The @times newspaper has renewed its smear campaign, attacking academics researching UK propaganda and the war in Syria @SuellaBraverman @BrandonLewis @michaelgove @Geoffrey_Cox @BWallaceMP @annietrev @PennyMordaunt @BillCashMP @AndrewRosindell @MarcusFysh @DavidDavisMP @MPIainDS 
1) These attacks started the day the UK, US and France bombed Syria following an alleged chemical weapon attack in Douma, Syria in 2018 opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocra…
2) Since then over 20 attack articles aimed at researchers working on Syria have been published by the @huffpost and @times, authored by just two journalists @timeskennedy and @chrisdyork. wsws.org/en/articles/20…
3) These attacks are obvious and crude attempts to smear and discredit researchers working on Syria and UK propaganda operations, in particular their work on the alleged chemical weapon attack in Douma, 2018 medium.com/@caityjohnston… @caitoz
4) The question inevitably arises as to whether this extraordinarily ferocious smear campaign against academics is associated with state-level actors?
5) We have previously reported on the Integrity Initiative, an outsourced programme for covert manipulation of the political sphere, with media operations through clusters of journalists syriapropagandamedia.org/working-papers…
6) @timeskennedy, the lead investigating journalist for the attacks on us, appears in the internal documents as a member of the UK cluster together with his former colleague Deborah Haynes who was working very closely with the Integrity Initiative
7) In the first Times attack @timeskennedy recycled an earlier article making a preposterous attempt to smear the University of Edinburgh, and the city itself, as under Russian influence. This would have been in line with the Integrity Initiative mission thetimes.co.uk/article/to-edi…
8) @timeskennedy repeatedly refused to answer direct questions regarding whether his attack articles were connected with the Integrity initiative as did times editor @johnwitherow.
9) @oliverkamm of the times confirmed that James le Mesurier, the former UK military officer involved with UK operations in Syria, ‘had reached out to the Times’, asking them to keep on the case of the academics syriapropagandamedia.org/james-le-mesur…
10) Up until then we had hardly mentioned le Mesurier, except to reveal in June 2019 that OPCW inspectors had told us that JLM had worked closely with OPCW FFM Team Alpha to select White Helmets as witnesses for their investigations of alleged chemical attacks in Syria
11) Kamm also claims to have the instigated the first Times attack on us in April 2018
12) And when questioned regarding his alleged relationship to a @Wikipedia editing operation craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2018/…, Kamm menacingly tweeted Professor Hayward of the working group @Tim_Hayward_ saying 'This will not end happily for you'
13) It is now well established that the UK government have been running propaganda operations in support of belligerents in Syria, as documented here middleeasteye.net/news/exclusive…
15) Tendor documents seen show contractors undertaking UK media ops were required to co-ordinate with the ‘Cross-Whitehall Syria Comms Team’ (Cabinet Office). This appears to have morphed into the Counter-Daesh Communications Team and eventually controlled by @marksedwill.
16) @marksedwill holds a position of considerable power and the syriapropagandamedia.org will be publishing briefing notes on this in the coming months
17) Whoever is driving the attacks on us, it certainly is the case that research by the syriapropagandamedia.org on the alleged chemical weapon attack in Syria has been vindicated by events including leaks & whistleblowers plus media other than the Times
18) The alleged attack in Douma led to the US, UK and France bombing Syria; 2 cylinders containing chlorine gas had allegedly been dropped killing approx. 50 civilians @2ndnewmoon
19) Even at the time notable figures (former senior UK military) questioned the likelihood of the attack having been carried out by the Syrian government, for example see:-
20) BBC’s @dalatrm claims his research proves the hospital scenes associated with the attack were staged although he has refused to say whether he will hand this information to OPCW investigators @bbclysedoucet @BreesAnna @cerumol
21) 2019 a leaked engineering report detailed how the cylinders used in the alleged attack had been placed by hand, not dropped from a helicopter syriapropagandamedia.org/working-papers…
22) One key issue here concerned the failure to explain how the cylinder at location 4 was able to break through a reinforced concrete roof to then bounce sideways across a room and land up on a bed, which was undamaged
23) Another aspect concerned how the cylinder at location 2, found balanced over a hole in the roof, could ever have caused the damage observed
24) the leaked engineering report made clear that the evidence did not support the idea the cylinders had been dropped from a helicopter syriapropagandamedia.org/working-papers…
25) Interestingly it has been confirmed that loc.2 cylinder was manipulated (rotated by 180 degree so that a dent in the cylinder lined up with a steel bar and tilted so that its nozzle was facing into the hole. This is manipulation of a crime scene.
