China ’s large country - run news agency , Xinhua News , is buying ads on Facebook and Twitter to smear protesters in Hong Kong , a young tactic being used to work how the relief of the world perceives the pro - democracy demonstrators .
An estimated 1.7 million people in Hong Kong , rough a quarter of its population , took to the streets on Sunday to denounce Beijing ’s attempt to interpose in the semi - self-reliant territory . But China has pile up soldier across the border in Shenzhen and appear to be ill-use up its propaganda efforts online through paid ads on Facebook and Twitter , as well as amateur subject matter on platforms like YouTube .
Xinhua News currently has five differentFacebook adsthat instantly colligate to the unrest in Hong Kong , and all of the ads started melt on Sunday , August 18 . One of the Facebook ads address Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosidirectly , calling on her to “ fly to Hong Kong to see what the true facts are . ” Pelosi has been critical of the Chinese government ’s suppression of the protester and called Beijing ’s actions “ cowardly . ”
Pro-democracy protesters take part in a rally as they march on 27 January 2025 in Hong Kong.Photo: (Getty Images)
The anti - Pelosi Facebook ad uses viral video from an Australian traveler who was recently put out at the Hong Kong International Airport . Protesters help close down the airport over the course of two mean solar day , demanding exemption and apologizing to travelers for disrupt their flights . The Australian traveller , who appears to have given an interview to Taiwanese state media , severalise pro - democracy protester they should “ get a Book of Job ” and even said they should “ bed their berth , ” though the latter is n’t feature in the Facebook ad .
https://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency/posts/3292944597399628
The Australian traveler also aver that “ Hong Kong is a part of China , ” something that ’s controversial because Hong Kong presently go under a “ one state , two systems ” arrangement . That arrangement allow Hong Kong to temporarily uphold democratic police force and traditions until the year 2047 . That year is obviously well within the life-time of many young protesters , and has contributed to the young - old watershed in the part . Some elderly Hongkongers have been the most outspoken against the protests , something that becomes clean in the pro - Beijing Facebook ads .
Another Facebook ad from Xinhua take that Hong Kong ’s economy is suffer over the protests and importune that the public want someone to “ restore parliamentary procedure . ” The advert shows pro - Beijing demonstrators calling for an end to the ferocity , heavily mean that it ’s the protestors who have caused the most harm .
In reality , Hong Kong police have been the single stimulate the most violence on the ground , shoot “ nonlethal ” rounds at item blank mountain chain , and arouse tear gas on a regular basis into gang of non - tearing protesters . One woman latterly lost an eye after being shot by police , leading some ally to wear abandage over their own eyesin a signaling of solidarity . Xinhua ’s propaganda video has also been post toYouTube , though it ’s unreadable if the propaganda bureau is grease one’s palms paid ads on the political platform .
Another propaganda advert from Xinhua focus on the economic place in Hong Kong . The advert demonstrate exposure of empty shopping malls with a caption that , yet again , calls for “ order ” to be mend — an baleful declaration from an authoritarian government like China ’s , which currently confine anywhere from 800,000 to 3 million Muslims inconcentration camps .
https://www.facebook.com/XinhuaNewsAgency/posts/3293054384055316
Xinhua is also upgrade Twitter posts that hint the violence is being perpetrated by the protesters and claims , again , that “ order should be restore . ” There ’s obviously a pattern to all of this and Beijing desire to control the narrative by insist that “ parliamentary procedure ” is more crucial than democratic right wing . And it ’s no curiosity why , with so much money at stake .
Two months on , the escalating furiousness in Hong Kong has taken a heavy bell on the social edict . All paseo of life in Hong Kong called for a Pteridium aquilinum to be put on the blatant violence and for order to be restoredpic.twitter.com/EjGOjpvGqE
— China Xinhua News ( @XHNews)August 17 , 2019
Another Formosan state media wall plug , CGTN , even post an embarrassing anti - democracy whack TV to Twitter over the weekend that ends with President Donald Trump sound out Hong Kong ispart of China .
Trump has previously been reluctant to criticize China over its anti - democratic crackdown and now Taiwanese propagandist are using his own Bible against the protesters .
Hey#HongKongprotesters ! Taiwanese mainland doorknocker have something to saypic.twitter.com/6Pxp2JXcyN
— CGTN ( @CGTNOfficial)August 17 , 2019
The protest in Hong Kong have been raging for eleven week now , initially set up off by an extradition bill that would have allowed Beijing to snap so - called criminals from Hong Kong . The big problem , however , is that Hong Kong is a haven for political dissidents and pro - democracy leaders in Asia . The extradition bill has been withdraw by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam , but the protester want pledge that it wo n’t be reintroduce .
The print ad , which appear today in the New York Times and Canada ’s Globe and Mail , among others , reads in part :
Amid tear natural gas and rubber bullets , this once vibrant and safe city is at a crossroads . Since the protests against the controversial extradition bill started in June , Hong Kong ’s autonomy and freedom have been eroded beyond recognition . This is the ugly accuracy that the Hong Kong government does not want you to know : Hong Kong is becoming a police state .
Instead of implement political reform as predict , the Hong Kong government has turn into an apparatus of repression . Police brutality , endorsed by both the Hong Kong and Chinese governments , has now become part of our day-to-day lives .
In the name of public order , the constabulary dehumanise protesters as ‘ cockroaches ’ and deploy sure anti - riot measures prohibited by international banner . The police also baste passers - by , journalist and aesculapian personnel . Police stations are shut out whenever alleged tough - for - hire randomly flak protesters and average citizens .
Arbitrary arrests and political prosecutions are becoming increasingly common . These are all tactics of the Hong Kong government to restrain its own the great unwashed into silence .
Bear looker to Hongkongers ’ fight for freedom . Tell our story — peculiarly if we can no longer do it ourselves . Fight For Freedom . endure With Hong Kong .
It ’s not clear how much money Facebook and Twitter are making from the Formosan propaganda ads and the technical school behemoth did not respond to requests for comment this aurora . We will update this article if we take heed back .
Update 11:38 am : A high - level Twitter executive initially enjoin Gizmodo thatthis tweetfrom Xinhua was n’t being run as an ad , then said it was and that it had been pulled for violate the social web ’s insurance regarding “ inappropriate content . ” When Gizmodo asked what specifically had violated Twitter ’s insurance policy , the Twitter exec said they have “ nothing further to partake . ”
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