Russia Is Exploiting American White Supremacy Over and Over Again
Russia’s troll army was not interested in stirring up generic ‘chaos’ in America. The Kremlin is strategically tapping into the inexhaustible fuel source of white grievance.
Spencer Ackerman
10.04.18 6:25 PM ET
Not many Russians are likely to understand a shotgun formation or the strategy behind not punting on fourth down. But between September and December 2017, social-media accounts now associated with the Kremlin-backed troll farm known as the Internet Research Association (IRA) showed a sudden interest in the National Football League. And like the Americans its accounts emulated, the IRA didn’t need any familiarity with football for its purposes.
“NFL Supports BLM After 5 Dallas Cops Were Murdered During a Protest,” tweeted one now-suspended account, @ANIIANTRS, on September 24. BLM is a reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, and the slayings the tweet referenced were over a year old at that point. @ANIIANTRS wouldn’t let any interest in week-three games derail its messaging. That same day it tweeted: “NFL Star Ray Lewis Linked to MURDER But Takes A Knee Against ‘Police Brutality.’”
The next week, a different IRA account, @PAMELA_SHARKY13, expressed displeasure with the Rams’ then-cornerback Marcus Peters. “Marcus Peters sits during the anthem after a national tragedy. Congrats on being a piece of shit!” wrote the account's Russian operator.
The background for the tweets was a coordinated social justice protest by NFL players. The protest was begun by Colin Kaepernick, who was quickly supported by his then-49ers teammate Eric Reid, and saw mostly black players "take a knee" during the National Anthem in a silent but visible protest calling attention to police killings of of African-Americans. The protesters' demand was minimal—black people deserve not to be executed by police; police do not deserve impunity for those executions—but sparked a massive reaction from a white audience and power structure incensed at being called to confront a life-or-death issue up close. The backlash enjoyed vocal support from the president of the United States, whose repeated outrage over the protests led the largely white ownership of the NFL’s teams to institute a policy of fining players for taking an on-field knee, one that remains in limbo amidst negotiations with the players’ union. Less officially, it led to teams banning Kaepernick and Reid from suiting up as a deterrent.
All this genuine white American outrage looked, to Moscow, like an opportunity. In fact, it looked like an extension of the same propaganda opportunity the Kremlin and its allies had already capitalized upon the previous year.
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