China recently discovered how astroturfing, creating fake “grassroots” support, loses its impact when the deception aspect is revealed. A recent example (late January 2020) occurred outside a western Canada (Vancouver) courthouse as demonstrators assembled to protest efforts to extradite a Chinese telecommunications executive. This was a big deal in China because this defendant worked for Huawei, the largest telecom company in China and the world. A crowd gathered carrying signs demanding the release of the Huawei executive. One sign even made reference to a pair or Canadian diplomats arrested in China and charged with espionage. That was relevant because the diplomats were actually taken as hostages to pressure the Canadian government to release the Huawei executive. Soon after the demonstrators began their protest things took a turn for the bizarre.
When reporters went to interview some of the demonstrators it was discovered that the demonstrators didn’t know they were demonstrators. The sign carrying group had been hired as background performers for a music video and were paid a hundred dollars each for two hours work. The “background performers” were not happy to find out they had actually been hired for astroturfing. This form of Information Warfare has been increasingly used because it’s a relatively cheap way to get some favorable publicity, especially if the astroturfing stunt goes viral on the Internet and becomes a news event. This only works, of course, if the audiences doesn’t know it’s astroturfing, especially before the event is even concluded.
They usually just hire our politicians.
and communist dictators say what? Man we are one stupid group of people. Will someone please start using their tiny brains? Trudeau is the PM, that is all that needs to be said. Brains no longer exist, at a working one. I have one, where the hell is everyone else.
How do I get in touch with these Chinese influence operators? I could use the extra cash. I’m assuming it will be in the form of tax-free nonsequential small bills.
Sec. State USA Pompeo gave a pointed address to the National Governors Association, where he warned them one of the targets were universities, and private industries. Hundreds of Professors are paid to become involved in talent recruitment. Further, influence operators are intervening at the local level, promising investments into pension funds in exchange for services:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqQ1A7bKLhw
It would be hard to believe similar efforts are not underway in Canada.
Great Catch Tim..
Very informative Speech By the Sec State.
this should not be news to anyone…Im sure this Infiltration and Subversion by ChiComm operatives into the USA has been going on full tilt since the Mid 2000’s.
As it has here in Canada, and particularly since PM TRAITOR has taken hold. If anyone ever wondered how a Liberal Party MILIONS upon Millions of Dollars deep in Debt found the funds to launch a Federal Election Campaign replete with 2 Jets for Justin…?? look no further than to the Chinese COMMUNISTS & to a lessor extent, George Soros.
Our Govt has been totally CO-Opted by these Foreign BASTARDS…
I would say it’s long overdue for a military coup in this Country followed immediately by a Military Tribunal (Queens Rules & Regulations), to oversea the Hundreds of trials for Liberals, Privy Council members & assorted Laurentien Elites who in my opinioin, should be Charged with TREASON.
It’s time to clean house….and if it must happen via military force.??, so be it.
WEXIT
A military coup? Not that they would, but count our soldiers. There aren’t enough to seize control of our military bases.
I bet that Huawei executive is happy that we haven’t sent her back now, I imagine her husband and her immediate family is probably asking for Visa’s for an extended family visit in Vancouver. Since the location of the Headquarters in Shenzen has just been locked down as another infected city although there are only 23 Million people there, but it borders on Hong Kong (7.4M) and if you include them the population almost exceeds Canada’s total coast to coast. So with a fatality rate of 2% they could lose 600,000. The problem is that the current recovered/dead fatality rate is 20% however that might improve, if not then they will lose 6 M people.
I think we should offer to send her back now and see what happens, we could drop her off in Shenzen at the Huawei HQ or at one of the factories in Wuhan and she could help with the reset effort.
Commsguy,
Up to last week, there were more dead than recovered listed on the John Hopkins site. The first time I noticed, it was about 200 dead and 39 Recovered. The numbers crossed about the time we got to about 600 dead and 600 Recovered.
Now the number of recovered is growing steadily, and much faster than the number of dead. Which is to be expected.
The brightest news is that the US is not seeing lots of (any?) new person to person infections. The 13th and latest confirmed case came from Wuhan. With luck it may not become widespread in the US like it is in China. I don’t know enough about Canadian policies to have an opinion of what will happen in Canada.
Almost every “action” against the proposal, public review, and construction of new energy infrastructure in Canada is similarly opposed. I hope no one here really believes that the FN protesters aren’t funded and or scripted by some George Soros, US foundation, or other hysteria-pimping corporation when they are “dressed up” and performing for the corrupt media against pipelines. There is no grass roots on the left – they are parasites of productive effort. Just think, Canadian “media”.
“There is no grass roots on the left – they are parasites of productive effort.” Gun control in the U.S. especially so. Gun control activists are a tiny population, relying up nearly unanimous media approval.
And the compliant media broadcasts the … “protest”. No questions asked. Cause that’s not “their job”. Their job is to propagandize against Canada.
