Thread by @benimmo

THREAD: State voices in China, Iran & Russia are posting on the US protests to support their own narratives.

It’s primarily about discrediting the US abroad.

No evidence of IRA-style covert, divisive activity at this stage.

@Graphika_NYC

graphika.com/posts/briefing…

Take China. Even before George Floyd was killed, Chinese state editorials accused the US of “hypocrisy” for criticizing China’s crackdown law on Hong Kong.

“Not even the US would sit idle should one of its cities be threatened by such mob violence.”

global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202005/27/WS…

Chinese officials and media latched onto the images of violence in America to compare the US protests with the Hong Kong ones.

Here’s the deputy foreign minister, @zlj517, retweeting typical posts.

There’s a troll-like tone to this messaging, but the key thing is the way it’s being used: direct pushback against American criticism of China’s treatment of Hong Kong.

China’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, @SpokesperonCHN, to her US counterpart, @Statedeptspox.

Here’s the Global Times, speculating on how the international community should respond.

globaltimes.cn/content/119010…

Same with Iran. Here’s the deputy foreign minister, @JZarif, editing a statement by @SecPompeo on protests in Iran.

https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1266782297887514624

But Iran has other concerns too, notably the sanctions. In March, Iranian officials argued that the sanctions should be lifted because of coronavirus.

Now here’s the same minister likening them to a knee on the neck.

https://twitter.com/JZarif/status/1267477570053906432

Some of the content is personalized against President Trump.

Here’s a cartoon from IUVM Pixel, part of the IUVM network of Iranian propaganda sites.

For more on IUVM, see medium.com/dfrlab/trolltr…

As with China, the main Iranian message isn’t about stirring divisions in America: it’s about seizing the opportunity to fit them into existing narratives, and to discredit the US internationally.