There is a truly vile disinformation campaign emerging from the right . . . [View all]
Over the weekend, I saw a truly vile disinformation campaign emanating from the right. Initially, it appeared to be aimed primarily at New York's Mayor Mamdani, accusing him of "siding with" or "rooting for" the Ayatollah, following a Tweet Mamdani posted that was critical of Trump's action in Iran. Perhaps the most despicable example is a "headline" from Babylon Bee (itself a fake news site, by admission of its own tagline, "It was in response to Mamdani's Tweet, which reads: "Fake news you can trust, delivered straight to your inbox!" The "headline" reads, "Mamdani Orders Flags At One World Trade Center Flown Half-Staff To Mourn Ayatollah," and shows an image of the World Trade Center tower with an enormous flag atop it flying at half mast. I have since seen variations of it aimed at anyone who is critical of Trump's action.
This did not happen, and nothing Mamdani Tweeted suggested in any way that he "sides with," is "rooting for," or in any way supports the Ayatollah! For the record, here is what Mamdani Tweeted:
"I am focused on making sure that every New Yorker is safe. I have been in contact with our Police Commissioner and emergency management officials. We are taking proactive steps, including increasing coordination across agencies and enhancing patrols of sensitive locations out of an abundance of caution.
"Additionally, I want to speak directly to Iranian New Yorkers: you are part of the fabric of this city – you are our neighbors, small business owners, students, artists, workers, and community leaders. You will be safe here."
This is EXACTLY the the shit pulled by Bush supporters towards anyone who dared to criticize the invasion of Iraq! I would urge everyone to call it out as such at any time and in any place you see it!
= new reply since forum marked as read