Thread by @P_Kallioniemi

In today’s Vatnik Soup, I’ll cover the agenda-setting and flood of disinformation that spread on X and other platforms right after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. It’s far from the first or last time a tragedy has been weaponized for political purposes.

1/18

Every major political event, especially those involving violence, attracts massive attention. In the immediate aftermath, reliable information is scarce, making it highly vulnerable to both coordinated and improvised disinformation campaigns.

2/18

As I’ve mentioned in my previous soups and lectures, in disinformation campaigns, being first with a narrative is crucial, as people often remember the first version best — psychology studies show it sets the mental schema, and later updates rarely overwrite it.

3/18

The Kremlin knows this very well, which is why they aggressively pushed their own false versions of events like the MH17 downing, the Nord Stream pipeline sabotage, or the Skripal poisonings — they came up with over 20 different stories about what had happened for this one.

4/18

After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, MAGA-aligned accounts rushed to blame political opponents. Among the provocateurs were Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and Donald Trump, president of a waning yet still dominant superpower.

5/18

The President of the United States also swiftly blamed rhetoric from the “radical left” for inciting political violence, implying that it was such discourse that had created the conditions that led to Charlie Kirk’s assassination.

6/18

Elon Musk tweeted, “The left is the party of murder,” @realmattforney called it an “American Reichstag fire” (after which Adolf Hitler persecuted German communists), and @LauraLoomer urged shutting down, defunding, and prosecuting “every single Leftist organization.”

7/18

One of the main narratives was a call for civil war — major MAGA-aligned accounts like @libsoftiktok, Gunther Eagleman (recently souped), and even Elon Musk echoed this, with their posts amplified by X’s bot and troll networks:

8/18

https://x.com/Havoc_Six/status/1965867068223566069

Another target was the Democratic Party, with accounts like @JoeyMannarinoUS (our favorite “Black woman”), @Anc_Aesthetics, and @seanmdav calling to label it a “terrorist organization,” while many others demanded the party be shut down entirely.

9/18

It’s worth noting that these claims came before any evidence at all about the shooter emerged. This is a textbook example of agenda-setting 101, showing how MAGA Republicans have borrowed a strategy from the Kremlin’s authoritarian playbook.

10/18

The killing has already sparked several conspiracy theories from both ends of the political spectrum. As usual, @shayan86 has been actively debunking these, and I highly recommend giving him a follow. I’ll also go through the main narratives below.

11/18

The most widespread anti-MAGA narrative claims Donald Trump may have ordered Charlie Kirk’s assassination to distract from the Epstein files and spark civil unrest, allowing him to declare martial law and delay the upcoming midterm elections.

12/18

Anti-American communist propagandist @jacksonhinklle claimed the assassination may have been orchestrated by Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu, whereas Australian Gi — sorry, “Syrian Girl” — spread the same story pushed by Harrison H. Smith of InfoWars.

13/18

Anonymous accounts like @UBERSOY1 began doxxing entirely innocent people. That account quickly jumped on the transphobic bandwagon, doxxing a 17-year-old. The post is still up, hasn’t been Community Noted, and will even earn UBERSOY money.

14/18

The polarization of social media is clear when reading comments about the murder on Bluesky (typically more left-leaning, as X is right-leaning). Many left-aligned users are even celebrating it, showing how deeply divided the US society has become:

15/18

https://x.com/avidseries/status/1965894893148217813

Many of these narratives have already been amplified by bot and troll farms, and even by Russian officials like Drunk Dima. For them, it’s a prime opportunity to stir the pot and provoke civil unrest in the United States.

16/18

Another recent example of exploiting tragedy for politics is the gruesome murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in the US. People who once demonized both Ukrainians and refugees switched to accusing the media and pro-Ukraine voices of ignoring the terrible crime.

17/18

Kirk was a polarizing figure, and I personally disagreed with many of his statements on Ukraine. But he was also a husband & father.

Sadly, cynically exploiting the death of anyone deemed convenient or timely has become routine political practice.

18/18

https://x.com/charliekirk11/status/1949487959369196005

The 2nd edition of “Vatnik Soup — The Ultimate Guide to Russian Disinformation” is officially out!

You can order your copy here:
vatniksoup.com/en/books/