Thread by @SFFakeNews

1/ @Channel4News last night revealed that Leave.EU, led by Aaron Banks, faked videos in the EU referendum campaign to stoke fear of migrants. Six months later, Banks founded the fake news website, Westmonster. #SFFN

https://twitter.com/Channel4News/status/1118200939670900737

2/ Since the referendum, Westmonster has continued to push these narratives - that large numbers of migrants are crossing the Channel into Britain & migrant violence on Britain’s streets #SFFN

3/ Westmonster is funded by major brands who advertise on the site. We can do something about this by informing brands that they’re appearing on & therefore funding Westmonster, and how to stop. #SFFN

https://twitter.com/SFFakeNews/status/1106541141296627712

4/ No one should be surprised by these latest revelations. During & since the referendum campaign, Banks’ Leave.EU stoked fear of migrants, Islamophobia & antisemitism. It also regularly promotes Westmonster stories which do the same. #SFFN

5/ Since the referendum, Leave.EU has been fined for breaching electoral law, while Banks was personally referred to the National Crime Agency for investigation. #SFFN

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politi…

6/ Banks originally claimed he had only met “the Russians” once in the run-up to the Brexit vote. After documents were uncovered by @carolecadwalla, he changed his story to “2 or 3” & finally told @nytimes he’d met the Russian ambassador 4 times. #SFFN

nytimes.com/2018/06/29/wor…

7/ Banks is on the record as putting the Leave campaign's success down to the idea that “facts don’t work.” This is kind of toxic post-truth politics that Banks' mate Donald Trump is also a fan of. #SFFN

8/ Hi @LSEnews, surely supporting a fear-mongering fake news website founded by Aaron Banks goes against your founding principles? You may not have known your ads appear on this site, but will you please remove them now you do? Thanks! #SFFN