An article on a fake online news outlet connecting Meta to Russia’s information operations blamed clashes on American college campuses on the Biden administration’s failures. Controlled by the Communist Party of China, a newspaper criticized the US for double standards regarding free speech during police crackdowns. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a cartoon depicting the arrest of a protestor resembling the Statue of Liberty, denouncing the imprisonment of freedom in the US. Russia, China, and Iran have exploited protests over the Gaza war to score political points abroad and inflame tensions within the US, with over 400 articles produced by state media in the past two weeks alone. While they have not provided direct support to the protests, they aim to portray the US as a country divided by social and political unrest.
Researchers are concerned that foreign influence operations may target the upcoming presidential election in November, seeking to exacerbate partisan tensions, undermine democracy, and foster isolationism. All three adversaries have engaged in propaganda and disinformation campaigns since the conflict over Gaza began in October, aiming to undercut the US and Israel while expressing support for Hamas or the Palestinians. The focus on campus protests has enabled these countries to shift their propaganda towards criticizing the Biden administration’s support for Israel, claiming it tarnishes the US’s international image and does not reflect popular sentiment domestically. The campaigns have been tracked by various research organizations, including Clemson University, NewsGuard, and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, highlighting attempts to exploit ongoing domestic crises for geopolitical gains.
Covert Chinese influence campaigns like Spamouflage have also targeted the protests, describing the US as totalitarian and criticizing the police response to student demonstrators. While there’s no direct evidence of organizing or provoking violence, the campaigns aim to highlight divisions exposed by the Gaza conflict in US public opinion and their potential impact on government policy. China’s critics within the US are being amplified by these influence operations, recalling past criticisms directed at China during protests in Hong Kong in 2019. China, Russia, and Iran have different motivations for their involvement in these activities but all benefit from narratives that damage global perceptions of the US.
State media in Iran has been particularly vocal in supporting Hamas and criticizing the police response to the protests, amplifying American commentators’ viewpoints. China has intensified its efforts to undermine the Biden administration by posing as American accounts critical of his policies and emphasizing that young people may not support him due to the protests. The three countries are united in highlighting narratives that tarnish the US’s global reputation. They have criticized the foreign aid package for Israel, Taiwan, and Ukraine passed by Congress, suggesting that the US is an unreliable ally and advocating for new partnerships with Russia and China. The Russian information operation Doppelgänger has posted content critical of the aid package, seeking to portray the US as abandoning Israel and suggesting alternative partnerships with other countries.
