Russia organized 2 sides of a Texas protest and encouraged 'both sides to battle in the streets'

News today from Business Insider about Russian operatives pushing Americans to fight one another:

Russian actors organized both anti-Islam and pro-Islam protests in the same location at the same time on May 21, 2016, using separate Facebook pages operated from a so-called troll farm in St. Petersburg, the Senate Intelligence Committee disclosed on Wednesday.

A Facebook page named Heart of Texas, whose link to Russia was first reported by Business Insider, organized a rally at noon on May 21 at the Islamic Da'wah Center in Houston to "Stop Islamization of Texas." The account paid to promote the event, which was viewed by about 12,000 people, said the committee's chairman, Sen. Richard Burr.

Another Russia-linked account, United Muslims of America, organized a counterprotest — a "Save Islamic Knowledge" rally.

The SAD part? It only cost Russia maybe $200:

Burr said that organizing and promoting these protests cost Russia "about $200."

Americans were totally unaware that they were being manipulated:

"What neither side could have known was that Russian trolls were encouraging both sides to battle in the streets and create division between real Americans," Burr said on Wednesday during an open hearing with the general counsels of Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

AMERICA...we need to wake up and realize we are under a form of psychological ATTACK by Russia. After all ... the GOAL of the Russian administration is:

Russia should use its special services within the borders of the United States to fuel instability and separatism, for instance, provoke "Afro-American racists". Russia should "introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics."

Link

Putin, somewhere, is LAUGHING and rubbing his hands folks!!!

Deliberate Social Group Warfare (SGW) in all its sources (both foreign, and domestic) should be routed out, shamed, and charges filed where possible and to maximum penalties as to make examples of to prevent future subversion.

originally posted by: DanteGaland
The SAD part? It only cost Russia maybe $200:

Aint that something.

Just imagine what BLM was able to buy with the one hundred million dollars ($100,000,000) Soros & the Ford Foundation handed them in lump sum last year.
www.washingtontimes.com...

The world is quietly slipping away from American control ...

a reply to: DanteGaland

But I mean the news media does this as well. CNN sides with one group and Fox News with the other. The politicians will call millions of people deplorable and those deplorable will be attacked if they show up to vote. The US Government help one side of a war while providing aid to the other in an attempt to appease whoever comes out the victor. It's part and parcel of a foreign manipulator. I mean if you're shocked in any way it says more about your view of the world than the reality that we all live in.

a reply to: Dwoodward85

Does that EXCUSE a foreign government like Russia?

YES/NO

I always want to know who I am standing shoulder to shoulder with.

You will never see me at a protest. For anything.

You will never see me at a political rally.

You never know who is pulling the strings or what their goals are.

a reply to: DanteGaland

A facebook page? If this is considered a psychological attack then I'd hate to see a real attack.

originally posted by: projectvxn
I always want to know who I am standing shoulder to shoulder with.

You will never see me at a protest. For anything.

You will never see me at a political rally.

You never know who is pulling the strings or what their goals are.

I feel the same way. I hate protesters (regardless of cause).

They are annoying, useless, mouth breathers.

originally posted by: DanteGaland
a reply to: Dwoodward85

Does that EXCUSE a foreign government like Russia?

YES/NO

Are Russians your enemy? I don't even know a Russian and I am not going to make them my enemies just because my Government says I should. Same with any other country. I am not looking for friends, but I don't need enemies either.

$200 whole US dollars!

Damn.

I am gonna have so much fun during your country's next election!

Kidding aside, even the article calls them trolls, not government agents. FB says it is "likely", not that it is.

Sounds a lot more like Russia's 4chan then a government op.

This whole idea illustrates a big problem for me that occurs oon both sides.

If someone believes in a cause or issue, it doesnt mean that they should be impugned because others that also believe or spread that cause are shady characters.

In other words, saying David Duke supports trump is not an argument against Trump; saying the orlando night club shooters dad was at a hillary rally is equally irrelevant.

In this case; what are we to do?

