Clinton: Stop ignoring Russian interference in Brexit
Hillary Clinton outside the Bonavero Institute in Oxford on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA Wire - Credit: PA
Hillary Clinton says she cannot understand why the press and political establishment are 'so reluctant to call out what the Russians have been doing'.
The former US first lady, who lost the race for the White House to Donald Trump in 2016, said democracy was now 'under siege' and also said it is 'troubling' to her that history has been, in her view, either obscured or lost.
Clinton was marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) at the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights at the University of Oxford.
The former US secretary of state said: 'As we learn more about the role that (Vladimir) Putin, oligarchs around him, the Russian government particularly, the intelligence forces have played, we see that it's not just what they did in our election in the United States.
MORE: Gove mocked for Dickensian proposal to allow Brits to sift through rubbish
'They have been actively supporting right wing political parties and politicians.'
You may also want to watch:
Clinton added: 'I don't understand why the press, the political establishment and the public are so reluctant to call out what the Russians have been doing.
'What they did in Brexit, what they did in the United States.'
Most Read
- 1 Tory minister admits UK rejected EU's music visa offer in order to 'take back control' of borders
- 2 Priti Patel fails to appear in Commons to answer questions on missing police records
- 3 Leave EU website suspended after EU registry blocks move to Ireland
- 4 Iain Duncan Smith defends calling Donald Trump 'a decent man'
- 5 The bigot we should have called out on day one
- 6 Kwasi Kwarteng confirms post-Brexit review of workers' rights
- 7 Bob Geldof vindicated over pro-EU fishing stunt, suggests broadcaster
- 8 Boris Johnson blames seafood companies for post-Brexit sales slump
- 9 The Tory MPs who failed to vote against a Universal Credit cut
- 10 Comedian wins praise after shaming No 10 during Dancing on Ice appearance
The former first lady said: 'You have to understand what Putin's goal is.
'He called the collapse of the Soviet Union the biggest catastrophe in history.
'Now, that takes some doing to think that was the biggest catastrophe in history.'
Clinton urged people to 'follow the money', and said: 'When the NRA spends more money against me than they've ever spent against any candidate, more than 30 million dollars, and they've been going to Russia?'
MORE: Why threats of violence should not silence calls for a People's Vote
She also mentioned funding for the Leave campaign.
'You just might think it came from one of the Oligarchs at Putin's direction,' she said.
Clinton said 'the list is really long now', adding: 'The internet has given them a great advantage because they are able to sow discontent, divisiveness and false information incredibly easily.'
She added: 'It's only going to get worse, and this is something that I think everybody needs to pay attention to.
'The technology has advanced so much that it's not only the false stories that the phony news services are now directing at your Facebook feed, it will be taking the words you say out of many different contexts and putting it together to say something you never said.'
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.
