Chechnya Is Not Czech Republic, Twitter Reminds Itself (TWEETS)

[Martinus]

As new details about the suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings came to light, confusion on Twitter led some users to mistake Chechnya for the Czech Republic.

The names of the distinct regions trended on the social network after two suspects in the bombings, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were described by family and law enforcement as "brothers from a Russian region near Chechnya."

In response, Twitter users made crude "infographics" and shamed misinformed tweets, in an apparent effort to correct the Chechnya-Czech Republic error.

However, the error was couched in a broader misperception, as some media used the suspects' purported origins to make suggestions about their alleged motivations. On Friday, Fox News reported on the "ties between Islamic extremist groups and Chechnya," postulating that the suspects could be motivated by "Islamic radicalism."

In interviews Friday, Ruslan Tsarni, uncle of the suspects, said that the Tsarnaev brothers are not Chechen, had never been in Chechnya and insisted that the bombings had nothing to do with Chechnya or Islam, the predominant religion in the region.

In a statement posted Friday to his Instagram feed, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov suggested the bombing suspects were products of an American upbringing.

"It is necessary to seek the roots of evil in America," Kadyrov wrote, according to a translation from Foreign Policy.

Chechnya, a region in North Caucasus, has been home to a violent and long-running campaign by rebels to break away from Russia.

The Czech Republic is a central European country bordered by Germany, Austria, Poland and Slovakia.

UPDATE: The embassy of the Czech Republic in Washington, D.C., has issued a statement about this confusion.
"As more information on the origin of the alleged perpetrators is coming to light, I am concerned to note in the social media a most unfortunate misunderstanding in this respect," wrote Czech Ambassador Petr Gandalovič. "The Czech Republic and Chechnya are two very different entities - the Czech Republic is a Central European country; Chechnya is a part of the Russian Federation."

This is NOT an Onion article. 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/19/chechnya-czech-republic-twitter_n_3116773.html

[Syt]

[Darth Wagtaros]

What in the fuck is that?

[Syt]

What in the fuck is that?

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?466607-Polandball-inspired-comics

[garbon]

This is NOT an Onion article. 

Irrelevant places are irrelevant. Just like twitter.

[CountDeMoney]

Martinus is getting as bad as Timmay about reading existing threads.

[Valmy]

I do not get the retarded desire to try to blame singular acts by individuals on entire ethnic groups and nationalities.  We have so many fucking morons in this country it is ridiculous.  Any member of Congress said something stupid in this regard yet?  We already had that one idiot claiming this was evidence we needed to toughen up our border with Mexico shortly after this happened.

[CountDeMoney]

Any member of Congress said something stupid in this regard yet?  We already had that one idiot claiming this was evidence we needed to toughen up our border with Mexico shortly after this happened.

So far, the Usual Suspects have only said he should be tried as an enemy combatant, and said hurray that he wasn't read his Miranda rights.

[derspiess]

I do not get the retarded desire to try to blame singular acts by individuals on entire ethnic groups and nationalities.  We have so many fucking morons in this country it is ridiculous.  Any member of Congress said something stupid in this regard yet?  We already had that one idiot claiming this was evidence we needed to toughen up our border with Mexico shortly after this happened.

Boy you're just looking to get pissed off about it, aren't you?

[Admiral Yi]

Ah, the old racial profiling debate again.

I'm unaware of anyone saying that all Chechens should be blamed for the bombing.  That would be ludicrous.

But it makes good sense to me to use Muslim as a risk factor when assessing immigration or visa applications.

[Solmyr]

What in the fuck is that?

http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/showthread.php?466607-Polandball-inspired-comics

[DGuller]

Ah, the old racial profiling debate again.

I'm unaware of anyone saying that all Chechens should be blamed for the bombing.  That would be ludicrous.

But it makes good sense to me to use Muslim as a risk factor when assessing immigration or visa applications.

That's like saying that you're against torture, but enhanced interrogation techniques make good sense.

[Admiral Yi]

That's like saying that you're against torture, but enhanced interrogation techniques make good sense.

Except for the part that's not like saying I'm against torture, but enhanced interrogation makes good sense, which is all of it.

Immigration is a privilege, ,not a right.  Visiting the country or attending school here is a privilege, not a right.  When we decide who we want to grant this privilege to we take into account any risk they might present.

[DGuller]

Analyzing risk factors = profiling.  Don't weasel out by using euphemisms.

[Admiral Yi]

Analyzing risk factors = profiling.  Don't weasel out by using euphemisms.

You know, you have this disturbing tendency to heap invective when you're dead wrong.  And you never once have admitted you were wrong to do so.

Reread my post you moron.  I didn't say I was opposed to racial profiling.  I'm all for racial profiling.