Last weekend, Labour MP – and according to many, would-be leadership challenger – Yvette Cooper gave a speech to the Fabian Society that fit perfectly with number four of the six ‘desperation tactics’ that leading Labour sources told the SKWAWKBOX were likely to be used by ‘moderates’ to try to undermine Jeremy Corbyn.
Since those tactics were predicted 3 weeks ago, we’ve now almost seen the full set.
After her speech, Ms Cooper tweeted about her speech and the supposed abuse it had generated:
The tweet, which was widely shared, also fit perfectly with tactic number four, i.e:
The SKWAWKBOX makes no assertion that Ms Cooper did any of this with the intention of following such a plan, but the net effect was a perfect fit with the tactics that senior Labour sources predicted.
In her article, Ms Cooper linked to three screenshots of tweets to her or about her speech. One – the only one sent in direct response to one of her tweets, as the others were about rather than to her – stood out as being particularly offensive, especially in the context of a revival of last year’s unevidenced antisemitism smear:
‘Final solution’ was, of course, the euphemism used by the Nazis for the holocaust and is therefore extremely disturbing.
If it’s real.
But as Twitter user @I_Sharajsha pointed out, the account that made that tweet is what is known as a ‘sock puppet’ – a fake account set up for the purposes of creating a false impression:
And it’s a well-known one.
‘Wesley Brown’, the supposed sender of the deeply offensive tweet, does not exist – at least not the person the Twitter account claims to represent. The account purports to be that of an aide to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn:
Corbyn has no such adviser.
This is not the first time ‘Wesley Brown’ has been used to create a false impression of antisemitism. On one occasion, its earlier manifestation even fooled the Israeli government:
That article dates back to November 2015, while account highlighted by Ms Cooper was set up in May 2016. It appears that when it was exposed, the account was deleted and then subsequently recreated. But it has a persistent and very repetitive history, across a significant time-period, of making the same antisemitic tweets to try to create the false impression that a Corbyn adviser is doing it:
Occasionally there are variations, among other seemingly-innocuous tweets clearly designed to make the account appear real. This one appears more than once:
Nor is ‘Wesley Brown’ its only manifestation. It is also linked to an account variously named ‘Darren Grintz’ or ‘Dennis Grintz’. The two retweet each other and tweet identical antisemitic messages:
The ‘Grintz’ account follows a similar pattern to ‘Brown’ – this time claiming to be an aide to Corbyn ally and leader of the Unite union, Len McCluskey:
Unite have confirmed that McCluskey has no such aide. The gentleman in the profile image, as far as can be ascertained, is a beard enthusiast from Portland, Oregon. The ‘Darren’ manifestation of the fake account uses a picture of a similar but different red-bearded man.
These are fairly sophisticated fakes, with innocuous tweets mixed with the inflammatory ones, over a long period of time.
Did Yvette Cooper know she was using ‘fake news’ to attack left-wing Labour supporters? The SKWAWKBOX tends to think not, as it would be foolish to use a known fake account if you knew it was fake.
But while she may not have realised that she was using a fake account, it is nonetheless a very pertinent example of the effort being expended to set up and populate carefully-constructed fake accounts with the clear, specific and premeditated intention of smearing the left with allegations of antisemitism, misogyny and other evils.
And all with virtually zero attention or mention by mainstream media that seem more than ready to treat them as real.
Yvette Cooper’s office was contacted for comment. A spokeswoman said,
Yvette’s challenging abuse and aggression wherever it comes from – that’s the point.
It doesn’t matter who they are, we should oppose them and call them out. Deliberate and anonymous trolling is part of the problem.
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It is possible to deduce from the content of these tweets that the person posting them is either a Conservative or a member of Progress or a similar right wing organisation.
If it is a person associated with the Progress organisation and they are also a member of the Labour Party then they will need to be identified and expelled from the Labour Party.
Cooper is well out of her depth. A super light weight of a politician who has been ineffective in all she has attempted. Self overrated and driven by silly ambition she is now embarrassing herself with this amateur night performance.
Yes, indeed.
‘Mizz’ balls couldn’t even best may when shadowing her as perhaps the worst home sec the country’s seen.
Beyond me (other than the rosette) why people would vote for that. People seen through her ‘professional weirdo’ husband, they ought to get wise to her.
