China's covert coup: How Beijing tried to overthrow Spain's government
By avagrace // 2025-02-09
 
  • The CCP launched "Spamouflage," a covert operation targeting Spain, exploiting public anger following the Valencia floods in October 2023.
  • Chinese operatives impersonated Spanish citizens and the group Safeguard Defenders, spreading inflammatory content on social media to incite unrest and erode trust in Spain's leadership.
  • This marks the first time Spamouflage has called for overthrowing a foreign government, signaling a new, more aggressive strategy against Western democracies.
  • Previous Spamouflage campaigns targeted the U.S. and Canada, showing a pattern of spreading disinformation to create chaos rather than promoting a specific ideology.
  • The incident highlights the need for Western nations to enhance cybersecurity, hold social media platforms accountable and unite to counter state-sponsored disinformation campaigns threatening democratic institutions.
In a brazen and unprecedented act of digital warfare, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been exposed for orchestrating a covert operation aimed at destabilizing and overthrowing the Spanish government. This shocking revelation uncovered by intelligence firm Graphika reveals the lengths to which Beijing is willing to go to undermine Western democracies and sow chaos in nations it views as geopolitical rivals. The operation, known as “Spamouflage,” is a sophisticated Chinese-backed influence campaign that has been active since 2017. This time, it targeted Spain in the wake of catastrophic flooding that devastated the Valencia region in October 2023, claiming over 200 lives. Posing as Spanish nationals and impersonating the human rights group Safeguard Defenders, Chinese operatives flooded social media platforms like Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, and BlueSky with inflammatory content. The false-flag operation aimed to exploit the tragedy and amplify public anger, ultimately calling for the overthrow of the government in Madrid. The Spamouflage campaign is not just a random act of online trolling – it is a calculated and well-funded effort by the CCP to destabilize Western nations. By posing as Safeguard Defenders, the Chinese operatives posted videos and messages in both English and Spanish, criticizing Spain's central government in Madrid and Valencia's regional governor, Carlos Mazon. One particularly egregious video featured a masked individual wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, falsely claiming to represent Safeguard Defenders, and calling for the government’s overthrow What makes this operation even more alarming is its timing and intent. The floods in Valencia were a national tragedy, and the Chinese operatives sought to weaponize the grief and anger of the Spanish people. By amplifying criticism of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and King Felipe VI, the campaign aimed to deepen divisions within Spanish society and destabilize the country’s political landscape. (Related: FOOD SHORTAGES? Massive flooding in Spain destroys fruit, vegetable crops, thrusting citizens toward food shortages.)

The global reach of China's DISINFO campaign

This is not the first time Spamouflage has targeted a Western nation. In the lead-up to the 2024 U.S. presidential election, Chinese operatives posed as American voters, spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation to sow discord among the American electorate. Similarly, in Canada, the campaign targeted lawmakers, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, with thousands of disinformation-laden comments. The exposure of this operation raises serious questions about the CCP's long-term intentions. While Beijing has repeatedly denied involvement in such campaigns, the evidence is overwhelming. Spamouflage has been linked to Chinese law enforcement, and its tactics have grown increasingly aggressive. As Graphika's Chief Intelligence Officer Jack Stubbs noted, this marks the first time Spamouflage has directly called for the overthrow of a foreign government – a troubling escalation in China's digital warfare strategy. For Spain, the revelation of foreign interference adds another layer of complexity to an already challenging situation. The floods in Valencia were a humanitarian disaster, and the last thing the Spanish people need is a foreign power exploiting their grief for geopolitical gain. The CCP's actions in Spain are a wake-up call for the free world. Beijing's willingness to exploit tragedy and sow chaos in a sovereign nation is a clear indication of its disregard for international norms and its determination to undermine Western democracies. Watch Brannon Howse commenting about former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray's warnings of Chinese cyberattacks against the United States. This video is from the WorldViewTube channel on Brighteon.com.

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