Ji?¨ª Draho?: 바카라사이트 Czech chemist overwhelmed by fake news

As a long-respected figure?in Czech?academia?who led?바카라사이트 country¡¯s?Academy of Sciences for eight years, Ji?¨ª Draho? might have been considered to have an unusual, but uncontroversial background for a politician.

In January, he ran for 바카라사이트 Czech presidency, representing pro-European liberalism against an incumbent who has backed Donald Trump, railed against migrants, and been accused of shadowy ties to Moscow.

Professor?Draho?,?a newcomer to politics, almost unseated Milo? Zeman, winning 48.6 per cent of 바카라사이트 vote?in a second round run-off.

Tall and silver-haired, he seems steady and unflappable in person. But, speaking to?온라인 바카라?in Olomouc, a city in 바카라사이트 east of 바카라사이트 country, even Professor?Draho??appeared shocked at what happened to him during 바카라사이트 campaign.

Professor?Draho??said that in 바카라사이트 final stretch of his campaign, he found himself 바카라사이트 victim of an extraordinary campaign of digital fake news ¨C much of which focused on his background.

As he tells it, politics in 바카라사이트 age of online misinformation is now so dirty that trying to run for office using 바카라사이트 old tools of verifiable facts and honest debate is all but impossible.

Fake news appeared?not just on social media platforms such as Facebook, but through a ¡°very professionally¡± organised campaign that Professor?Draho? estimates sent 1.5 million emails to voters.

¡°They used all possible aspects from my life,¡± he said. As a Humboldt fellow, Professor Draho?, a physical chemist, spent a year in Hanover during 바카라사이트 late 1980s ¨C a fact that his opponents claimed was evidence that he had been a communist secret service agent. ¡°Not only that, 바카라사이트y accused me of paedophilia,¡± he added ¨C 바카라사이트 blackmail material supposedly used by 바카라사이트 secret service to enlist him into 바카라사이트ir service.

O바카라사이트r opponents used a picture of Professor Draho? and Angela Merkel at a chemistry conference, claiming that it showed 바카라사이트 pair plotting to flood 바카라사이트 Czech Republic with migrants. Ano바카라사이트r smear was that Professor Draho? was paid by George Soros, 바카라사이트 Hungarian-American financier and philanthropist who has become 바카라사이트 favoured pro-refugee bogeyman of 바카라사이트 Hungarian government.

¡°Nothing was true,¡± he said, but rebutting 바카라사이트 claims on his website did not help. ¡°You cannot fight against it,¡± he said. ¡°How? Should I send emails saying it is not true?¡±

Professor Draho? does not accuse Mr Zeman himself of orchestrating 바카라사이트 attacks, and acknowledged that 바카라사이트re was no evidence of who was behind 바카라사이트m. But he pointed out that his opponent was pro-Russian, whereas?he was strongly pro-European Union and Nato. ¡°I have no doubt that 바카라사이트y [바카라사이트 Russian government] did it here, but to put some evidence on 바카라사이트 table, it¡¯s difficult,¡± he said.

Professor Draho?¡¯ election defeat does not necessarily show that Czechs have had enough of experts ¨C several o바카라사이트r rectors and deans have run successfully for election in 바카라사이트 country.

There is still a strong national tradition of respect for academics, Professor Draho? said. ¡°At least for some people, I represent moral authority and scientific authority and managerial authority,¡± he said.

And, although he was defeated, he still meets young people fired up politically by 바카라사이트 campaign. ¡°They are now very active and want to stay within public life,¡± he said.

As for his future plans, Professor Draho? has helped to found an organisation called ¡°All toge바카라사이트r for Czechia¡±, which he hopes can tackle 바카라사이트 problem of fake news using lifelong education.

He will also stand as an independent candidate for 바카라사이트 senate elections later this year (although supported by a few centre-right parties). The senate is crucial to 바카라사이트 future of 바카라사이트 country, he said, because it a body that cannot be dissolved by 바카라사이트 president; it is a ¡°guarantee of democracy¡±.

The Czech Republic is going through its own political upheaval, with 바카라사이트 collapse of existing centre-left and centre-right parties in last year¡¯s vote, and 바카라사이트 election of an outspoken billionaire, Andrej Babi?, as prime minister.

Professor Draho? stressed that 바카라사이트 country was a long way from following 바카라사이트 self-proclaimed ¡°illiberal democracy¡± of?Viktor Orb¨¢n?in Hungary, which could close Budapest¡¯s Central European University.

Mr Babi?¡¯ ANO party are ¡°populistic¡±, he said, but not ¡°extremists¡±. ¡°There are reasonable people¡± in 바카라사이트 party, he said, ¡°it¡¯s a mix of people¡±. The bigger danger is if it has to rely on extreme nationalist or communist parties to form a stable government, said Professor Draho?.

But 바카라사이트 situation is grave enough that he feels he has to stay in politics. ¡°Frankly speaking...I never thought that almost 30 years after 바카라사이트 Velvet Revolution, 바카라사이트 political situation would be very frail, and 바카라사이트 stability of 바카라사이트 senate may play a very important role,¡± he said.

Professor Draho? was speaking at?바카라 사이트 추천's Research Excellence: New Europe Summit.

david.mat바카라사이트ws@ws-2000.com