DISINFO: White helmets are not a humanitarian organisation, but marauders
SUMMARY
The White helmets, behind the facade of the humanitarian brand, hides looting, robbery and direct complicity in terrorism.
RESPONSE
This is a recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative smearing the White Helmets while providing no evidence. TheWhite Helmets movement originated in Syria in 2012, when the first detachments of volunteer rescuers appeared in the territories outside of the control of Bashar al-Assad's troops. In 2014, volunteer teams merged into a national organisation, the Syrian Civil Defence, which is the official name of the White Helmets. Volunteers save people from the rubble after bombings, despite the danger of dying themselves as a result of repeated air strikes. Activists have documented the use of chemical weapons in Syria by the Assad government and allied forces. Because Russia is supporting Assad, the White Helmetshave become the target of an extensive Russiandisinformation campaign. The White Helmets are a staple topic of pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives on the Syrian civil war, having already been accused of numerous other provocations and war crimes including organ trafficking; aiding terrorist organisations; staging and/or perpetrating chemical attacks, sometimes with the help of Western intelligence agencies.