Intimidation for Cash – Pro-Israel Disinformation Network Behind Anti-Palestinian Propaganda

July 2, 2024 Blog, News
Daniel Linden is the founder and director of the Zionist harrassment group 'Shirion Collective'. (Design: Palestine Chronicle)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

The expose about the “prime mover” behind the pro-Israel “disinformation” network, the Shirion Collective, by The Guardian newspaper brings to light the concerted campaign against pro-Palestine activists and organizations around the world.

According to the report, a tech entrepreneur named Daniel Linden who co-wrote a guidebook for OnlyFans users, is behind Shirion – an “online operation” that appeared on platforms such as X, Telegram and GoFundMe since late 2023.

It aimed to “coordinate the spread of pro-Israel and anti-Palestinian propaganda, and the harassment of pro-Palestinian protesters in the west,” the report said.

On X, Shirion describes itself as a “Surveillance Network” that is “Scraping digital fingerprints to aggressively track and expose antisemitism.”

The Shirion Collective “stands as a formidable Jewish surveillance group,” that since October 7, “has taken a staunch stance against hatred and bigotry, employing advanced digital tactics to shield the Jewish community.”

It calls upon “global allies” to join in “their defensive crusade” and says it is “relentless in its mission to expose and neutralize” what it deems to be “antisemitic elements.”

At “the heart” of its operations, the profile states is “the Maccabeen Project – a sophisticated AI-driven tool designed for modern digital warfare against antisemitism,” which uses “automated monitoring, reporting, and awareness-raising, especially in sensitive sectors.”

Linden set up Shirion’s crowdfunding efforts, reported The Guardian, and “appears to play a central role in operating the network’s social media accounts.”

‘Cash for Info’

In November 2023, Shirion began offering “bounties” for the identification of people involved in pro-Palestinian protests whom they characterized as antisemites, the report said.

A post on X read: “We now PAY CASH for GREAT insider information.”

“Wanted: Insiders Against Antisemitism,” it said, offering “rewards” including for “Politicians: $10,000”, “Professors: $1,000” and “Students: $500”.

“Help us unmask hidden antisemites,” the post urged.

Shirion has subsequently posted dozens of bounty offers and also “claimed to have paid out to people who have allowed them to identify their perceived opponents,” the Guardian said.

GoFundMe Campaigns

According to The Guardian, Shirion organized two GoFundMe fundraisers in April and May 2024 raising more than $57,000.

It had used funds to place trucks with big-screen monitors showing footage of the October 7 resistance operation near universities in various American cities. Representative Ilhan Omar criticized the action in Congress after it screened footage to the University of California, Los Angeles protest encampment, the report said.

It has frequently “celebrated police violence” against pro-Palestine protesters in the United States, as well as celebrated the deaths of Palestinians in Gaza, including that of journalists.

The Guardian said Shirion has also shared “conspiracy theories about Muslims, including one projecting a Muslim takeover of Europe.”

‘Outright Disinformation’

The network often “posts outright disinformation,” for example, captioning images and videos of pro-Palestinian protesters taking a lesson in Haitian martial arts “with the claim that they were ‘Practicing Slaughter Techniques on Jews’.”

Heidi Beirich, co-founder and chief strategy officer at the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, told The Guardian that although Linden’s “ideology seems very confused”, he was “spreading hateful messages.”

She reportedly said that “any time there is a protest movement or a mass mobilization, extremist actors will try to use it to their advantage, whether that’s to hijack the message or to make the situation more volatile”.

(The Palestine Chronicle)

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4 Comments

  1. Good that this Shirion Linden group is unmasked. Prayers for the Resistance to win this war vs these brutal illegal occupiers, looters and thieves of Palestinian land, people and resources.

  2. Ah well, as it happens, since the conflation thus confusion of anti-Zionism with antisemitism has painted a ginormous target on the back of Jewish communities around the world, because they – just ordinary folk – are being confused with Israel’s genocidal ethnic cleansing policies, it follows that if I point this out to said Shirion Collective (it really should be Shirion Defective) that Netanyahu and co are the worst hidden antisemites in the world, would I get my 61x$10 000 in reward? Or would that be substantially more?

    • Just noticed that the Shirion Collective “bounties list” has vanished from eX-Twitter. Gee, I wonder why that is? could it be they uphold the cowardice of their convictions? and run from any fight with anyone who’s saner? and more logical? Or perhaps they just don’t like being known as cowardly betrayers of the Jewish people …

  3. Continuing with my claim that the conflation of anti-Zionism with antisemitism paints a ginormous target on the backs of Jewish communities world-wide and is thus as antisemitic as all hell, let us consider the US, where this is widespread. USD $10 000 bounty per politician. if 75% of each state legislature plus the federal one, is making this confusion, then from 75% of 203 Georgia HseReps to 40 Alaska HseReps, x 50, + 75% of 435 US HseReps, you wind up with a pretty sizeable sum. Rinse and repeat for UK, EU – separate and combined, Australia, Canada, etc, and Daniel Linden and the Shirion Collective owe me a substantial sum of money. I don’t know why they’re not grateful.

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