How online trolls associated Syrian White Helmets with ISIS

[Underseer]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/syria-white-helmets-conspiracy-theories

I've seen conservatives and even a few liberals accept this without question.

The White Helmets are just Syrian volunteers who pull people from the rubble when civilian buildings get shelled. Unfortunately, they also have a habit of documenting war crimes, such as a chemical weapon attack, which is politically inconvenient for the Syrian government.

Since the Russian government is aligned with the Syrian government, Russian internet trolls have been pushing the conspiracy theory that the White Helmets are part of ISIS. The Russian trolls are often successful because there are a lot of gullible, conspiracy-minded idiots on the internet.

 

[RavenSky]

“This is the heart of Russian propaganda. In the old days they would try and portray the Soviet Union as a model society. Now it’s about confusing every issue with so many narratives that people can’t recognise the truth when they see it,” said David Patrikarakos, author of War in 140 Characters: How Social Media is Reshaping Conflict in the 21st Century.

good (and scary) comment

The alt-right site Infowars repeated the conspiracy theory, describing the attack as staged by the White Helmets, who were described as an “al-Qaida affiliated group funded by George Soros”. The White Helmets have never received funding from George Soros or any of his foundations.

my goodness, George Soros has his fingers everywhere, doesn't he?

 

[Underseer]

“This is the heart of Russian propaganda. In the old days they would try and portray the Soviet Union as a model society. Now it’s about confusing every issue with so many narratives that people can’t recognise the truth when they see it,” said David Patrikarakos, author of War in 140 Characters: How Social Media is Reshaping Conflict in the 21st Century.

good (and scary) comment

The alt-right site Infowars repeated the conspiracy theory, describing the attack as staged by the White Helmets, who were described as an “al-Qaida affiliated group funded by George Soros”. The White Helmets have never received funding from George Soros or any of his foundations.

my goodness, George Soros has his fingers everywhere, doesn't he?

Everything is a George Soros conspiracy. Surely you've talked to conservolibertarians before?