Meltwater Explore

Photo of far-right football hooligans assembling in Przemyśl on March 1 to “protect” the city from non-Ukrainian refugees. The photo was circulated on far-right Polish Facebook pages.

Fri, Mar 11, 2022

False reports incite attacks on non-Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Polish right-wing party calls for extremist groups to protect citizens from “immigrants from outside Europe."

by Givi Gigitashvili

Central Europe CrowdTangle
A network map of tweets containing the phrase #istandwithputin or istandwithputin between February 23, 2022 and March 4, 2022.

Thu, Mar 10, 2022

IStandWithPutin hashtag trends amid dubious amplification efforts

Over the week of February 28, 2022, the hashtag #IStandWithPutin trended in several regions, but a deeper look at the origin and amplification of the hashtag suggested this support was artificial.

by Jean le Roux

Africa Botnets
Belarusian protesters from the organization Women of Minsk openly protest the invasion of Ukraine. (Source: @Tsihanouskaya/Twitter)

Fri, Mar 4, 2022

Russian War Report: Global crackdown on Russian state-affiliated media continues as Russia blocks Facebook

In response to the invasion of Ukraine, governments and corporations have implemented new regulations and policies to mitigate the reach of Russian state-affiliated media within their borders and on their services. 

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

People seen standing next to a generator while charging their phones at the Ukrainian-Polish border. Civilians fleeing the war in Ukraine for the safety of European border towns include citizens of African, Asian and Middle East countries.

Wed, Mar 2, 2022

Fake Telegram group urges Africans in Ukraine to wear armbands used by combatants

Misleading and racist Telegram groups emerge as accusations of racism by border authorities go viral on Twitter.

by Jean le Roux

Africa Conflict
A screencap shows the spread of meme against the alliance of Poland, the United Kingdom and Ukraine in Facebook groups

Sat, Feb 26, 2022

Polish social media accounts revive anti-Ukrainian sentiments

Poland expects to host around one million Ukrainian refugees amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

by Givi Gigitashvili

Central Europe Conflict
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi bump elbows during the signing ceremony of a 25-year cooperation agreement in Tehran, March 27, 2021.

Mon, Feb 14, 2022

A moment of truth for China’s vaccine diplomacy in Iran

Iranian officials echoed Chinese messaging while touting vaccines and criticizing the United States.

by Simin Kargar

China Coronavirus
A person wears a yellow arm band with a Star of David during a protest of vaccine mandates at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on January 23, 2022. Anti-vaccine protesters have worn yellow arm bands to compare their current treatment in the United States to the treatment of Jewish people in Germany during the holocaust.

Wed, Feb 2, 2022

DC anti-mandate rally leveraged to broaden audience for anti-vax narratives

January 23 anti-vax rally softened messaging and utilized support from anti-mandate doctors to reach broader audiences.

by Jared Holt, Max Rizzuto

Coronavirus COVID-19
Presidential candidate José Antonio Kast speaks at a campaign event on November 2, 2021.

Tue, Dec 7, 2021

How the Chilean elections unfolded on Twitter

“Far-right” and “far-left” were among the most used terms, with pro-Kast hashtags prevailing.

by Luiza Bandeira, Esteban Ponce de León

Chile Elections
RT DE logo as seen on its Facebook page.

Wed, Nov 24, 2021

How RT DE spread COVID misinformation on YouTube

YouTube banned RT DE in September 2021 after the Russian network revived an old channel to avoid an initial suspension.

by Givi Gigitashvili, Jean le Roux

Business Buzzsumo
A Palestinian stands on a house that was destroyed in an Israeli air strike during the fighting between Israel and Hamas in May 2021, in the northern Gaza Strip on June 29, 2021. (Source: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem)

Thu, Jul 1, 2021

Iranian accounts promote anti-Israel hashtags in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war

The campaign, promoted on Telegram, is linked to an Iranian conspiracy theorist previously suspended from Twitter.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

COVID-19 Iran
Protesters marching against the conflict in Tigray hold placards with the hashtag #TigrayGenocide in New York City on March 25, 2021. (Source: Reuters/John Lamparski/SIPA USA)

Fri, Apr 23, 2021

Ethiopian diaspora groups organize click-to-tweet Tigray campaigns amid information scarcity

Social media campaigns promoted pro-government and anti-conflict narratives to capture attention from an international audience.

by Tessa Knight

Africa Conflict
BANNER: Ugandan presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, reacts from inside a police van, in Luuka district, Uganda, November 18, 2020. (Source: REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa)

Wed, Dec 9, 2020

Pro-government accounts use old images to depict Ugandan protesters as hooligans

Twitter campaign ensured anti-protester hashtag trended in Uganda after protests broke out following arrest of a presidential candidate

by Tessa Knight

Africa Brigading