It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Wednesday, November 09, 2022
US midterm elections: Women, LGBTQ and black candidates break barriers
Across the country, women, LGBTQ and Black candidates broke barriers as part of a new generation of politicians elected to governor's offices and seats in Congress.
The number of women serving as governors will hit double digits for the first time in 2023, with at least 12 women set to lead states.(AP)
A Massachusetts Democrat is the country’s first openly lesbian candidate to be elected to the office of governor. In Maryland, voters elected the state's first Black governor. Vermont will finally send a woman to Congress, after being the only state not to ever have female representation in the House.
Across the country, women, LGBTQ and Black candidates broke barriers as part of a new generation of politicians elected to governor's offices and seats in Congress.
The number of women serving as governors will hit double digits for the first time in 2023, with at least 12 women set to lead states. Ten had already won their races; two other races had not been decided but featured women candidates in both parties.
The U.S. has never had more than nine female governors in office at a time, a record set in 2004, according to the Center for American Women and Politics. The new record numbers mean nearly one fourth of the country's states will be run by women. The party majority for female governors is still not clear.
One of the winners, Maura Healey, is the first woman to be elected to Massachusetts' top post and also makes history by becoming the country's first openly lesbian candidate to be elected governor. If Democrat Tina Kotek wins Oregon's gubernatorial race, where The Associated Press has not declared a winner, she may join Healey in making history as a lesbian candidate elected governor.
Maryland voters chose Democrat Wes Moore, who will be the state's first Black governor. He is only the third Black candidate in the country to be elected governor.
Moore, a combat veteran, led one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations and campaigned on creating equal opportunity for his state residents. He flips a governor’s office from Republican to Democratic. The current Republican Gov. Larry Hogan is term limited.
Florida, meanwhile, is sending the first member of Gen Z to Congress, with the comfortable victory of Democrat Maxwell Frost, a 25-year-old Black man with Cuban heritage.
Frost campaigned on gun control and Medicare for all and secured high-profile endorsements from progressive U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. The seat had been left open when Val Demings decided to run for Senate but Florida’s 10th District, which includes the Orlando area, is reliably Democratic.
Vermont has already had a female governor but it is the only state that has never sent a woman to Congress. Democrat Becca Balint, president of the Vermont Senate, will reach that milestone and also become the first openly gay person to fill the state’s single seat in the U.S. House.
Details on some other notable firsts:
- First female governor of Arkansas
Sarah Huckabee Sanders will become the first woman governor of Arkansas. Sanders, a Republican, rose to prominence when she served as White House press secretary for former President Donald Trump between 2017 and 2019. Her victory also makes her the first daughter of a former governor to fill the position held by her father. Mike Huckabee was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.
- Pennsylvania elects its first Black congresswoman
Democratic state representative Summer Lee’s victory in the state’s 12th District makes her Pennsylvania ’s first Black congresswoman. The Pittsburgh-based House seat was open after Mike Doyle announced his retirement.
- Illinois elects its first Latina congresswoman
Delia Ramirez, a Democrat, defeated Republican Justin Burau to represent Illinois’ 3rd District, in Chicago. Ramirez, 39, was the first Guatemalan American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly.
Somali American Women Score Wins in US Midterm Elections
Democratic Congresswoman Ilhan Omar speaks to supporters at an election night party after winning reelection early Wednesday morning, Nov. 9, 2022, in St. Paul, Minnesota.
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA —
At least seven Somali-American women won races in Tuesday’s U.S. midterm elections, results show. Ilhan Omar, the most prominent Somali American politician, won re-election for her U.S. House of Representatives seat in Minnesota’s 5th district. This will be the third term for Omar, who was first elected in 2018.
In Minnesota state races, Somali immigrant Zaynab Mohamed was elected to the state Senate, becoming the first African American woman elected to the chamber. Meanwhile, Hodan Hassan defended her seat in the state House of Representatives.
Other Somali American women running for offices in Minnesota achieved victory, including Fathia Feerayarre, who won a seat on the Minneapolis school board.
In Maine, Deqa Dhalac, who made history last year as the first Somali American mayor for a U.S. city, South Portland, has now been elected to the State House after handily defeating Republican opponent Michael Dougherty. Mana Abdi who was running unopposed for a seat representing Lewiston, Maine, joins her in the House.
In Ohio, Munira Abdullahi and Ismail Mohamed, a man, won seats in the state House.
