When Israeli bombs began to fall by the dozens in Iran, some of the X social network accounts (formerly Twitter) that were most vocal about Scottish independence from the UK fell silent. This was the case with @Fiona175161, supposedly based in "Edinburgh, Scotland," which had 2,249 followers yesterday and did not post any tweets from June 12 ("Should Scotland be independent?") until the 29th ("Israel has suffered more damage than in its entire existence. The impenetrable steel dome was a failure. The regime change objectives and the definitive end to Iran's nuclear program were not achieved").
In total, dozens of accounts "as Scottish as tartan" (to use an expression from that part of the UK) advocating for Scottish independence remained silent from June 12 until the end of the month, a few days after Israel concluded its bombings on the 24th. This was reported by a study from the British news website specializing in Defense and Security, UK Defence Journal, or UKDJ for short.
UKDJ journalists tracked accounts whose authors self-identified as DHS Nurse or "Glaswegian socialist," suggesting familiarity with the territory. On June 24, just as the final bombings were taking place, the Defense and Security website posted an analysis detailing how "on June 12, dozens of anonymous X accounts advocating for independence suddenly fell silent."
The lack of activity from these Elon Musk platform users seems to correlate with the fact that Israeli bombings interrupted approximately 95% of internet data transmission in Iran. Presumably, the remaining 5% was reserved for communications between the leaders of the Islamic Republic, high-ranking military officials, the Revolutionary Guards, and some diplomatic channels. The independence of a territory 4,650 kilometers away (the exact distance between Tehran and the Scottish capital, Edinburgh) was relegated to a very secondary role in ensuring the survival of the Iranian regime.
So, the bots disconnected. Because these accounts are not managed by humans but by robots or programs that send, bounce, and respond to "hundreds" of messages each week, according to UKDJ. "Many of the followers of these bots are unaware of the origins of the accounts," the study explains. "Over time, this helps create a feedback loop where synthetic [i.e., artificial] content is treated as legitimate, and minority narratives gain disproportionate visibility." A study from Clemson University in South Carolina, USA, published on September 16, examined 80 fake X accounts from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards that had produced a total of 250,000 messages in just over two and a half years, reaching around a quarter of a million followers and three million likes.
After the bombings and the restoration of connectivity to Iran, these fake accounts did not hide their allegiance. The tweet that revived @Fiona175161, switching from Scottish independence to suddenly focusing on the war between Israel and Iran, is an example of this. @Jakeq9170 seamlessly transitioned (albeit with seventeen days of complete silence) from using the traditional argument "Britain is robbing us" on June 12 to celebrating Iranian attacks on Israel upon reappearing on the 29th. @Lucy9760, supposedly from Glasgow, now equally combines Israel's bombing and calls for independence. @kelly186000 went from saying "the Union must be dissolved" (meaning the UK) to celebrating the destruction of Tel Aviv as if it were a broken Lego toy.
UKDJ does not oppose Scottish independence itself, stating it is a legitimate political movement. The organization aims to highlight how all causes that create division in democratic societies are exploited by dictatorships worldwide to sow division. In the case of the UK, Iran's attitude can be explained by the UK's history as its colonial power, imposing an exploitative regime on its oil fields that only benefited London. When the oil fields of the British company Anglo-Iranian (predecessor to BP) were nationalized in 1956, Britain convinced the US to carry out a coup that reinstated the absolute monarchy of the Shah. The fact that the UK is currently the US's closest ally outside the Middle East only reinforces this animosity.
For these reasons, Spain is a country that is rarely targeted by Iranian bots, unlike the Russians who see a NATO country as a clear enemy. According to the online security consultancy Alto Analytics, last week, some Russian bots praised the Spanish government for the arms embargo on Israel and opposition to increasing defense spending to 5% of GDP, while others criticized government corruption, and a third group claimed that the May blackout was due to the government's energy transition policy, which is "unsustainable." The goal, as seen, is always to sow division.