Nationalists hopping the Great Firewall to attack Hong Kong protesters praised by Chinese state media
CCTV praises patriotic netizens on Facebook and Twitter while Xinhua and others pay blocked sites to promote anti-protest propaganda
Internet users in China aren’t supposed to access sites blocked by the Great Firewall. But now some are posting on social media sites banned in China -- and they’re being praised by state media.
As Hong Kong’s protests rumble on, internet users who hop over the Great Firewall to post patriotic messages or support for Hong Kong’s police aren’t getting punished, they’re getting praised by state media. And many state media outlets are also using Western social media sites themselves for paid propaganda campaigns.
Prime-time news program Xinwen Lianbo from state broadcaster CCTV recently praised two online groups for their campaigns spreading patriotic messages and support for Hong Kong police on foreign social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
“These days, from Fanquan girls to Diba netizens to overseas students, all forces that love China and love Hong Kong are coming together as a strong positive energy, taking care of Hong Kong and fervently supporting Hong Kong,” a CCTV anchor said in the segment.