Minnesota and Ohio have the largest Somali American populations in the U.S.
Speaking to her supporters Tuesday night, Omar highlighted the significance of victories achieved by Somali American women.
“There was a time when we believed that women with a hijab could not get elected,” she said. “Tonight, Minnesota is electing three new women who are wearing hijab. That shows if you trust in yourself, if your people trust you, stand with you, everything is possible.”
Zaynab Mohamed, one of the hijab-wearing Minnesota winners, expressed hope that more Somali Americans will run for office.
“I’m very happy with this victory tonight, thank God,” she told VOA Somali. “This is a victory for me, for my family and for the Somali people. God willing, a lot of men and women will follow me and will come through.”
Shukri Olow who lost a state House seat outside Seattle, Washington, told VOA Somali that she was inspired to run by the women before her, including Omar, Hassan and Dhalac.
In an interview with VOA Somali, Dhalac confirmed that when she visited Washington in 2018, Olow asked her questions about running for office.
“She said she wanted to run for the open seats in her area or seats that will be open in the future in Washington State,” Dhalac recounted. “I encouraged her to do it. Many women say we will do this, we will do this tomorrow, we will do this next year. I said to her if you want to compete, just to do it.”
The success of Somali American women is in stark contrast to the female aspirants for elected office in Somalia.
Female politicians in Somalia are so disenfranchised that male politicians had to allocate a specific quota in parliament. But still women were never given the opportunity to get the 30% quota promised.
In 2016, Somali women got 24% of the 329 seats in the two houses of parliament. In 2022, female candidates only secured 20%, well short of the 30% quota.
The only female candidate who contested the May 15 presidential election, Fawzia Yusuf Haji Adam, got just a single vote — her own.
“I did not get the support I'm sure [Somali American women] are getting when they stand [for office] because here the culture and other factors are causing that people do not get encouragement,” she said.
Adam welcomed the success of Somali American women.
“This is a victory for Somali women in the diaspora,” she said. “I congratulate them, I encourage them, and we are proud of them.”
She said women in the diaspora, including those in the United States, Europe, and Canada, have opportunities that women in Somalia do not have.
“What made it possible is, first the places they live in, where men and women are viewed equally, where they get encouragement from the schools, from the university, and from the parents, and they can see achievements by other women,” she said.
“However, you feel encouraged you need support. But over there, the neighborhood they live in is going to elect them when they see the person is trustworthy, honest, working and is clean. White and Black would vote for that.”
U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar speaks to a crowd early morning Wednesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, after winning re-election to represent Minnesota’s 5th district. She is the most prominent of several Somali-American candidates to win on election night.
WASHINGTON —
With control of Congress still undecided a day after the U.S. midterm elections, African leaders and political analysts are closely watching for signs of what impact the outcome could have on the continent.
African analysts say their biggest concern is how this contentious poll could affect U.S. standing around the world — especially in African nations that have seen democratic backsliding.
There are also economic concerns over how the U.S. responds to rising inflation around the world. Wednesday trading showed that African markets were closely watching the impact on the most popular U.S. export: the dollar.
On a more personal level, communities in the U.S. and in Africa celebrated wins by American candidates of African origin, and bid goodbye to two retiring senators who took a deep interest in the continent.
U.S. democracy matters abroad
African political analyst Ebenezer Obadare told VOA that policymakers on the continent were most focused on possible fallout that could affect Washington’s global standing.
“Political polarization in the U.S. — and the subsequent ripples — has deepened anxiety about the prospects of democracy globally,” said Obadare, an analyst from the Council on Foreign Relations. “For one thing, many African policymakers are worried that, depending on the outcome, the U.S. may not be in a situation to pursue the goals outlined in the recently launched U.S. strategy towards sub-Saharan Africa.”
In August, the Biden administration launched that strategy saying it “welcomes and affirms African agency and seeks to include and elevate African voices in the most consequential global conversations.”
Obadare says he’s more worried about the U.S. losing its own voice amid divisive political rhetoric or politically motivated unrest.
“Right now, much more than material support for transitioning countries, Africa needs the U.S. itself to remain democratic,” Obadare said. “There is genuine worry that if the elections get messy or are inconclusive, the U.S. might lose its gravitas and the moral authority to intervene in the political process in Africa and other developing regions.” African wins
The midterms saw wins by multiple candidates of African origin, which were welcomed in both the diaspora community and on the continent.
