The project “Shady Horses“ delves into investigating Russian propaganda dissemination within Western countries through prominent individuals, often referred to as “talking heads.” By analysing the influence and messaging of these figures, the project seeks to shed light on the tactics employed to spread Russian narratives, their impact on public opinion, and their potential connections to foreign organisations.
Who is this Shady Horse?
Eva Vlaardingerbroek, journalist, commentator, and host of the “Let’s Talk About It” program on the Sweden Democrats’ YouTube channel Riks.
Where is she from?
Netherlands
Eva Vlaardingerbroek, a right-wing activist, has sparked considerable controversy with her statements in the realm of public discourse. Many of her assertions exhibit populist tendencies, characterized by simplification and polarization.
She strongly criticizes the Netherlands’ decision to opt out of EU mass migration policies, arguing that both America and Europe are grappling with similar challenges due to what she perceives as a globalist agenda. These challenges include issues such as immigration, erosion of national identity, transfer of sovereignty to unelected officials in Brussels, closure of churches, COVID-19 vaccination , and excessive spending.
In recent times, Vlaardingerbroek has been particularly vocal about the ongoing farmers’ protests in the EU, where she tends to establish a typical populist division between “us” – Dutch citizens, and “them” – immigrants and EU politicians whom she accuses of undermining Dutch national identity:
“It happened again. Another European girl was killed at the hands of a migrant in Vienna, and she wasn’t the first one this week. And tomorrow it will happen again, because white lives don’t matter to our globalist leaders.”
She also highly condemned the Dutch government, led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte, for providing military aid to Ukraine. She argues that the government prioritizes politics over the well-being of its citizens, a sentiment she believes resonates with many people who feel neglected by their leaders:
“The Dutch caretaker government just signed a “security agreement” with Ukraine committing to military & financial support for the next 10 years. I repeat: 10 years.
The opinion of the Dutch people hasn’t been asked once. Mark Rutte just draws our wallet till he becomes Secretary General of NATO, and then he’ll draw all of yours too.”
Our leaders are fine with sacrificing your and your kids’ lives for a money laundering scheme in Ukraine. Don’t believe a single word they say. They don’t care about you, “sovereign nations,” or “democracies”. It’s all just a way for them to stay in power now that they’re losing popularity and they’re banking on mass formation psychosis to work its magic again.”
“They (EU) can throw €50 billion at Ukraine all they want, but Ukraine won’t have any men left to fight soon. Our elites are claiming we aren’t officially at war with Russia, but what does systematically funding one side amount to? They want our men and boys to die for Ukraine next”
An interesting aspect of her activity is that she has made numerous appearances with American conservative pundit Tucker Carlson on his current program, “Tucker Carlson Tonight”. On X she posted :
“Tucker is the best of the best in the industry. He tells the truth like no one else does, in a way no one else can. I stand with him 100%”
It should be noted that Carlson has close ties with right-wing politicians in the US and Europe. That is ample evidence of the Kremlin’s active utilization of right-wing radicals, particularly in Europe. In addition, Eva Vlaardingerbroek played a significant role in Carlson’s documentary about the “bug-eating conspiracy.”
On April 14, during Tucker Carlson’s prime-time show, Eva Vlaardingerbrock claimed that the Dutch government was establishing “insect factories” to coerce people into eating bugs as a means of testing their compliance with state control.
As a strong supporter of Carlson, she expressed her admiration for Putin’s views and denied any claims that the interview contained falsehoods or propaganda:
“To get back to the Russia-Ukraine war: You can dislike Putin all you want, but there is no denying that he is in it for his own people. He’s in it for Russia and he has a clear idea of what Russia is and what it stands for. And the real question is, who are the ones really perpertuating this war if the CIA was behind the Ukrainian regime change in 2014 and a peace deal was reached in 2022, but rejected at the last minute because of Boris Johnson’s interference? Is Russia really the expansionist aggressor its been made out to be, or has the bear just been poked too often?.”
