Report: British Army Spied on Lockdown Critics

Image copyright: Alamy Stock Photo [via Daily Mail]

The Facts

  • The UK Ministry of Defense's (MOD's) 77th Brigade, which works to counter disinformation and other online activity deemed harmful to the UK, was reportedly used during the pandemic to monitor public social media posts criticizing the government's official COVID response.

  • According to a whistleblower who worked for the brigade during the lockdowns, the unit — whose goal is to deploy "non-lethal engagement... to adapt behaviors of adversaries" — went beyond the scope of foreign enemies and spied on British citizens.


The Spin

Establishment-critical narrative

The speech the military targeted wasn't inaccurate, only inconvenient to the government's authoritarian pandemic plans. The MOD took resources typically used for psychological warfare against foreign enemies and turned them against the British people. Academics, journalists, and politicians who simply questioned the ethics of COVID restrictions were treated like enemy combatants. This is full-on 1984.

Pro-establishment narrative

The claims made in this report are serious, which is why the government will conduct a serious investigation into the matter. That being said, it should be emphasized that the disinformation units discussed here were not in the business of censorship, only providing reliable alternative sources to the claims made on certain public health-related posts.


Establishment split

CRITICAL

PRO

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