Those include at least eight female Somali-American candidates who, along with one Somali-American man, won national and local-level races in Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio and Maine; at least eight Nigerian-American candidates who won in Georgia and the District of Columbia; and others with close ties to the continent, such as Democratic Rep. Joe Neguse of Colorado, who is the son of Eritrean immigrants.
The most prominent of those victors is Somalia-born Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, who was handily re-elected to her seat in Minnesota’s 5th district.
Her success abroad stands in stark contrast to her counterparts in Somalia, such as Fawzia Yusuf Haji Adam, the only female presidential candidate who contested the nation’s May 15 election. She got only one vote — her own.
“This is a victory for Somali women in the diaspora,” Adam said. “I congratulate them, I encourage them, and we are proud of them.” Goodbye to some Africa hands
The midterms also saw the departure of two retiring Republican senators who have taken an interest in Africa: Senators Jim Inhofe, of Oklahoma, and Rob Portman of Ohio.
Inhofe recently concluded his final congressional trip to the continent, in which he visited Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda. He said he was confident that the continent would continue to receive attention from U.S. lawmakers.
“It is bittersweet to visit Africa one last time before my departure from the U.S. Senate,”Inhofe said, urging continued U.S. military presence in East Africa.
“The presence of U.S. military across Africa, while small, means a great deal to our friends and is a worthwhile investment for the United States. In each country, it was clear that a strong and robust relationship with the United States has helped spur economic growth and regional stability across the continent. I have faith that my colleagues in the House and Senate will continue the U.S.-Africa friendship long after I have retired from the Senate.”
Overall, said Mvemba Phezo Dizolele, director of the Africa Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, this election won’t negatively affect U.S. engagement. He cited what he described as “strong supporters of Africa” in the committees on Foreign Relations and Appropriations, such as Sens. Chris Coons, James Risch and Lindsey Graham.
“Overall, the midterms will not change much with regard to U.S. engagement with Africa,” he said. “Africa will continue to command a bipartisan engagement in the foreseeable future both in the lower chamber and the Senate.”
Harun Maruf contributed to this report.
Maxwell Alejandro Frost Elected as First Gen Z Member of Congress
The Associated Press projects the 25-year-old easily won his race for Florida's District 10, which includes Orlando
Maxwell Frost.PHOTO: STEPHEN M. DOWELL/ORLANDO SENTINEL/TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE VIA GETTY
Florida House candidate Maxwell Alejandro Frost made history Tuesday, becoming the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress.
The Associated Press projects Frost easily won his race for Florida's District 10 — which includes Orlando — with early estimates showing he had received nearly 59% of the vote to Republican Calvin Wimbish's 40%.
In a Tweet sent after his race was called, Frost noted "history was made," writing: "We made history for Floridians, for Gen Z, and for everyone who believes we deserve a better future. I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to represent my home in the United States Congress."
Twenty-five-year-old Frost is a Democrat, activist and former Uber driver who was heavily favored to win in the general election after clinching the party's nomination in a primary in August.
Speaking to PEOPLE in September, Frost spoke of his age as being not an obstacle but an advantage, in politics.
"What we're finding more and more, our generation is gonna have the most jobs in a lifetime than other times in history," Frost said at the time. "[Members of Gen Z] move around jobs a lot, we will own the least amount of assets and property, we carry the most personal debt."
Frost campaigned on a platform of meeting challenges affecting his peers, such as gun violence and rising housing costs.
"I don't think young people [on either political side] are interested in different issues — we all want resources, opportunities ... we want our friends and people we've never met before to enjoy their lives," he told PEOPLE. "We think about things like, 'How do we protect each other? How do we build a government that protects the most vulnerable?'"
New Hampshire House candidate Karoline Leavitt, a 25-year-old Republican and former Trump White House aide, was another Gen Z candidate who made headlines leading up to the midterms. Leavitt defeated Matt Mowers, a better-funded establishment Republican, in the September GOP primary, securing the nomination by emulating Trump's political style and more openly aligning with the former president.
She faces Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas in the general election, a race that could make her the youngest woman elected to Congress. As of press time, she was not projected to win, though results were still being counted.
