Palestinian fighter-supporting hackers take over Stefanson’s Instagram

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This article was published 19/10/2023 (936 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Hackers cracked Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Heather Stefanson’s Instagram account Thursday to post messages supporting Palestinian militants in the war with Israel.

“My Instagram account has unfortunately been hacked and we are working with Meta to retrieve it,” Stefanson posted to X (formerly Twitter).

The hackers changed Stefanson’s profile photo to an image of a person dressed in military fatigues with a red-and-white checkered scarf covering their face.

The account’s description was also altered to read “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free.”

An image reading “Free Palestine” was also posted to Stefanson’s story and pinned to the account, which was changed to link to, and follow, another Instagram user with more than 98,000 followers.

The user appears to sell social media accounts on the Telegram platform. Stefanson has nearly 4,000 followers on Instagram.

A spokesperson for the Tory caucus said they are unaware of any other MLA accounts being hacked.

According to the caucus, Stefanson’s Instagram inbox is not monitored and all inquiries sent to through the messenger are automatically redirected.

The “Free Palestine” post had earned in excess of 130 likes and more than 90 comments within two hours of being posted.

Stefanson previously stated the Tories stand with Israel and fully support its right to defend itself after militants from the Hamas terrorist organization attacked communities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing more than 1,300 soldiers and civilians, including children, and taking an estimated 200 people hostage.

A post highlighting Stefanson’s participation in a rally organized by the Jewish Federation of Winnipeg on Oct. 10 that stated “Manitobans stand in solidarity with Israel, with Manitoba’s Jewish community and Jewish people around the world,” was also deleted from her profile.

The PC caucus did not say what measures it was taking to ensure the security of its members’ social media accounts following the incident. As of Thursday evening, the account had not been restored, though its contents had been removed.

A spokesperson for the Manitoba NDP said the caucus takes online security very seriously and “follows all government rules around the protection of personal information.”

Prior to his first cabinet meeting Thursday morning, Premier Wab Kinew condemned the bombing of a hospital in Gaza City Tuesday, saying the blast should have never occurred, “not even in a war zone.”

The blast, which by some estimates killed as many as 500 people, has been widely blamed on the Israeli Defence Force, sparking protests across the globe. Israel has denied responsibility, pointing to a failed rocket launch from inside Gaza by a terrorist group.

“We hope for peace,” Kinew said, noting that global affairs are beyond the scope of his mandate, which is to govern Manitoba.

“To members of the Palestinian community, to members of the Jewish community here, to interested and passionate Manitobans who are paying close attention to this issue, it is my hope that we can continue working together and living together as Manitobans during this difficult time and that we can focus on building the province that we want right here at home in Manitoba,” he said.

— with files from Carol Sanders

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca