Foreign disinformation about Charlie Kirk's killing seeks to widen US divisionsBy DAVID KLEPPERAssociated PressThe Associated PressWASHINGTONRussia moved quickly to exploit conservative activist Charlie Kirk's shooting death at a Utah college, with groups linked to the Kremlin spreading false and misleading claims that experts say are designed to incite violence. Russia, China and other countries have long seized on high-profile events in the United States to portray the country as dangerous, polarized and dysfunctional. Experts say it's part of an effort to undermine American democracy by inflaming partisan differences. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has warned about foreign bots spreading false claims and urged people to ignore fear-inducing misinformation.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Russia moved to amplify online conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk's killing just hours after it happened, seeding social media with the frightening claim that America is slipping into civil war.
Chinese and pro-Iranian groups also spread disinformation about the shooting, with those loyal to Iran's interests backing antisemitic conspiracy theories while bots linked to Beijing claimed that Kirk's death shows that the United States is violent, polarized and dysfunctional.
America's adversaries have long used fake social media accounts, online bots and disinformation to depict the U.S. as a dangerous country beset with extremism and gun violence. Kirk’s killing has provided another opportunity for those...
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