or bathing.

  Parent

• Re:average of three churches are attacked every da (Score: 2) by Codesmith on Thursday April 18 2019, @12:51PM

  by Codesmith (5811) on Thursday April 18 2019, @12:51PM (#831597)

  You keep faffing about with this. There are lots of people with a bone to pick with both the French government and specifically the Catholic church. Occam would suggest that if the fire started where the contruction was ongoing it would be the result of construction activities.

  I guess I don't understand what your motivation is here: Is it a 'Moslems are bad', or is it more general dislike of folks out of your cultural footprint? You've been around here too long to be an alt-right agitator or mole so I'm not following why you're re-iterating their speaking points. I believe you're a veteran, so I trust you have better understanding of how extreme ideologies can be used to manipulate groupthink.

  In light of the article, I think it would be a good time for Soylentils (and others!) to see what we can to have an intelligent, robust and capable discussion forum. Time to open a side-channel discussion about moderation, freedom of speech and good conduct, perhaps?

  --
  Pro utilitate hominum.

  Parent