26) Far more alarming are leaked documents regarding how the approx. 50 civilians died at location 2. Although supposedly killed by chlorine gas leaking from the cylinder on the roof, the first draft interim report suppressed by OPCW management suppressed indicated otherwise.
27) Consultations with 4 NATO chemical warfare toxicologists confirmed that the deceased were not killed by chlorine poisoning at location 2
28) Full factual and accurate details regarding the flaw in the final OPCW report on Douma are detailed in this briefing note:- syriapropagandamedia.org/update-on-the-…
29) And the assessment by Professor Paul McKeigue that the deceased were likely to have been murdered elsewhere is contained in this House of Commons briefing:- timhayward.wordpress.com/2020/02/01/hou…
30) It is not just academics from the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media who have raised questions about Douma, many credible people have raised their concerns.
31) In October 2019 the @couragefoundation convened a panel which included the first Director General of the OPCW, Jose Bustani, along with other eminent individuals. They heard testimony from an OPCW official. couragefound.org/2019/10/opcw-p…
32) An open letter addressed to the OPCW asking that they respond to the concerns of their inspectors who had actually been to Douma. Signatories included Professor Noam Chomsky and whistleblower Katharine Gun. couragefound.org/wp-content/upl…
33) Multiple leaked documents have been published by @wikileaks and journalists such as @clarkemicah have published reports detailing deception by the OPCW wikileaks.org/opcw-douma/#In… @khrafnsson
34) Reports in the Mail On Sunday detail how the OPCW suppressed key information and sidelined inspectors who had been to Douma dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7…
35) Articles also by @Smaurizi in @repubblica and by Robert Fisk in the @independent independent.co.uk/voices/syria-w…
38) @steeljourno described how a US delegation has been allowed by UK diplomat @robertF40396660 to ‘brief’ the Douma inspectors regarding what happened. This was a corruption of OPCW independence and violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention: counterpunch.org/2019/11/15/the…
39) Rather than address the key questions and issues raised, the OPCW has sought to smear two of its most experienced inspectors hitchensblog.mailonsunday.co.uk/2020/02/someon…
40) As @aaronmate and the @thegrayzonenews show, the OPCW Director General made demonstrably false statements including the bogus claim that Ian Henderson was not part of the Fact Finding Mission @maxblumenthal @maxabrahms @joshua_landi
41) Despite these relentless smear campaigns, the truth continues to be told. Professor Paul McKeigue presented to the Harvard Sussex Program on Chemical and Biological Weapons:- drive.google.com/file/d/1qHfo70…
42) OPCW inspector Ian Henderson has presented, via video link, the failures of the OPCW to the UN Security Council
43) And new documents and statements continue to surface and which highlight the ways in which the OPCW has been corrupted by US/France/UK. This message from a senior OPCW official (*not* Douma FFM) reveals a culture of fear and intimidation at the OPCW thegrayzone.com/2020/02/11/new…
44) This whistleblower documents dismay at the actions of OPCW management:- thegrayzone.com/2020/03/12/opc…
45)Smear campaigns against academics and scientists, rather than engaging with the substantive issues raised, is a scandal and shows some are determined to prevent the truth from being known about OPCW and Douma. This simple fact should be clear to anyone observing these events
46) People in government, the media and the OPCW seeking to suppress legitimate questions regarding the Douma investigation are effectively preventing truth and justice for the victims we see here @RealDeeptiC @LenP91535865 @TimesKennedy @marksedwill @OPCW @UK_OPCW
47) Ultimately, witting or unwitting involvement in covering up a warcrime is a serious matter and runs legal jeopardy. The truth will ultimately be told. @RobertF40396660 @braha_seb @samibarrek @opcw @oliverkamm @dalatrm
