In right-wing American circles and especially among fans of former President Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson (53), star presenter on the right-wing TV channel Fox News, has become very popular. About a week ago, he targeted Switzerland — spreading conspiracy theories.
As the “Berner Zeitung” reports, Carlson switched commentator Candace Owens to his show on Fox News. This reported on alleged real estate purchases by Ukrainian politicians in Switzerland. The billions in investment was made possible by US financial support, Owens claimed.
The commentator said, among other things, that Russians in Switzerland had to evacuate their homes because of the sanctions. Then Ukrainians drove up in a Lamborghini and took over the houses. She described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (44) as someone who is sitting on the pocket of the welfare state.
False excerpts from the land register
Russian propaganda media such as “Russia Today” picked up on the coverage and spread the message on social media. It soon turned out that it was not only a false report, but also a deliberate scam.
Extracts from the Land Registry of the Bernese Oberland also appeared as alleged sources. According to the “Berner Zeitung” these are fake. For example, the addresses of the houses do not match those of the object number. The land register also described the extracts to the newspaper as “fraud”.
Owens is committed to Putin
According to Mykola Makhortykh, a researcher at the University of Bern, Russia uses characters like Carlson or Owens for their propaganda purposes. Many Russian propaganda channels have been blocked in recent months following the outbreak of war in the West. Now this propaganda is being spread with Western right-wing figures, says Makhortykh.
Incidentally, commentator Candace Owens, who spread the Swiss conspiracy, had identified herself as “Team Putin” even before the invasion. She tweeted at the time that the US and especially Joe Biden (79) wanted to start a war in Ukraine. (zis)