Thread by @raam_beart

(1) Welcome to the WTF Epoch Times Hate-spreading Propaganda as "News" Series:

HK commentator Chris Wat on the history of The Epoch Times (大紀元) in Hong Kong & Canada- US-based Epoch Times has been distributed in HK streets for free for 18 years, but

speakout.hk/%E6%B8%AF%E4%B…

(2) that changed in April 2019, when it began to be sold for HK$8 at 7-11 stores & newsstands - HK in general respects media freedom under our "One Country Two Systems" Model (what's censored in China can mostly be published/shared in HK) & Epoch Times hk.epochtimes.com/news/2019-03-2…

(3) took advantage of it to spread anti-China propaganda, masqueraded as "news" - that's why Falun Gong, which has been banned as a cult in China since 1999, has been able to operate in HK freely for decades, & has been able to distribute its Epoch Times in HK streets & newsstand

(4) the cult even happily announced that HK's anti-govt District Councilor Ho Kai-ming 何啟明 admired the cult, conducting an event beside a Falun Gong stand last July (en.minghui.org/html/articles/…) - another HK District Councilor Howard Lee Hon Ting 利瀚庭

(5) was quoted as saying that the cult's followers have “already become a model for HK society” - when in reality most HK people have tolerated their existence in the streets under 1C2S - & Lee called for EU/US sanctions against China to protect the cult

(6) the cult has been putting up display boards, building propaganda stations, setting up performance platforms, sending free newspapers & holding large parades in HK for decades - HK's Food & Environmental Hygiene Dept has never stopped them for 22 years, & the Information

(7) Services Department even allowed their fake "reporters" to attend govt press conferences - the inaction of the HK Govt has allowed the hate-mongering propaganda machine of the cult to be present in HK for decades - now switch to Canada....

(8) Recently Ramiro Sepulveda, a postman of Canada Post, was suspended from work for refusing to deliver the Epoch Times on his route in Regina, Saskatchewan (this was reported by local Canadian media but so much by the HK media)
leaderpost.com/news/local-new…

(9) the Canadian postal worker refused to deliver what he felt were harmful flyers: “I saw the headlines & I thought, wow, that’s ridiculous... I took a stand.. It struck me, this is damaging. This can cause a lot of hate, this can cause and incite a lot of anger”

(10) Facebook banned Epoch Times from advertising on it in 2019, though it still has FB pages - yet Canada Post suspended Sepulveda for 3 days without pay - as a Canadian child of Chilean immigrants, he said: “I’ve been dealing with this s–t for 40 years”

cbc.ca/news/canada/ep…

(11) Many of Sepulveda’s colleagues who are refugees or are Chinese felt uncomfortable with the Epoch Times flyers. Since then, he’s received lots of hate mail: “Go back to your own country, we don’t want you here, shut up & do your job, trying to make up insults in Spanish"

(12) Another Regina mail carrier, Linying Su, also refused to deliver the Epoch Times out of concern that its coverage of the Chinese Govt & Covid-19 could add to anti-Asian sentiment - & you guess right, she was also suspended for this

cbc.ca/news/canada/ep…

(13) interesting that state-operated Canada Post endorses the distribution of hate publications & punishes postal workers who are immigrants & ethnic minorities - likewise, Epoch Times, which is now Trump's favourite media after his fallout with Fox News,
vice.com/en/article/g5b…

(14) is now "spreading lies by the truckload" in the US, effectively spreading physical copies of pro-Trump propaganda with headlines such as “thieves who stole our election got sloppy” at rallies with thousands of maskless supporters - the paper is also being delivered by hand

(15) to people’s mailboxes across the US - today, the Epoch Times is a sprawling network of affiliates that publish & broadcast in over 20 languages across the globe, which is doubling down on its pro-Trump stance & flaunting of support from Pompeo - both are likely to re-emerge

(16) as presidential candidates- NTD America, an affiliate of Epoch Times, broadcast Trump supporters calling for “civil war” to save the US from “satanic” & “communist” Democrats who are stealing the election - so, watch this space, & watch out for copies in your mailbox🤮

(17) the question is - will the world sit & watch & let something as sinister as this hate-filled propaganda machine attempts to incite a civil war in order to propel Trump back to the White House or even Pompeo & then start WWIII

(18) The formidable @NathanRichHGDW
has done a great UT video explaining the far-right Falun Gong network (including Epoch Times)

(19) The formidable @NathanRichHGDW has also created & published a highly detailed map tracking the far-right Falun Gong network (including Epoch Times, & online influencers) at this link -

coggle.it/diagram/X09pMM…

Should be 'flaunting support', not 'flaunting of support'

Should be 'let... attempt to', not 'let.. attempts to'

(20) In 2008, Falun Gong even celebrated the deaths of the victims of the Sichuan earthquake with a parade in NYC - video link courtesy of @MaoTzeTung8

(21) how Falun Gong started its cult activities by organizing seemingly innocent tai chi classes in the US

https://twitter.com/MaoTzeTung8/status/1365716554365730818?s=19

(21) how Falun Gong recruits members by teaching new migrants from China to commit immigration fraud in the US, courtesy of @wanAnd0nly

https://twitter.com/wanAnd0nly/status/1361653644182044674?s=19

(22) How The Epoch Times Created a Giant Influence Machine

Since 2016, the Falun Gong-backed newspaper has used aggressive Facebook tactics & right-wing misinformation to create an anti-China, pro-Trump media empire (thanks to @Raimundos1965 for the link)
nytimes.com/2020/10/24/tec…

(23) China Uncensored on YouTube is Falun Gong (Cult) by @NathanRichHGDW - thanks to @MaoTzeTung8 for the link

(24) This quora answer provides background on the origin of the evil cult, Falun Gong - thanks to @whynosignal for link

quora.com/How-come-China…