Paul McKeigue

Last updated

Paul McKeigue is a professor of genetic epidemiology and statistical genetics at the University of Edinburgh, a post he assumed in 2007. [1] [2] He is a signatory to the Great Barrington Declaration. [3] Earlier in his career, he was a professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and University College Dublin. [1]

Contents

McKeigue is a prominent member of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM). The SPM has gained attention and criticism for disputing the veracity of the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War. [4] [5] The first publication of the SPM, titled Doubts about "Novichoks", questioned whether Russia's secret nerve agent programme ever existed. [6] McKeigue has allegedly been involved with ties to Russian and Syrian governments and promoting a Douma chemical attack false flag theory.

Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media

McKeigue is a member of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media  (SPM). The SPM states that the group was established to "facilitate research into the areas of organised persuasive communication (including propaganda and information operations) and media coverage, with respect to the 2011-present conflict in Syria including related topics". [7] The first publication of the SPM, titled Doubts about "Novichoks", questioned whether Russia's secret nerve agent programme ever existed. [6]

Other members of the SPM include political scientist Tim Hayward, blogger Vanessa Beeley, former academic Piers Robinson, lecturer in International Relations Tara McCormack, and sociologist David Miller. [8] [7]

Douma chemical attack

The SPM wrote that the 2018 Douma chemical attack was staged by the White Helmets civil defence organisation. [9] The SPM published a paper, co-authored by McKeigue, in which a number of alternative theories about the attack in Douma were outlined. One SPM theory was that the White Helmets organisation had constructed gas chambers to kill citizens as part of an elaborate false flag scheme to lay blame for the deaths on the Syrian government. McKeigue had, “borrowed the gas chamber idea from a retired American pharmacologist, Denis O'Brien, who described in a self-published paper how it had come to him in a dream after he had eaten an anchovy pizza”. [10] [8] [7]

Russian covert intelligence

In March 2021, the BBC and The Times reported that McKeigue had been passing information about employees of the NGO Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) to a person he thought to be a Russian intelligence operative. McKeigue had an extended email correspondence with the person, who claimed to be based in Brussels and who went by the name "Ivan." In addition to voluntarily providing "Ivan" with information about CIJA's staff members, McKeigue wrote about the location of CIJA's archives in which the organisation preserves evidence of war crimes committed by the Russian and Syrian governments in the Syrian Civil War. [10] [11] McKeigue also urged "Ivan" to investigate Western journalists. [10] [11]

The purported Russian agent's emails had in fact been written by members of CIJA as part of a sting operation targeting McKeigue and the SPM. CIJA sought to expose the organisation's and its members' support of the Syrian and Russian governments through the creation of a fake Russian intelligence agent. McKeigue subsequently stated that he had apologised to those involved, and denied any wrongdoing or illegal activities. [12]

Russian OPCW diplomat

In April 2021, The Daily Beast reported that McKeigue and the SPM had direct contacts with Russian foreign ministry officials in four separate Russian embassies and that they were working in concert to support Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. During his communication with "Ivan," a person he believed to be a Russian intelligence operative, McKeigue indicated that WikiLeaks had put him in touch with Melinda Taylor, a lawyer connected with Julian Assange, to conduct 'lawfare' (meaning frivolous or harassing litigation) against the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). McKeigue said that he had worked with Stepan Ankeev of the Russian embassy in London to this end. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bashar al-Assad</span> President of Syria since 2000

Bashar al-Assad is a Syrian politician who is the current and 19th president of Syria since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the secretary-general of the Central Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, which nominally espouses a neo-Ba'athist ideology. His father and predecessor was General Hafiz al-Assad, whose presidency in 1971–2000 marked the transfiguration of Syria from a republican state into a de facto dynastic dictatorship, tightly controlled by an Alawite-dominated elite composed of the armed forces and the Mukhabarat, who are loyal to the al-Assad family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douma, Syria</span> City in Rif Dimashq, Syria

Douma is a city in Syria. Its centre is about 10 km (6 mi) northeast of the centre of Damascus. Being the capital of Rif Dimashq Governorate, the city is also the administrative centre of Douma District. Douma is a major city of the region known as Ghouta, for the peri-urban settlements to the east and south of Damascus.