If americans feel strongly about Islam or protestors of islam, should we not give them the benefit of self determination because russia pushed both sides?

this is a dangerous path we are going down.

Even as a conservative that dislikes Black Lives matter, I am troubled by the implication that Russian bots are spurring them on.

Mark my words; some a hole republican will soon start decrying all BLM protestors as Russian insurgents.

These facebook ads mean almost nothing to me; they shouldnt be censored, they shouldnt be worried about.

We should all just research an issue ourselves, and who cares if a russian agrees with us on Facebook or is pushing me to attend a rally.

originally posted by: Grambler
This whole idea illustrates a big problem for me that occurs oon both sides.

If someone believes in a cause or issue, it doesnt mean that they should be impugned because others that also believe or spread that cause are shady characters.

In other words, saying David Duke supports trump is not an argument against Trump; saying the orlando night club shooters dad was at a hillary rally is equally irrelevant.

In this case; what are we to do?

If americans feel strongly about Islam or protestors of islam, should we not give them the benefit of self determination because russia pushed both sides?

this is a dangerous path we are going down.

Even as a conservative that dislikes Black Lives matter, I am troubled by the implication that Russian bots are spurring them on.

Mark my words; some a hole republican will soon start decrying all BLM protestors as Russian insurgents.

These facebook ads mean almost nothing to me; they shouldnt be censored, they shouldnt be worried about.

We should all just research an issue ourselves, and who cares if a russian agrees with us on Facebook or is pushing me to attend a rally.

You are arguing against Identity Politics, and are likely speaking greek to those who are embroiled in it.

RE: the OP...color me unsurprised. Completely.

The GASLIGHTING in this thread is ... disturbing to say the least...

This idea that Russia is pulling the strings in our politics is beyond laughable. I’m sorry, but not really. The other day Russia alleged that Americans are taking DNA samples from Russians across the country, and our military wrote about doing this months ago. But none of you are worried about that. You’re worried about Russian funded Facebook pages.

Everyone knows that Russia is not even in the top five countries that run our political affairs, a few Russian funded ads is meaningless. You want to see how our politics are dominated by foreigners, look at Israel or Saudi Arabia.

There's a concerted effort by our enemies to destabilize and divide until we collapse under the weight of our own identity politics and our willingness to be manipulated. To be lead. To be told what is right instead of figuring it out for ourselves.

This story illustrates one thing very clearly:

Our enemies are willing to help us destroy ourselves and we're willing to allow it to happen.

a reply to: DanteGaland

Typical, point the finger anywhere but at yourselves. If Russia can spend 200$ and cause this kind of chaos, that's a problem with your infrastructure, not them. It's how the world works. It would be like asking people to just please not fire missiles at you, so that you don't need to invest in missile interception tech.

Well, it's a good thing that the good Ol' USofA has never subversively meddled in the internal political affairs of any other Sovereign nation, or else would have no place to complain about this!

originally posted by: DanteGaland
a reply to: Dwoodward85

Does that EXCUSE a foreign government like Russia?

YES/NO

Excuse is the wrong word. How long have those on the left whines about America's government holding foreign governments to a higher standard than our own is held to? The US has been pulling this foreign cloak and dagger s@#^ for decades, including clandestinely encouraging populist movements. Look at how this country destabilized the Middle East during the Arab spring events. Russia simply provided the platform here and everybody else picked out their seats.

originally posted by: projectvxn
There's a concerted effort by our enemies to destabilize and divide until we collapse under the weight of our own identity politics and our willingness to be manipulated. To be lead. To be told what is right instead of figuring it out for ourselves.

Enemies plural; and we have them both foreign & domestic.

This story illustrates one thing very clearly:

Our enemies are willing to help us destroy ourselves and we're willing to allow it to happen.

That's two things plus a potential sum greater than the parts angle.

a reply to: DanteGaland

Thank you. This is what many have been trying to say for the last few months.

Russia was sowing seeds of dissent on both sides. Just simply trying to agitate and destabilize.

People should set their politics aside and view the facts objectively. It's a very disturbing scenario. It's asymmetric warfare.

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