New and old public figures spreading disinformation

Eva Hrindová, Czech pro-Kremlin activist who formerly spread disinformation about migration, now focuses on vaccination and COVID -19. According to her, vaccination against COVID -19 is unnecessary and potentially dangerous.

Jiří Maria Mašek, Czech conspirator, wrote an open letter to Vladimir Putin in 2016 complaining about the Czech media and politicians. He is currently spreading conspiracy theories - that “ COVID is not a virus ” - and encouraging citizens not to comply with government measures . He also believes that the only solution to the current situation would be a military coup.

Jiří Černohorský, one of the most loyal pro-Kremlin collaborators in the Czech Republic, established a new group called Civic Movement alongside the editor-in-chief of the Czech version of the InfoWars conspiracy website and the former chairman of the Znojmo cell of the far-right extremist party DSSS. Party members quarrelled a few days after the establishment of the movement and Černohorský was expelled. However, the original Civic Movement group still exists and plans to hold protest rallies against governmental measures, since, according to them, there is no coronavirus pandemic.

Andrej Danko, former Chairman of the National Council of Slovakia, is a long-time supporter of the Kremlin’s regime. After his electoral failure and his party’s removal from the Slovak Parliament, he is calling on the Prime Minister to urgently secure the purchase of a Russian vaccine against COVID -19. His statements were widely used by disinformation websites which largely oppose vaccination but made an exception for the Russian Sputnik V.

Examples of disinformation related to COVID -19 :

• Website articles, social media posts and chain emails spreading disinformation about vaccination, accusing the Western vaccines of being insufficiently tested.

• A video of a woman allegedly suffering from convulsions after receiving the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine spread via social media, the InfoWars website, the RT TV network and Czech disinformation websites in order to increase distrust of Western vaccines. The video was fact-checked and found inconsistent and questionable at best.

• False claims spread through various Russian-language sources, including official Russian channels, surrounding Ukraine’s decision not to use the Sputnik V vaccine because it has not passed the third phase of clinical trials. According to some of those claims, the decision was highly political. Some conspiracy theories even claim that it was a planned operation to murder Ukrainians.

What about the impact?

The impact of disinformation related to COVID -19 should not be underestimated: it constitutes a threat not only to democracy, but also to public health. This is because, during the pandemic, many people have had trouble finding correct official information and often looked for alternative sources.

Slovakia’s Prime Minister stated that a large proportion of its citizens are not going to be vaccinated for various reasons, including disinformation. Thus, prolonging the government’s countermeasures as well as creating even greater economic damage. According to him, the Kremlin has been waging a hybrid war on Slovak territory for a long time, caus ingsevere damage to Slovakia.

The Globsec Trends 2020 report focused, among other things, on the popularity of disinformation related to COVID-19 in Central and Southeast Europe shows that the V4 countries have largely been hit by conspiracy theories. According to the report, 29 % of Hungarians; 36 % of both Poles and Slovaks; and even 43 % of Czechs all believe that the public authorities exaggerate the official number of COVID-19 cases.

Recommendations

As proven in other democratic countries, an effective strategy for countering disinformation is indispensable. COVID - 19 disinformation is a major issue tackled not only in the Czech Republic, but also, in the wider context, in countries sharing the same democratic values. In this case, sharing good practices among these states is needed as well as assertiveness from Czech representatives. The COVID - 19 disinformation debunking website - created by the Czech Ministry of Health - should be updated regularly to serve as an authoritative source of information and best practices, responding to  the most impactful disinformation in real time. Moreover, there should be better advertising to debunk COVID - 19 hoaxes using not only MZCR’s website, but also social media like Facebook. Last but not least, clear, coordinated strategic communication is crucial.

Facebook should expand the list of disinformation related to COVID - 19 that should be deleted from its website after being debunked by independent fact-checkers, or at least flag it as a hoax/disinformation. While Facebook already deletes disinformation about COVID - 19 vaccines; vaccines in general during the pandemic; and false origins of coronavirus, it should also focus on disinformation about the allegedly exaggerated number of COVID - 19 cases and non - existing pandemic .

This newsletter includes outputs from the project of the European Values Center for Security Policy focused on training non-governmental sector representatives, including investigators and bloggers from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. More information can be found on our website.