T
his category is used to describe content that
is genuine but has been reframed in dangerous
ways. One of the most powerful examples of this
technique was posted shortly after an Islamist-related
terror attack on Westminster Bridge in London in 2017.
A car mounted the kerb and drove the length of the
bridge, injuring 50 people and killing four, before
crashing into the gates of the Houses of Parliament.
One tweet (opposite) was circulated widely in the
aftermath. This is a genuine image. Not fake. It was
shared widely, using an Islamophobic framing with
a number of hashtags including #banislam.
The woman in the photograph was interviewed
afterwards and explained she was traumatised, on
the phone to a loved one and, out of respect, not
looking at the victim. We now know that this account,
Texas LoneStar, was part of a Russian disinformation
campaign, one that has since been shut down.
An account associated with a Russian
disinformation campaign implies that the
Muslim woman depicted was indifferent to
the victim of an attack, depicted to her right.
In reality, she was not looking at the victim
out of respect. The account has been deleted
but is reported in the Guardian. Archived
September 6 2019.13
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