EU state’s leader celebrates online troll movement founded by Holocaust denier (VIDEO)
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas addressed the first real-life gathering of the pro-Kiev online troll army ‘NAFO’ on Saturday, celebrating its work in “the information war” against Russia.
Founded by Kamil Dyszewski – a Polish Hitler-admiring anti-Semite who has showered praise on white-supremacist terrorists who committed mass shootings – NAFO has cheered the deaths of Russian civilians and fundraised for people accused of war crimes. Dyszewski has a lengthy history of posts praising Nazi Germany, insulting Jews, and denying the Holocaust.
An acronym for ‘North Atlantic Fellas Organization’, ‘NAFO’ is a collective of internet users easily identified by their use of Shiba Inu avatars and their fanatical support for the Ukrainian military. Referring to themselves as ‘Fellas’, NAFO trolls can be found on social media spreading Kiev’s talking points, ganging up to swarm polls and demand the censorship of pro-Moscow accounts, and soliciting donations for the Georgian Legion, a foreign mercenary group whose leader has admitted to multiple war crimes in Ukraine.
Some pro-Ukraine commentators have argued that the group’s online activities – including the open mockery of a Russian civilian killed by a shark in Egypt – are counterproductive to the Ukrainian cause.
I also see you trying to whitewash holocaust denial as an "edgy post"This isn't a reference Jewish people I know/accounts I follow to make me not seem anti-semitic situation. You can just choose to not defend and support holocaust deniers like Kama. pic.twitter.com/wMtPo6Hqtq
— Js (@SellJo99) November 4, 2022
The group held its first real-life “summit” in Vilnius on Saturday, mirroring the NATO event which starts in the Lithuanian capital on Tuesday.
Kallas, who described herself last year as one of the “fellas,” addressed a darkened room of keyboard warriors by video link. NAFO, she said, serves as an example of how to fight “Russian disinformation and bad takes with good humor, intelligence, and enthusiasm.”
Greetings to #NAFOfellas at the first-ever #NAFOSummit in Vilnius.#NAFO is a living example of how to disarm Russian disinformation with humour, intelligence and enthusiasm. Behind every Fella is a real person who believes in #Ukraine’s victory.Thank you for your service. pic.twitter.com/VWOkAe3udr
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) July 8, 2023
“Keep fighting the good fight,” she told the crowd, concluding that “NAFO expansion is non-negotiable, and Ukraine will win.”
NAFO has grown into an internet-wide phenomenon over the last year, counting US Congressman Adam Kinzinger, Ukrainian Defense Minister Aleksey Reznikov, British Defense Minister Ben Wallace, and a host of Western analysts and spies as ‘Fellas.’ This membership roll has fueled speculation that the group is tied to Western intelligence agencies.
Kallas was not the only NATO politician to address Saturday’s “summit.” The meeting opened with a speech from Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis, and its organizers received a shoutout on Twitter from the Ukrainian government. Viewers noted that a blown-up shark on the stage near Landsbergis was an apparent nod to NAFO’s cruel mockery.
According to NAFO’s official Twitter account, the event raised $3,000 for various Ukrainian military and civilian organizations.