SO MUCH FOR THE RED WAVE
THIS IS HOW TO DEFEAT IT
DENIAL OF MEDICAL HEALTHCARE
Tennessee lawmakers introduce bill to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth
Brooke Migdon
Tennessee Republicans on Wednesday introduced a measure to prohibit transgender youth under 18 from accessing gender-affirming health care, stating the legislature has a responsibility to “protect the health and welfare of minors.”
The bill, titled the Protecting Children from Gender Mutilation Act, was introduced Wednesday by Tennessee Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson and House Majority Leader William Lamberth, both of whom won reelection on Tuesday in the midterm elections.
Under the proposed measure, health care providers in Tennessee will be barred from providing gender-affirming medical care to minors “for the purpose of enabling a minor to identify with, or live as, a purported identity inconsistent with the minor’s sex.”
The measure includes exceptions for youth that require treatments like puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries for reasons other than the treatment of gender dysphoria or “mental condition, disorder, disability, or abnormality.”
The state legislature is set to meet next in January.
“Cultural forces from the left would like us to accept an alarming new myth; that gender is not a biological reality,” Lamberth wrote in an October op-ed in the Tennessean announcing his intent to introduce the bill.
Lamberth said he was working with Johnson and conservative podcaster and Daily Wire columnist Matt Walsh.
Walsh has crusaded against gender-affirming medical care including puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries for transgender youth, accusing doctors of “mutilating” children and calling for penalties.
Social media posts from Walsh claiming that Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Tennessee “chemically castrates” minors went viral earlier this year, spurring Gov. Bill Lee (R) to call for an investigation into the hospital’s transgender clinic. Lee also won reelection on Tuesday.
Vanderbilt University Medical Center has accused Walsh of misrepresenting facts about the care provided to young transgender patients. Last month, the hospital announced it would be pausing gender-affirming surgeries for transgender youth for up to several months while it conducts a review.
Early last month, 60 Tennessee House Republicans signed onto a letter addressed to the hospital’s president and board of directors, calling the clinic’s practices “nothing less than abuse” and promising swift action from the state legislature.
Results: Arkansas rejects marijuana legalization that included a measure that would give stipends to law enforcement
Voters in Arkansas rejected Issue 4, which would have legalized marijuana and given stipends to law enforcement.
Proponents said that the measure is a step in the right direction.
Opponents like Gov. Asa Hutchinson oppose the legalization of marijuana usage.
Voters in Arkansas rejected the use of recreational marijuana for adults over the age of 21. Over half of voters said "no" on Issue 4, which, if passed, would have legalized marijuana use and given a percentage of proceeds to law enforcement officers.
Ballot measure details
Issue 4 would have legalized recreational marijuana use for adults over the age of 21 in the state of Arkansas.
The measure would have also established a 10% sales tax for marijuana and 15% percent of the tax revenue would have been allotted toward an annual law enforcement stipend. Support and opposition
Responsible Growth Arkansas sponsored the measure. Supporters argued the measure is a step forward in the right direction. Gubernatorial nominee Chris Jones called Issue 4 a "good first step toward Arkansas embracing a pragmatic cannabis policy," according to the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
Safe and Secure Communities sponsored the opposition campaign against the measure.
Arkansas's Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson argued at the Arkansas Municipal Police Association Convention in August that supporters are "going to sell this as something that's going to help law enforcement. And so, once again, they're selling a harmful drug to the citizens of Arkansas based upon promises that looks good."
China spearheads social media campaign to attack civil society in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party targets opposition figures with Chinese government assistance
Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcoming ceremony before talks at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, April 3, 2018. (Source: Reuters/Thomas Peter)
By Kenton Thibaut
Over the last several years, China has greatly expanded its investment in media abroad. From engaging in content-sharing agreements with local newspapers, to purchasing stakes in private media outlets, to expanding its network of foreign correspondents, China’s efforts in external propaganda have shown rapid growth year over year.
The impacts of Chinese investments in some regions of the world are far-reaching. A September 2022 report by Freedom House charts the effects of China’s media push in democratic countries across the globe, with different countries showing varying degrees of resilience to Chinese Communist Party (CCP) influence. However, the effects of China’s efforts are perhaps even more significant in countries where civic freedoms are already highly restricted, further entrenching authoritarian regimes by lending institutional power to legitimize the state and silence calls for democracy.
Recent events in Zimbabwe illustrate the potential impacts of China’s media influence in countries where civic freedoms are already limited.