“FN protesters” The proper term is “Indians” and just why shouldn’t they get some Green, the SJW destroyed the Fur Industry & locked them down on Indian reserves…..They all understand the spirit world of the Naked creatures weetigo (like Gore & Suzuki) that will lure away their children & eat them…. Give them time
HO
Back in the 80s when the Rafferty and Alameda dams were slated for construction in SE Sask, there was a small run down old park called Dr Mainprize that was going to be flooded. One day a couple of buses pulled up and a bunch of people got out. They had signs protesting the demolition of the park. A CBC crew was with them filming the “protest.” There were others there as security to keep curious park users from getting in the picture. After a couple minutes they all piled back onto the buses and left. Later during the evening news CBC showed the footage and reported the on the “outrage” shown from the community. The buses of people weren’t from the community, they were from Regina.
The media orchestrates the narrative then reports the reaction. Fake news was born a long time ago and has grown to be the only news produced.
Iran did that regularly with its “Death to America” marches, starting 40 years ago. Based on what was shown, one had the impression that all of Tehran was in the streets. In reality, a block or two was filled with people and the cameras angled accordingly.
I’m sure pasha Alexandre Trudeau was one who helped orchestrate said marches. Another Trudeau POS.
they learned the trick from j edgar’s fbi (coded alternate ‘speling’ of ‘fib’) back in the hippie era when undercover provocateurs would
ingratiate themselves with the poverty stricken peaceniks.
and start a ‘protest’ in order to generate bad press.
and if any of you think we were wrong wrong wrong about ‘Nam, jeepers, look how that ended.
Ive been the the Vietnam memorial in Washington. I cant ever go there again the sense of loss and sadness is too overwhelming.
I couldnt even drive back to where we were staying, the missus had to.
I was not in Nam but was serving in the RCN @ the time.. I was friends with 3 French Quebec guys on the same Night Squadron crew @ RCN navel Air Base (Shearwater) My French friends sabotaged 3 Tracker Planes by cutting wires in the control yokes. (this was when the FLQ was active) I was implicated because I was the last person who contacted the Control Tower by Radio & signed the flight logs…. The RCMP investigation was intense, a real bunch of gangsters…. I was not involved, but my French Friends admitted the sabotage because they wanted to fight in a real war….They got their wish,,, they where transferred to the USA Marines ( NO Canadian Media Coverage) They wanted me to join them in killing Communists….. I declined but have always wondered if they became local French Canadian Hero’s or died in Nam….
BTW: I watched the Burns Nam Series (AGAIN) last week..( I have read in depth Journalist Books ) Sad how LBJ made sure the War was not Won & Hanoi Jane the, low life traitor, walked away …
Tales from the Crypt
My wife and I went there many years ago with our youngest son. I walked the wall and saw names of friends and school mates ….I never have cried in public;…I did that day ….what a waste….. Steve O
That’s nothing new. I had a friend who worked at Shell Canada in the 60’s up until the late 80’s. They had a host of protests at stations and refineries during the Apartheid era, simply because Royal Dutch Shell had strong ties to South Africa. Photos taken with telescopic lenses revealed ”hired guns” that were almost totally unaware of their role. In one case, a Western Canadian university was involved in hiring the protesters.
The CBC and CTV also film and photograph protests as a part of their Trudeau sponsored leftist agenda. What they do is use crowd enhancement methods such as photoshop and computerized alterations to show the crowd as much larger than reality.
.
I’m not exactly sure about the “odd” part: this is Terry Glavin’s story/op-ed @ NP (linked by Kate a week or ten days or so, ago).
If I had to guess, I think HM the Sitemaster is really making a comment about Mr. Bay, namely that he has fallen for the mistaken belief that “astroturfing” fails if those being “astroturfed” come to understand that they are being used.
Jeremy Corbyn publicly asserts that a U.K.-U.S.A. FTA will require a reduction in U.K. food standards, such that maggots will be allowed in orange juice. Millions believe him, unquestioningly, without having to be tricked by payment on a pretense — especially if they had reason to believe that they would be seen to be in a music video.
Nancy Pelosi said that the Tea Party was “astroturf”. Millions believed her, and when confronted by the truth, she and her true believers doubled-down and said that the sitting President, a descendent of the Tea Party movement, in many ways, should be removed from office on the basis of absolutely nothing. Heck, even a former failed GOP Presidential candidate believed her. Is there any doubt that if Senator McCain had survived, he would have believed the same thing?
I find it hard to believe Senator John McCain would have believed that. Not so hard to believe he would have asserted it was true, knowing it was not.
“They usually just hire our politicians”
The Americans wanted her extradited to the U.S. to face charges of espionage with the new Huawei 5G technology.
How do you refuse the U.S., instead letting her flee back to the PRC, when you’re trying to renegotiate NAFTA?
So AstroTurf protesters instead. It’s just a sop, but it’s all they could do.
This is nothing new. I was up at CFB Cold Lake in the 80’s and the US was going to test the cruise missile flying down the NWT McKenzie Valley to the Primrose bombing range.
There was a bunch (10?) of protesters from Vancouver at the range gates (how they got there was interesting – bussed probably) and they planned to capture the 500mph+ cruise missile by hosting a volleyball net tied to two helium filled balloons. I kid you not.
The CBC was all over this as a major protest and engaging Canada into a proxy war between US-Russia.
So I’ve never trusted the news since then.