DISINFO: Western media silent as US policeman kills peaceful Capitol Hill protester

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

  • Outlet: radiovesti.ru ( archive, original )
  • Date of publication: August 28, 2021
  • Article language(s): Russian
  • Countries / regions discussed: US, EU, UK

DISINFO: Western media silent as US policeman kills peaceful Capitol Hill protester

SUMMARY

During the 6 January protests on US Capitol Hill, a policeman shot and killed a young protester by the name of Ashley Babbitt. The US authorities have ruled the police officer's actions to be lawful.

This decision has not elicited any reaction whatsoever from the EU, the UK Foreign Office, the International Democrat Union, Freedom House, the National Endowment for Democracy, BBC, Reuters, CNN, Deutsche Welle, or any other propaganda outlets.

The policeman killed a peaceful, unarmed protester. This only shows what the Anglo-Saxon colonisers think of human life, and that the only see the concept of "humanism" as an instrument of political manipulation.

RESPONSE

The claim advances a recurring pro-Kremlin narrative which seeks to paint the West's approach to human rights as hypocritical and marred by double standards, as well as cast Western "mainstream media" as subservient to their respective governments.

Ashli Babbitt, a participant in the storming of the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, was part of a group of rioters who attempted to enter the House chamber despite repeated warnings by law enforcement officers. Upon breaking through a glass door and entering the Speaker's Lobby, Babbitt was shot in the shoulder and transported to a hospital, where she died of the injuries she sustained.

The decision to not prosecute the officer who shot Babbitt was based on testimony by several experts and video footage indicating that Babbitt's actions posed an immediate risk of serious bodily harm either to officers or lawmakers.

See here for detailed debunking by Politifact.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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