Propaganda drive by siege nations reaches abysmal levels

* Siege nations spending millions on fabricating fake newsThe propaganda war being run by the blockading countries against Qatar has reached such an abysmal level that Dubai TV has aired a false report claiming anti-government demonstrations took place in Doha, and alleged that troops — including soldiers from Turkey — sprayed teargas at protesters, Al Jazeera reported yesterday.Qatar’s government press office yesterday dismissed the report as “fake news” in a statement sent to Al Jazeera, a day after the broadcast which has now been circulated online.Monday’s report by the Emirati channel came as Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain continue air, sea and land blockade against Qatar. The trio alleges that Doha supports “terrorism”, a claim Qatar strongly denies. “This is just the latest example of fake news created by the blockading countries,” Saif al-Thani, director of Qatar’s government press office, told Al Jazeera. “The blockading countries are becoming increasingly desperate in their efforts to isolate Qatar because the international community has not been fooled by the smear campaign. They are now continuing their focus on public opinion; they are spending millions on creating fake news.”Doha-based Twitter user @JnAlMarri tweeted the clip of the false report, saying: “What does media in Qatar have to say about this? For God’s sake, who is willing to believe this?” His tweet has been shared almost 1,000 times.In the broadcast, reporter Maryam al-Awadhi says: “Turkish troops have been deployed on key street intersections of Doha, Qatar, in response to demonstrations by Qatari citizens.” The Dubai TV presenter claimed to base her reporting on “sources within the Qatari opposition”.A “curfew” was imposed on several parts of Doha after Qatari and Turkish troops fired tear gas at protesters, the report incorrectly claimed. A Qatari government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media, told Al Jazeera: “It is obvious that this report is fiction and is part of a bucket of lies the blockading countries have been spreading against Qatar.”Earlier this week, Qatar filed a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) after a Dubai-based Saudi-owned channel, Al Arabiya TV, aired a video animation showing a Qatar Airways passenger jet being shot down.