Zimbabwe’s media environment is highly controlled by the state; Reporters without Borders ranks Zimbabwe at 137 out of 180 countries surveyed in terms of media freedom and protection. State-owned papers in Zimbabwe are often highly supportive of China. The ruling political party, Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU–PF), has used its influence over state-controlled papers to attack civil society groups, journalists, and activists who have criticized Chinese business operations in the country, using such criticism as a rationale for engaging in political persecution.
Traditional media
The state-controlled organization Zimpapers operates the Zimbabwe Herald,one of the country’s leading newspapers by circulation numbers, which often uses its power to support the ruling ZANU-PF party. Ahead of the 2021 presidential election, for example, the head of Zimpapers requested that the organization’s media editors use their outlets to encourage readers to support ZANU-PF candidates. ZANU-PF also has a close relationship with Beijing, as China is one of the few investors in the country due to existing Western-led economic and political sanctions. Reports in 2013 and 2014 alleged that Chinese state entities bankrolled ZANU-PF candidate Robert Mugabe’s presidential re-election campaign.
There is a symbiotic relationship between Harare’s control over the media environment and Beijing’s desire to spread its message. State-approved journalists have been invited to China to attend training seminars, and China has donated computers and other equipment to the Herald. In 2021, the state-run television network produced a documentary praising China’s vaccine contributions, with the Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe giving remarks in the documentary. The Herald also cited Chinese election observers to legitimize the country’s troubled electoral process; for example, on the day of the 2013 election, the Herald ran a story reporting that Chinese election observers had dismissed accusations by the opposition MDC-T party that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission rigged the election in favor of Mugabe and ZANU-PF.
More recently, following Nancy Pelosi’s August 2022 visit to Taiwan, the Herald ran a total of thirty-two articles that month supporting China’s “One China” principle and condemning the visit as a US provocation. In contrast, the Herald ran zero articles addressing the Taiwan situation in July and September. The blitz of Taiwan coverage in the Herald followssimilarpatterns in China’s overseas media activities for the month of August.
Screencap of news articles from The Zimbabwe Herald pushing China-approved narratives about Taiwan. (Source: DFRLab via Event Registry)
The Herald also spreads anti-Western narratives about the war in Ukraine that are also supported by China, including claims that NATO expansion caused the war; conspiracy theories that biolabs in Ukraine were potential sources of the COVID-19 outbreak; and that Western criticism of Chinese human rights policies is “fake news” designed to “smear” China. Chinese state media often recycles Herald stories in its own content, depicting China-supplied narratives as original reporting from Zimbabwe. Similarly, Chinese state media content is disproportionately represented in local news environments, muddying the waters for local media consumers to distinguish between state propaganda, content from news-sharing agreements, and independent news reporting.
Screencap of news articles from state-owned media in Zimbabwe, pushing China-approved narratives. (Source: DFRLab via Event Registry)
In addition to content-sharing, state-controlled media outlets in Zimbabwe have also attacked civil society actors and other independent media organizations that criticize Chinese business operations in the country for polluting the environment and treating locals poorly. In one well-publicized account, ZANU-PF leveraged state-owned media to accuse independent newspaper The Standard and several NGOs that had criticized the Chinese government of being part of a United States-funded campaign to undermine the Zimbabwean government. The Herald claimed that the US State Department funded the campaign and that the US embassy was working with the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). The article also suggested the US and MDC pay local journalists $1,000 per pitch to develop unfavorable stories criticizing China for “violating community and human rights” on both news and social media platforms.
The US embassy in Zimbabwe pushed back against the article. “An independent press is essential for democracy to flourish. #JournalismIsNotACrime,” it stated in a Twitter thread. The embassy continued: “We routinely provide training and U.S. exchange opportunities to journalists and other professionals in Zimbabwe and around the world to build expertise and relationships.”
Social media
China has also used social media platforms to spread its messaging. On WeChat, the Zimbabwe Chinese Network — an online WeChat page geared towards Chinese citizens in Zimbabwe who are engaged in business activities in the country — published an announcement warning the local Chinese business community, “The United States is trying…to incite, instigate, and even bribe some anti-China forces, individuals, and media…to deliberately slander [China]…and incite the masses…to carry out anti-China activities.” The Twitter account for the Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe also published tweets claiming that local NGOs were being paid by the US to undermine China-Zimbabwe relations, and by extension, the Zimbabwean government. A campaign using the hashtag #Mr1k (referring to the alleged $1,000 per pitch the US supposedly paid for negative China stories) attacked Zimbabwe-based NGOs and journalists for undermining Chinese businesses, claiming they were paid agents of the US.
