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| Newsletter 01/17/2024 |
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Conspiracy Watch diligently curates and enhances extensive materials and resources about conspiracy theories. If you want to help us bolster our efforts...
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Janet Ossebaard: From Crop Circles to QAnon
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By Pepijn van Erp & Peter Zegers
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The life of Janet Ossebaard, a Dutch conspiracy theorist, ended tragically a few weeks ago. She was known for her controversial and antisemitic "Fall of the Cabal" series
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The term ‘Deep State’ has gained popularity in conspiracy literature and was given a boost in the United States during Donald Trump's presidency.
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Seen, Heard, Read...
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Stay informed with our curated collection of noteworthy updates and insights from the world of conspiracy theories. Uncover the latest trends, explore intriguing perspectives, and broaden your understanding. Delve into our recommended content that keeps you in the know.
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PAKISTAN. Last Monday, at least five police officers guarding polio vaccinators lost their lives in north-west Pakistan when a bomb detonated beneath their vehicle. The polio vaccination effort gapples with enduring skepticism in Pakistan, fueled by conspiacy theories suggesting the vaccines ae linked to a Western scheme to sterilise Muslim children (source: The Telegraph, January 8, 2024).
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TULSI GABBARD. The director of the X platform expressed delight in collaborating with Tulsi Gabbard, a former US House of Representatives member from Hawaii. In response, Gabbard took to X, lauding freedom of expression as "protected" and "celebrated" by Elon Musk (source: XBusiness/X, January 9, 2024). Swiftly, critics highlighted Gabbard's previous skepticism regarding chemical attacks during the Syrian war (source: Eliot Higgins/X, January 9, 2024).
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TAYLOR SWIFT. Fox News host Jesse Watters propagated a conspiracy theory claiming Taylor Swift works for the U.S. Department of Defense as a covert political asset. Watters cited a video from a 2019 cuber security conference, misattributing it to the Pentagon's psychological operations unit. The Pentagon refuted the theory, urging Congress to approve their budget (source: Newsweek, January 12, 2024).
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OPRAH WINFREY. Oprah Winfrey has become the target of a baseless conspiracy theory suggesting she is using a body double or is a clone. Social media users analyzed recent footage, questioning her appearance and authenticity. The speculation coincided with Winfrey's discolsure of weight loss achieved through medication. While some defended her, the conspiracy theory gained traction on X (source: Newsweek, January 15, 2024).
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CANADA. In a bizarre turn of events, a Quebecois man, who once propagated online conspiracy theories claiming that government forces intentionally ignited forest fires, has now admitted guilt in sparking a series of fires himself. These blazes, which he set, led to the evacuation of hundreds of residents from their homes (source: CBC-Radio-Canada, January 15, 2024).
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CAPITOL. Three years post the Capitol assault (January 6th 2021), the stance of Republican voters on Trump's accountability has eased. An increasing faction rejects the nootioon of the rioters' violence and, surprisingly, 24% subscribe to a conspiracy theory alleging FBI involvement. Despite FBI disapproval and evidence showcased in rioters' trials, this belief finds traction through certain conservative figures, championed even by Donald Trump himself (source: GlobalNews, January 6, 2024).
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TUNNELS. On January 8, chaos erupted in a New York synagogue, resulting in the arrest of a dozen young Jews affiliated with the Lubavitch community. Their protest centered on the recent discovery of a tunnel, under construction for months, slated for closure. The incident quickly became a hotspot on social media, particularly X, inundated with fake news and antisemitic conspiracy theories propagated by far-right figures. These theories, branding the tunnel as a hub for child sex trafficking, labeled it as "Jewish tunnels" or "Zionist tunnels" (source: ADL.org, January 11, 2024; PolitiFact, January 12, 2024).
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Post on X showing AI-generated image of rat holding a bleeding baby (source: ADL.org)
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Andrew Tate is also spreading rumors connecting the tunnels in New York to children (source: Mike Rothschild/X, January 10, 2024).
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