There have been numerous reports of chemical weapons attacks in the Syrian Civil War, beginning in 2012, and corroborated by national governments, the United Nations (UN), the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and media organizations. The attacks occurred in different areas of Syria, including Khan al-Assal, Jobar, Saraqib, Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, Kafr Zita, Talmenes, Sarmin and Douma. The deadliest attacks were the August 2013 sarin attack in Ghouta, the April 2017 sarin attack in Khan Shaykhun and April 2018 Douma chemical attacks. The most common agent used is chlorine, with sarin and sulphur mustard also reported. Almost half of the attacks between 2014 and 2018 were delivered via aircraft and less than a quarter were delivered from the ground, with the remaining attacks having an undetermined method of delivery. Since the start of uprisings across Syria in 2011, Syrian Arab Armed Forces and pro-Assad paramilitary forces have been implicated in more than 300 chemical attacks in Syria.

MintPress News (MPN) is an American far-left news website founded and edited by Mnar Adley which was launched in January 2012 and also publishes the MintCast podcast. It covers political, economic, foreign affairs and environmental issues. Editorially, MintPress News supports Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, and the governments of Russia, Iran, and Syria. It opposes the governments of Israel and Saudi Arabia, and reports geopolitical events from an anti-Western perspective. In one article, MintPress News falsely asserted that the Ghouta chemical attack in Syria was perpetrated by rebel groups rather than by the Syrian government.

Bellingcat is a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group that specialises in fact-checking and open-source intelligence (OSINT). It was founded by British citizen journalist and former blogger Eliot Higgins in July 2014. Bellingcat publishes the findings of both professional and citizen journalist investigations into war zones, human rights abuses, and the criminal underworld. The site's contributors also publish guides to their techniques, as well as case studies.

The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission in Syria is a mission of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate some possible cases of the use of toxic chemicals in Syria during the civil war, including chlorine. The 21 August 2013 Ghouta chemical attack used sarin. The OPCW-Director General Ahmet Üzümcü announced the creation of the mission on 29 April 2014. This initial mission was headed by Malik Ellahi. The Syrian Government agreed to the Mission.

The Courage Foundation is an international organisation based in Germany, the UK and the US that supports whistleblowers and journalists by fundraising for their legal defence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maram Susli</span> Syrian-Australian YouTube personality

Maram Susli, also known as Mimi al-Laham, PartisanGirl, Syrian Girl and Syrian Sister, is a Syrian Australian conspiracy theorist, YouTube content creator, and political commentator who prepares videos on the Syrian Civil War, United States foreign policy in the Middle East, and the Gamergate controversy.

The White Helmets, officially known as Syria Civil Defence, is a volunteer organisation that operates in parts of opposition-controlled Syria and in Turkey. Formed in 2014 during the Syrian Civil War, the majority of the volunteers' activity in Syria consists of medical evacuation, urban search and rescue in response to bombing, evacuation of civilians from danger areas, and essential service delivery. As of April 2018, the organisation said it had saved about 114,000 lives, and that 204 of its members had lost their lives while performing their duties. They assert their impartiality in the Syrian conflict.

Melinda Taylor is an Australian criminal lawyer who was arrested and detained in Libya in 2012 after being assigned by the International Criminal Court to defend Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the son of Muammar Gaddafi.

During the Syrian Civil War, Russian and Syrian government forces have conducted a campaign that has focused on the destruction of hospitals and medical facilities within areas not under the control of the Syrian government. Russian and Syrian officials have repeatedly denied deliberately targeting medical facilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siege of Eastern Ghouta</span> 2013–2018 Syrian siege east of Damascus

The siege of Eastern Ghouta was a siege that was laid by Syrian Government forces in April 2013, to the area in eastern Ghouta held by anti-government forces since November 2012, during the Syrian civil war. The cities and villages under siege were Douma, Mesraba, Arbin, Hamouria, Saqba, Modira, Eftreis, Jisrin, as well as suburbs of Damascus Beit Sawa, Harasta, Zamalka, Ein Tarma, Hizzah and Kafr Batna. By 2016, around 400,000 people were trapped in an area just over 100 square kilometres in size, thus with a population density around 4,000 inhabitants/km2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal</span> 2018 attempted murder in Salisbury, England

The poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, also known as the Salisbury Poisonings, was a botched assassination attempt to poison Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence agencies in the city of Salisbury, England on 4 March 2018. Sergei and his daughter, Yulia Skripal, were poisoned by means of a Novichok nerve agent. Both spent several weeks in hospital in a critical condition, before being discharged. A police officer, Nick Bailey, was also taken into intensive care after attending the incident, and was later discharged.

