Lizzie Phelan, the British "independent journalist" whose fanciful reporting of the Libyan conflict attracted a good deal of attention on the internet last year, appeared on Russia Today yesterday, blaming Britain, Israel, France and the US for the double bombing in the Syrian city of Aleppo.

Phelan, also known as Lizzie Cocker, told viewers:

I would say that this attack was directed from London, Tel Aviv, Paris and New York. The explosions themselves were huge. I have spoken to people in Aleppo who are in fear for their lives and there were people up to 20km away who felt the explosions.

So let's look at the evidence for the fact that this attack was actually directed externally. Of course it was carried out by so-called Free Syrian Army insurgents but first of all I would just like to say that this attack is clearly a response to the Russian and Chinese veto. It is a message from the west: if we don't get our way through the United Nations security council we are going to go ahead with destabilising the country, Syria, by any means possible.

She has also written about it on her blog, under the headline: "Western sponsored massacre in Homs [sic] a direct response to Russian and Chinese Veto". (She seems a bit confused between Homs and Aleppo.)

Last month Phelan was interviewed by New York Times journalist Robert Mackey about her coverage of Libya and Syria. Here is one exchange:

Mackey: I also wanted to find out more about your reporting from Libya, and ask how you respond to allegations that you supported the government of Col. Qaddafi? All in all, I'm trying to get a better understanding of what drives you to speak out against Western governments but apparently lend your support to governments, like those in Iran, Russia and Syria now, that have been accused of serious human rights abuses.

Phelan: Again this is another deceitful question and epitomises the manipulative approach of the world’s powerful media, such as newspapers like the NYT.

Here you are asking me this question because the west’s major powers and media criminalised Muammar Gaddafi, Iran etc by accusing them of abusing human rights.

So you are trying to put me into this trap by saying that if I support Muammar Gaddafi, and Iran I also support abuses against human rights.

But first of all this question of human rights is an absolute fallacy and is at present the number one stick used to bash leaders of independent developing countries in order to provide a moral justification for the imposition of the western system upon those countries ...

Factually speaking Libya was a paradise for human rights and Muammar Gaddafi was due to receive a human rights award prior to the NATO onslaught. 

Posted by Brian Whitaker, 11 February 2012