In one tweet, the account of the Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe described news reports by independent local media outlet the Standard as “fake news,” and linked to an article from the Herald.
Screencaps of tweets from the Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe promoting the #Mr1k hashtag, asserting that local journalists were being paid by the US to spread “fake news” on China. Source: @ChineseZimbabwe/archive, left; @ChineseZimbabwe/archive, right)
The #Mr1k hashtag peaked on May 6, 2022, the same day that the Crisis in Zimbabwe Coalition, a conglomeration of more than seventy civil society groups focused on democracy promotion in the country, issued a letter criticizing what they described as China’s exploitative business practices. Over the course of a year beginning in August 2021, the hashtag garnered 5.91 million impressions and reached 2.62 million Twitter users. Retweets comprised nearly two-thirds of hashtag mentions.
Metrics for the #Mr1k hashtag over one year beginning August 25, 2021. Activity peaked on May 6, when the Chinese embassy issued a statement on Twitter addressing public criticisms of the presence of the Chinese flag on the Chinese-constructed parliament building in Zimbabwe. The screenshot at the top shows a breakdown of tweet type over time, while the screenshot at the bottom shows impressions over time. Activity peaked on May 6, when an NGO coalition issued a public letter criticizing Chinese business practices. (Source: DFRLab via Meltwater Explore)
A tweet from the Chinese embassy in Zimbabwe’s Twitter account published on May 6 received the highest number of engagements of all tweets utilizing the #Mr1k hashtag, garnering 185 retweets, 73 quote tweets, and 393 likes. The tweet included “points of clarification” about China funding the construction of Zimbabwe’s new parliament building, and accused opposition journalists of “spreading falsehoods about China’s assistance to Zimbabwe so they are not kicked out of the queue for a handout from the paymasters.” These accusations of foreign funding provide political cover for the government to crack down on civil society actors.
The tweet directly targeted two prominent Zimbabwean opposition figures: Hopewell Chin’ono and Linda Tsungirirai Masarira. Chin’ono is an independent investigative journalist who has been arrested numerous times by the Emmerson Mnangagwa administration, most recently in January 2021 for “communicating falsehoods.” Chin’ono previously expressed fear for his life following a June 2020 press conference in which a ZANU-PF spokesperson publicly attacked him for undermining the integrity of the first family by exposing corruption. Linda Tsungirirai Masarira is a politician and activist who served as a spokesperson for the opposition MDC-T party and previously organized hashtag opposition movements against the late former president, Robert Mugabe.
Several pro-government Twitter accounts routinely retweeted the Chinese embassy account and promoted the #Mr1k hashtag. For example, the pro-ZANU-PF Twitter account @cry_gurende, which sometimes issues tweets attacking journalists investigating the Mnangagwa regime, retweeted the Chinese embassy’s May 6 tweet targeting Hopewell Chin’ono and Linda Tsungirirai Masarira. Previous tweets from the account have also criticized the same individuals targeted by embassy tweets, as well as other civil society actors.
Screencap of a representative tweet from the pro-ZANU-PF account @cry_gurunde attacking Hopewell Chin’ono. Source: @cry_gurunde/archive)
At the time of writing, @cry_gurende had more than 4,700 followers. The account’s biography states, “Patriot par excellence. God fearing politician. Critic and hater of puppetry.” Notably, the Chinese embassy account uses strikingly similar metaphorical languages regarding “puppetry.” For example, a May 2022 tweet stated, “Renewed puppet show is coming! #Mr1K and their string-pullers are returning for another season of their poor show, to smear development-supporting Chinese investment & sow hatred between Chinese and Zimbabwean people.”
Screencap of tweet from the Chinese Embassy in Zimbabwe. (Source: @ChineseZimbabwe/archive)
According to the 2019 Freedom on the Net report from Freedom House, “ZANU-PF is believed to pay progovernment commentators to defend the new administration and attack opponents on social media.” Freedom House noted that during the 2018 election, President Mnangagwa urged supporters to “dominate social media,” and that his call “coincided with an increase in anonymous accounts on both Facebook and Twitter that attacked perceived government opponents, especially human rights defenders and opposition party members.”