YEVETTE COOPER.
I FOR ONE LISTEN TO YOU EVERYTIME YOU APPEAR ON TV IF I DIDN’T KNOW ANYBETTER I WOULD THINK YOU WERE A TORY!
IN YOUR EVERYDAY WORK AS AN MP FOR LABOUR ON THE BACK BENCHES WHY WOULD YOU SIDE NAY NOT SIDE BUT MAKE STATEMENTS THAT WOULD MAKE A PROPER TORY SIT UP AND APPLAUD!
IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS TO KNOW THAT YOUR LEANINGS ARE TO THE RIGHT OF POLITICS!
STOP TRYING TO KID US THE INTELLIGENT, THAT YOU’RE ON THE WRONG SIDE!
I MAKE NO APOLOGIES FOR MY TRUTHFUL OBSERVATIONS.
Can’t their IPS address be found? I’m no computer geek, but online accounts CAN be tracked back, unless super-trolls?
I apologise for going off-topic but I felt it was important to draw British, particularly English, people’s attention to the latest manifestation of sectarian hatred by unionists and loyalists in northern ireland. Please remember these are the people who vote for the DUP, PM May’s right hand helpers. Thank you for your courteous attention https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2017/07/11/the-11th-night-belfast-2017/
Looks like Mr. & Mrs. Grintz must have had identical triplets. In April 2015 it was Dominic Grintz tweeting; also, the BBC would like to have a chat to Darren about his claim to be a BBC cameraman. https://bbcwatch.org/tag/darren-grintz/
It is too complicated for me but the fact is very simple and every MP and member of Labour Party should know and always keeps them reminding : Many new members and a huge number of new members, we (I’m one of them) joined Labour Party because Jeremy inspired by Jeremy. And Jeremy did a very good job extremely good job. Why are they (anti-cornyn) so unrealistic? What are they dreaming of? What their basic thoughts? In that case how we could trust their brain and attitude? What’s they want? Are they recalling thinking of Labour Party? All things basic thing is missing? They have to think about? Jeremy is the Labour Party Leader who proved him in the last general election and still going very steady and strong. Who else could challenge him. Total nonsense.
Kumiko-san, these people are what are commonly known as ‘blackguards’ (Pronounced ‘blaggards’)
The have very little discernible talent, other than to ingratiate themselves and get their feet under the table. Once that’s done, they want to prevent others from doing things that might detract from their comfortable life, no matter how insignificant it might be to them.
In essence, their attitude & demeanour is tory.
Is @dgrintz1 really paul ‘bad bootle meff’ nuttall in a bad fake beard?
GRintz/Brown (and other accounts) are run by a fascist, not a Tory or Progress member as suggested in a previous comment. He has been operating for 4/5 years, ie long before Corbyn even thought of standing. I have been battling him for most of that time, contacting any one who interacted with him, including, btw Cooper. I have sent messages and emails repeatedly to Labour HQ without a single acknowledgement. Indeed, I lost my original account @imonckton after contacting every single one of a Grintz account’s followers…for ‘targeted harrassment’.
There are several villains here. ‘Grintz’ himself; Twitter, who despite scores of complaints allow this bullshit to continue; and the right wing of the Labour Party who KNOWINGLY use Grintz tweets as propaganda against Corbyn, Momentum, or anyone else on the left. (A good example is Chris Bryant who used Grintz tweets despite me repeatedly giving him absolute evidence that they were fake)
Thank you for doing that. I’ve come across accounts like this and reported/contacted people the same way you have and yes the accounts still there and people still falling for them or using them knowingly, and it is so frustrating. Especially when you see these fake tweets being read out in parliament, and therefore on historical record, and being portrayed as Labour voters/members when they arent. MPs and journalists have created or helped fuel this mess and perpetuate it when they hold these fakes up as ‘examples’ of Labo u r. People who want to damage Labour see this as an opportunity and do it more and more. MPs and journalists should know bette r
I hope you pointed out the fakery to her
During the 2015 Labour leadership campaign, Cooper told the Guardian that she had been on lots of demonstrations in the 1980s none of which had actually achieved anything.
No evidence was produced for this ridiculous claim.
Demonstrations do achieve things–far more than Cooper has ever done.