Notre Dame Fire Conspiracism as Reflective of Russian Ideological Competition with the West

摘要

The Notre Dame fire of 15 April 2019 was marked by a surge in online conspiracy theories. These conspiracies were principally spread by the Far-Right but seem to complement articulated Russian geopolitical identity as an "Orthodox Civilization". An Orthodox (Pravoslavie) national identity has been associated with anti-Western, anti-Muslim, and anti-Catholic sentiment in Russia for most of its history, often reflected in official and semi-official state ideologies and popular narratives. By examining the Notre Dame conspiracies and Russian support of Far-Right political groups (specifically in France) within this context, we can see how they fit into the grander semiotics of post-Soviet online conspiracism which may complement historical ideologies of Russian messianic national identity; and may serve to justify quasi-religious information aggression against a perceived 'anti-Christian' West.