How a chef, a tweet and 45,000 people humiliated The Daily Mail [TWEETS]

The Daily Mail logo altered to read 'Daily Fail'


Support us and go ad-free

The Daily Mail recently reported on inflammatory statements made by ex-US secretary of state Henry Kissinger about North Korea. But a chef, a tweet and 45,000 people swiftly disgraced the tabloid over its reporting on the “mass murderer“.

Tempting

Kissinger hit the headlines at the end of January for saying that the “temptation” to hit North Korea with a nuclear first strike was “strong”. He also asserted that the argument for doing so was “rational”.

The Daily Mail covered Kissinger’s comments on 2 February. But it relayed the remarks from the “legendary U.S. diplomat” to its readers without essential context. Namely, it failed to provide any background information about Kissinger that might explain why he appears so eager to start a nuclear war.

Well-known US chef Anthony Bourdain, however, did offer up such information via Twitter. And over 45,000 people have liked his brief but powerful account on Kissinger:

Criminal

As Bourdain’s statement suggests, Kissinger is an infamous architect of war. The former official was a supporter of, and in some cases a co-conspirator in, installing military dictatorships across Latin America in the 1970s. And Kissinger propped up the Shah of Iran until his ousting in the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

He also executed Richard Nixon’s bombing campaign in Cambodia. That secret and illegal campaign potentially claimed millions of lives. Many of these people died as a result of the estimated 500,000 tonnes of bombs Kissinger had dropped on the country. 1.7 million others perished under the brutal, genocidal regime – the Khmer Rouge – that prospered in the chaos the US bombers left behind. After that regime seized control of Cambodia, Kissinger said:

tell the Cambodians [Khmer Rouge] that we will be friends with them. They are murderous thugs, but we won’t let that stand in our way.

Propaganda

Given that Kissinger has made a career out of taking action that resulted in the deaths of huge swathes of people, it’s no wonder he thinks nuking North Korea is “rational”. But The Daily Mail doesn’t divulge this to its readers. Instead, it portrays Kissinger as “legendary” and a “veteran diplomat”. And in doing so, it makes readers think that Kissinger is providing prudent reasoning that shouldn’t be ignored.

But Kissinger’s history shows he’s the last person people should listen to on matters of such momumental importance. Because as Bourdain says, he’s a “treacherous, prevaricating, murderous scumbag” to whom we shouldn’t give the time of day.

Get Involved!

– Take action with the Stop the War Coalition.

– Join The Canary if you appreciate the work we do.

Featured image via Kerry-anne Mendoza

Support us and go ad-free

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us

Comments are closed