I recently noticed that Twitter accounts, with all the hallmarks of a troll operation, were attempting to discredit my work.
On Mon., Feb. 6, I reported for Redacted on how multiple mainstream media outlets, after months of uninterest in Jimmy ‘Barbecue’ Cherizier, the leader of Haiti’s G9 armed neighborhood federation, suddenly bombarded him with interviews requests. He declined to be interviewed by the AP, which has run propagandistic hit pieces on him before, yet they showed up at the entrance to his neighborhood, demanding he grant them an interview. He graciously relented, and the result was another hit piece, smearing him as a “gang leader.”
Al Jazeera and Sky News also published articles branding him as such.
Days later, the Canadian government, which is acting on behalf of the Biden administration, deployed military aircraft over Haiti. While the U.S. and Canada have sought to remain quiet about their plans for military intervention in Haiti, Ottawa publicly announced the overflight, suggesting that it wanted public attention.
The Canadian government press release specified that its mission was to “disrupt the activities of gangs” – using the exact same language that the aforementioned media outlets had used to describe Cherizier.
This suggested some coordination between the Canadian government and the media outlets, which would hardly be surprising given the warm relationship between Western intelligence agencies and the mainstream press. I reported on this apparent collusion for Redacted, where I am a correspondent.
As soon as that report was published, the trolls went to work.
What follows is a detailed exposé of that troll operation.
The first account that commented on my Redacted report, @JohnsonJrSaint, was created in January 2023, as Biden officials and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discussed military intervention during a summit in Mexico, and the Haitian government of de facto prime minister Ariel Henry signed a “memorandum of understanding” (MOU) with Canada to “strengthen the capabilities of the Haitian Police and facilitate cooperation.” Trudeau commented: “We’re all very aware that things could get worse in Haiti and that’s why Canada and partners, including the United States, are preparing various scenarios if it does start to get worse.”
I easily located the source of the “Johnson Junior Saint” troll’s profile photo on Unsplash.com, where it is listed under “Black people.”
The same troll account thanked Sébastien Carrière, Canada’s ambassador to Haiti, and Bob Rae, Canada’s representative at the UN.
Another troll named “Judith Samantha Louissaint” – @judithsamlouis – similarly thanked Carrière. This troll also accused me of “spreading fake nasty rumours and conspiracies about Canada’s effort to help Haiti.”
Like all of the others, it was created in January 2023 and took its profile photo from Unsplash.com.
On Feb. 8, the troll account thanked the Canadian military and said the intelligence it had gathered would help the Haitian National Police “end criminal violence”.
The account also hoped that an international invasion of Haiti would happen soon.
Another troll named “Jeff Michel” tweeted: “False accusations about the Canadian efforts to aid Haiti. How low of you Mister @dancohen3000. Another white man paid to spread misinformation and conspiracies.”
That comment was retweeted by seven other troll accounts.
A Google image source search revealed the origin of the @jeffmichel troll on Unsplash.com listed under “Black man Pictures.”
Similarly, the troll account @StanleyREtienne wrote that I was promoting a “conspiracy theory” and accused Russia of invading Haiti.
Another troll posing as “Myrlande Fabienne Simon” tweeted the Youtube link to my Redacted report, claiming to be in Haiti and saying that: “The consensus in the streets of Port-au-Prince is that of contentment with the Canadian military aircraft providing oversight and surveillance.”
The @MyrlandeFSimon account took its profile picture from the “Coachability Foundation” website.
Its first tweet is praising the MOU signed by the Canadian government and Haitian National Police.
Another troll posing as “Fabienne Roseline Julien” replied to the tweet of “Myrlande” on my Redacted report: “this channel only misinforms is just clickbait. It has already been verified with previous videos. Hopefully there will be a military force sent to #Haiti to help with security”.
The original tweet of “Myrlade” was promoted by several other trolls.
The trolls have also taken aim at popular accounts that oppose foreign intervention. One account told @JeanJacquesDes7, who explained that Mali just kicked out French troops, that its “story sounds really ridiculous.”
The left-wing media outlet Jacobin was also denounced by a troll account posing as “James Louis” – @J4mesLoui5 – who said “Canada is helping the police to restore order, the only country which is actually trying to help Haiti.”
They also have a political agenda beyond intervention. Numerous troll accounts promote the Haitian politician and former senator Jean Renel “Zokiki” Sénatus to replace Ariel Henry as prime minister. Many use the hashtag #senatuspm.
While most of the accounts have carefully hidden their ties, three accounts give away the game.
The troll account @EstherIGermain was created on Jan. 17, just before the MOU was signed. Its only follower is David Khazanski, the CEO of a firm called INKAS.
Khazanski is also the only follower of the troll accounts @MackensonSamue3 (whose photo also comes from Unsplash.com) and @JeffAGeorges.
INKAS is a private security firm based in Toronto. It works with NATO, the U.S. Defense Department, and Canada’s Department of National Defence.
INKAS sold armored vehicles to Haiti, some of which were delivered in October 2022 and were used to attack and break the G9’s blockade on the Varreux fuel terminal, which had been a key part of the nationwide resistance to IMF-imposed gas price hikes. I covered the INKAS-facilitated Haitian government counter-offensive from the ground in Port-au-Prince for Redacted.
When those vehicles were delivered, INKAS posted photos on Facebook with Haitian National Police Director General Frantz Elbé.
After the assault on the Varreux fuel terminal, INKAS posted on its Facebook page, “INKAS is doing important work in Haiti!”
On Jan, 24, 2023, after the MOU was signed, INKAS boasted on Facebook that its “fleet of vehicles in use by Haiti’s National Police have sustained countless (in the 1000’s) rounds from high-power ammunition.”
The INKAS troll operation is another element in the Canadian government’s attempt to manufacture consent for what former U.S. special envoy Dan Foote told me last year is an “imminent” invasion of Haiti.
With Canada acting as the Biden administration’s frontman, it is employing fifth-generation warfare – described as war of “information and perception” – and waging psychological operations, however clumsy, transparent, and ham-fisted, to influence public conversation in favor of military intervention.
At Redacted and Uncaptured Media, I’ve been working to expose this agenda.
The original version of this article was published on Dan Cohen’s Substack page at uncaptured.substack.com.