On 7 April 2018, a chemical warfare attack was launched by the forces of the government of Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian city of Douma. Medics and witnesses reported that it caused the deaths of between 40 and 50 people and injuries to possibly well over 100. The attack was attributed to the Syrian Army by rebel forces in Douma, and by the United States, British, and French governments. A two-year long investigation by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) concluded in January 2023 that the Syrian Air Force perpetrated the chemical attacks during its military campaign in Douma. On 14 April 2018, the United States, France and the United Kingdom carried out a series of military strikes against multiple government sites in Syria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">April 2018 missile strikes against Syria</span> Military strikes by US, UK, France against government sites in Syria

On 14 April 2018, beginning at 04:00 Syrian time (UTC+3), the United States, France, and the United Kingdom carried out a series of military strikes involving aircraft and ship-based missiles against multiple government sites in Syria during the Syrian Civil War. The strikes were a reprisal for the Douma chemical attack against civilians on 7 April, widely attributed to the Syrian government. The Syrian government called the airstrikes a violation of international law.

Piers Gregory Robinson is a British academic researcher in the field of media studies. He is also a co-director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies and a founder of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM). He has authored a number of publications on the CNN effect. He has attracted criticism for disputing the use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War.

Nawaf Essam Ahmad Obaid is a Saudi Arabian political scientist, and a former foreign policy & media advisor. He currently serves as the CEO of the Essam & Dalal OBAID Foundation (EDOF) in Geneva, a Commissioner at the Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA) in The Hague, and a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Department of War Studies at King's College London.

Vanessa Beeley is a British activist and blogger known for sharing conspiracy theories and disinformation about the Syrian civil war and about the Syrian volunteer organisation the White Helmets.

The Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (SPM) is a controversial group of academics and activists whose stated purpose is to study propaganda and information operations surrounding the Syrian civil war. It was formed by environmental political theory professor Tim Hayward and former academic Piers Robinson in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Indicter</span>

The Indicter, established in Sweden 2005, is an online monthly magazine published in English. It focuses on issues of geopolitics and human rights and its editorial line is liberal to left-wing. Material published by the Indicter has been the subject of international controversy; in 2017 it published an analysis which became an official document at the UN Security Council.

References

  1. 1 2 "Paul McKeigue". University of Edinburgh. 23 March 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  2. "Professor Paul McKeigue". Scottish Informatics Programme. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  3. Williams, Martin (8 October 2020). "The science? - The Scots-based academics among key experts calling for 'life as normal' using Covid herd immunity". The Herald. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  4. "Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda". PBS NewsHour. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  5. "Syria: on academic freedom and responsibility". openDemocracy. Retrieved 22 February 2021.
  6. 1 2 Keate, Georgie; Kennedy, Dominic; Shveda, Krystina; Haynes, Deborah (14 April 2018). "Apologists for Assad working in British universities". The Times. ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 22 November 2020.(subscription required)
  7. 1 2 3 "About". Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media. 25 January 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  8. 1 2 Blanchard, Georgie; Keate, Sam (28 May 2020). "To say Douma attack was staged is to enter an Orwellian world". The Times. Retrieved 6 July 2020.(subscription required)
  9. "Mysterious death of White Helmets co-founder spotlights toxic propaganda". PBS NewsHour. 24 December 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Hadjimatheou, Chloe (26 March 2021). "The UK professor and the fake Russian agent". BBC News. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  11. 1 2 Kennedy, Dominic (26 March 2021). "Edinburgh professor gave names to fake Russia spy". The Times. Retrieved 26 March 2021.(subscription required)
  12. Beaumont, Peter; Graham-Harrison, Emma (28 March 2021). "The UK professor, a fake Russian spy and the undercover Syria sting". The Observer. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  13. Weiss, Michael; Goldsmith, Jett (20 April 2021). "Syria Chemical-Attack Deniers Admit Links to WikiLeaks and Russia". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  14. Weiss, Michael; Goldsmith, Jett (20 April 2021). "How an Email Sting Operation Unearthed a pro-Assad Conspiracy—and Russia's Role In It". Newslines. Retrieved 20 April 2021.