As evidenced in this case study, China’s media influence abroad can have outsized impacts in countries where freedoms are already limited. In the case of Zimbabwe, China provided political cover for ZANU-PF to crack down on journalists and civil society actors by spreading a narrative that claimed opposition figures were supported by foreign powers seeking to undermine the government.
The implications of China’s influence in Zimbabwe extend beyond the media environment. Chinese approaches to social media control are reported to have inspired Harare to develop a cybersecurity bill that grants the government broad authority in cracking down on speech online and detaining those who spread “harmful” information. Zimbabwe made its first arrests under the law in August 2022, in advance of the 2023 general election in which ZANU-PF aims to maintain its grip on power. The government charged arrested journalists under the provisions of the law regarding “spreading false data messages” on social media platforms.
When seeking to understand the implications of China’s involvement in media environments abroad, the domestic political conditions of the countries with which it engages are important. Countries show varying degrees of resilience in terms of the penetrability of their information environments to undue influence. In countries with a low level of existing resilience, the impacts on democratic prospects are perhaps the most severe.
Jay, 24, who is Black and plus size, said she has experienced discrimination at clubs, bars and parties since her freshman year of college. But she decided to push those concerns aside to attend her friend's birthday party. That night, she waited in the tightly packed corridor of the club's entrance alongside several friends, including curve model and influencer Ella Halikas. While some in their group were admitted to the club, Jay and Halikas were stopped by the bouncer, they said.
"He looks me head to toe, takes his time, up and down, and goes, 'Not tonight,'" Jay said. "That's when I knew exactly what was going on and I said, 'It's happening.'"
The two models said they believe they were turned away for being plus size. They said what happened is just one example of how people with bigger bodies are discriminated against.
A spokesperson for Tao Group Hospitality, the parent company of The Highlight Room, said in a statement Monday that it is “aware of the Ella and Alexa’s experience and are actively engaged with them to discuss the incident further."
"We are always appreciative of feedback on our operations and continue to work on how to improve our guest experience," the spokesperson said. "Our company does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
Jay and Halikas confirmed they have been in contact with the club but said they have not received an apology.
The two decided Friday to share their story on TikTok, where a video on Halikas' page has been viewed more than 1.1 million times.
They said the humiliation they felt has inspired them to try to change the culture of how bigger bodies are policed in spaces like clubs.
“I said to my friend if it’s not me being discriminated against because I’m Black, it’s because I’m curvy," Jay said. "When does this end? Like, when does it end?”
The women also started the hashtag #NotTonight to encourage others who have experienced discrimination for being plus size to share their stories and to show the extent of the problem.
"This story isn't really even about me or The Highlight Room. Like, yes, I want an apology, but it's so much bigger than that. This is about all the girls who don't have a voice," Halikas, 25, said in a recent interview. "Even as a Sports Illustrated model myself, I could not get let into a club because I'm a size 14. That shook me to my core."
Some online — including body positivity advocates, fat empowerment activists and plus-size content creators — are sounding the alarm over a potential return to the “heroin chic” thinness of the 1990s and the early 2000s.
“I am of the generation of the first wave of this. We never fully recovered. I lost two decades of my life,” actor Jameela Jamil wrote on Instagram in response to a New York Post headline declaring “heroin chic” back in style.
“I’m BEGGING you to violently reject this, and to VIOLENTLY REJECT any people, or magazines or news outlets who are participating in the spread of this hell," wrote Jamil, who founded the “I Weigh” campaign, which encourages people to value themselves with qualities apart from their weight.
Jay and Halikas said they want to highlight how people with bigger bodies are treated offline.
They believe the bouncers at The Highlight Room should undergo sensitivity training.
Ultimately, they hope, the incident will lead to more inclusive spaces for people of all sizes.
It’s unclear how many people have used the #NotTonight hashtag since Halikas and Jay began promoting it. The hashtag shares the title of a popular EDM song, which has been used as a tag on TikTok.
The comment sections of both women’s videos have been flooded with remarks from others sharing stories about the times they also faced discrimination because of their size.
“I am the lead singer of a band and one time the bouncer of the venue I performed at TRIED TO TURN ME AWAY AT THE DOOR OF MY OWN SHOW,” one person commented.
Another commenter wrote: “I am that girl who doesn’t have a voice and I thank you both for this! It’s happened to me and I just walked away and cried in private.”
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