Infox on the Covid-19, China strikes back
Audio 03:19
By: Sophie Malibeaux
In this period of confinement in many countries affected by the coronavirus, social networks conceal the best and the worst. On the one hand, the internet facilitates gestures of solidarity, and makes it possible to break the loneliness of the most isolated. On the other hand, the circulation of dubious messages weakens the devices put in place to fight against the spread of Covid-19.
Publicity
The platforms that have committed themselves alongside the World Health Organization in the fight against the coronavirus still miss a number of dangerous messages for who would take them literally. Example, this tweet from an elected official known for her extreme positions:
“ Malicious people make you believe that #Coranovirus is a pandemic to make you buy millions of masks, alcoholic lotions, drugs and soon vaccines. And above all state the economy. This propaganda must urgently stop because it is ruining France. "
And to encourage people further to refuse the coronavirus test and to go out "to enjoy the sun" with the children, etc.
The author of these tweets followed by more than 15,000 supporters also thanks Twitter France for maintaining its account.
Chinese and Americans reject responsibility
Difficult to assess the impact of this person, but he is far from alone in denying the pandemic, and denouncing a campaign allegedly orchestrated on purpose, to sell vaccines for example. Social networks are full of such nonsense. Their common point is generally to immediately refuse - without proof - the natural origin of the virus, according to the scientific consensus in force at the moment. From there emerge the most contradictory scenarios. While contamination was at its height in China in the Wuhan region, the American ultra-right accused the Chinese authorities of having released a laboratory-made virus for offensive purposes.
The response from the Chinese authorities was quick. Beijing now openly accuses the United States of being at the origin of the pandemic. Spokesman and deputy director of the Chinese Ministry of Information, Lijian Zhao split a tweet to ask the Americans for more transparency regarding the zero patient, suggesting that he may have been an American soldier. , who came to participate in the Wuhan World Military Games last October.
The European Union accuses Russia
An internal EU document obtained by Agence France Presse accuses pro-Kremlin media of promoting disinformation on the Covid-19, with the aim of aggravating the health crisis in Western countries and undermining confidence in health systems. The European Union deplores in particular that these media funded by Moscow give pride of place to the theses according to which the Covid-19 is a creation of laboratory. We can indeed see that the RTnews site, ex-Russia Today, gives a large place to these stories , without putting forward the slightest beginning of proof.
The day after the publication of information obtained by AFP incriminating the Russian media, the RT news site finally publishes, this Friday, March 19, a denial of the Pasteur Institute.
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