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.
...but well countered here, also by an AC:
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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.
(Score: 2) by quietus on Thursday April 18 2019, @09:18AM (1 child)
My apologies, janrinok, for that bit curt reply.
While I'd seen a short breaking news flash on Monday, it was only on Wednesday morning that I came to checking out the news report. It hit me with surprising emotionality -- like standing in delay with the silent crowd of spectators, tears in my eyes.
Then I came to moderating on soylent. If you've taken the time to read at 0, you might understand that I didn't feel overly joyous after that -- yours was still a reasonable post, worth replying to; so I did, but a bit in abrasive mode I'm afraid.
(Score: 3, Informative) by janrinok on Thursday April 18 2019, @09:39AM
You have nothing to apologise for - if friends cannot have a discussion without taking offence then it is a very sad world indeed.
I had missed those details and I am glad that you pointed them out to me.