Russia organized 2 sides of a TX protest & encouraged 'both sides to battle…

Source: Business Insider | November 1, 2017 | Natasha Bertrand

Russia organized 2 sides of a Texas protest and encouraged ‘both sides to battle in the streets’

Russian actors organized both anti-Islam and pro-Islam protests on May 21 in the exact same location using separate Facebook pages that were being operated out of a troll factory in St. Petersburg, the Senate Intelligence Committee revealed on Wednesday.

The Heart of Texas Facebook page, whose link to Russia was first reported by Business Insider, organized a rally at noon on May 21 at the Islamic Da’wesh Center in Houston, Texas, to “Stop Islamization of Texas.” The account paid to promote the event, which was viewed by about 12,000 people, according to committee chair Richard Burr.

Another Russia-linked account, United Muslims of America, effectively organized a counterprotest: At noon on May 21 at the Islamic Da’wesh Center in Houston, Texas, dozens of people showed up for a “Save Islamic Knowledge” rally.

As The Daily Beast reported in September, the United Muslims of America page was impersonating a real nonprofit organization. The group placed an ad targeting individuals in the Houston area that was viewed by more than 2,700 people, Burr said.

The committee released documents showing how the events were organized on Facebook:

texas russia Screenshot/Senate Intelligence Committee

“What neither side could have known was that Russian trolls were encouraging both sides to battle in the streets and create division between real Americans,”  Burr said on Wednesday during an open hearing with the general counsels of Facebook, Google, and Twitter.

“Ironically one person who attended stated: ‘The Heart of Texas promoted this event, but we didn’t see one of them,'” Burr said. “We now know why. It’s hard to attend an event in Houston, Texas when you’re trolling from a site in St. Petersburg, Russia.”

russia texas Screenshot/Senate Intelligence Committee

Burr said organizing and promoting these protests cost Russia “about $200.”

“Facebook enabled that event to happen,” he said. “I’m certain that our adversaries are learning from the Russian activities. … You must do better to protect the American people, and all of your users, from this kind of manipulation.”

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