Politico Europe reports:
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, Booba — one of France’s most popular rap artists, with an online audience of millions — spread wild claims about COVID-19. But since late February, the French musician has shifted gears to another global crisis: the war in Ukraine. And in post after post, Booba [photo], who canceled a sponsorship deal with Puma after the German company pulled out of Russia, has shared content with his 5.6 million Twitter followers aligned with pro-Kremlin talking points.
The rapper, whose real name is Élie Yaffa, is just a high-profile example of how Western anti-vaccine groups and conspiracy theorists have shifted quickly from parroting falsehoods about the global pandemic to peddling misinformation about the war, often from Moscow’s viewpoint. QAnon-affiliated websites suggest Russia invaded its Western neighbor to weed out child sexual abusers — a central mantra of that conspiracy theory framework.
Read the full article.
Russia’s invasion of its European neighbor has taken the world’s attention off the pandemic, leaving those deeply involved in online conspiracy theories pivoting from COVID to the war in Ukraine to keep their online audiences interested and engaged. https://t.co/X8ZQ8hbxbD
— POLITICOEurope (@POLITICOEurope) March 18, 2022