Who shot down MH17? Many Germans point to the US.

Malaysian Airlines Flight LH17 crashed in the eastern Ukraine, The evidence mounts that it was brought down by a Russian-made missile launched by Russian separatists in a region under their control, possibly with the support of the Russian military.  You would think that this development would demoralize the legions of Putin-Verehrer ("Putin admirers") in Germany.  You would be wrong, however. 

The mainstream press outlets in Germany have done a good job on reporting the facts as they emerge.  But many commenters in the reader forums and many bloggers have latched on to wild conspiracy theories - usually claiming that the event was somehow orchestrated by the United States.  Why?  To force the EU into accepting tougher sanctions against Russia and/or to start a war ("die Amerikaner sind imperialistische Kriegshetzer")/

Typical reader comment found on the Web site of Die Welt:

die Russen kann man unbedenklich ausschließen, die haben keinen Grund in es wäre ihnen klar, dass sie, wie es auch gerade geschieht, verantwortlich gemacht werden. Die Ukrainische Armee und die amerikanischen und polnischen Milizen an deren Seite hätten die Möglichkeit und Gründe.

(you can exclude the Russians without reservation, they don't have any reason to do this and they know that they would be held responsible. The Ukrainian army and their Polish and American militia supporters have the capability and the motive.)

Another:

Klar Putin wars wieder. Natürlich nicht die USA, die die Ukraine destabilisiert haben mit 5 Milliarden Dollar und den Putsch finanziert haben, nein sicherlich nicht. Der böse böse Putin hat auf der Krim, die schon immer russisch war, eine demokratische Abstimmung vorgenommen, wie konnte er nur. Laut USA versteht man unter Demokratie das Werfen von Bomben und Töten von Menschen.

Wenn Morgen in China ein Sack Reis umfällt, wars wahrscheinlich auch Putin. Bedankt euch lieber bei Putin, ohne ihn hätten wir schon den 3. Weltkrieg. Seiner Geduld haben wir es zu verdanken, dass er auf die Provokationen der USA/NATO/EU bisher nicht eingegangen ist. Aus diesem Grund steht Deutschland zu 90 % hinter Putin und Russland.

(Of course it was Putin. Of course the USA is innocent, even though the destablized the Ukraine with $5 billion and financed the putsch - of course it couldn't be them. That evil, evil Putin held a democratic eleciton in Crimea, which was always Russian - how could he do such a thing?  The US understands democracy as dropping bombs and killing people.

If a sack of rice falls over tomorrow in China it is probably Putin's fault. We should be grateful to Putin, without him there would be World War III.  He has been patient and up to now not giving in to  the provocations of the USA/NATO/EU.  Because of this 90% of Germans stand behind Putin and Russia.)

There are thousands of similar comments I could quote from Welt, Spiegel, SZ, Zeit, etc.  Some of the blogs are equally hysterical in blaming the US for the tragedy.  This comment on the left-wing blog "Spiegelfechter" compares the US to the Third Reich:

Und der Absturz, Abschuss, Bombenanschlag, Elektronikanschlag, Qualitätsproblem-GAU oder was auch immer es war, wird von den USA gerade jetzt zur Durchsetzung ihrer geostrategischen Ziele aus- und benutzt.
Dabei finde ich es gar nicht so wichtig, ob die USA selbst hinter dem Absturz stecken, was gar nicht so unwahrscheinlich ist, oder komplett unschuldig sind – es wird haargenau dasselbe gemacht, was damals nach 911 erfolgreich weltweit durchgezogen wurde. Auf den Leichen nicht von knapp 300 Menschen, sondern auf den Leichen von akkumuliert 100.000enden.
Es ist einfach ganz objektiv so, dass die USA in der Summe mehr Kriege und mehr Tote als jede andere Nation verursacht haben. Sie können da durchaus auch mit dem Dritten Reich verglichen werden, welches aus anderen Motiven ebenfalls Menschenverachtung praktizierte.

And not just the left.  The right-wing conspiracy site Kopp-Online immediately accused the US of being behind the MH17 tragedy: 

Wem nützt es?

Die Antwortauf die Frage »Wem nützt es?« liegtebenfallsauf der Hand: den USA. Das total bankrotteSchuldenimperiumbrauchteinenKrieg, um von seiner prekären Lageabzulenkenund um seine Schuldenzuannullieren. Zwaristauchdas natürlich nochkeinBeweis – aberzumindesteinplausiblerAnfangsverdacht.

DasneuerlicheVerschwindeneinesMalaysian-FlugesunddasAuftaucheneines Trümmer- undLeichenfeldesauf »separatistischem Boden« spielen den Kriegsinteressen der USA in die Hände. Es riechtnacheinerProvokationundeinem False-Flag-Anschlag, wie er schon lange geplant wird. Mit 80 Kindernund 20 Amerikanern an Bord wurde die Maschineperfekt ausgewählt, um die USA und die Weltöffentlichkeit psychologisch in den Konflikthineinzuziehen.

(Who benefits? The answer is crystal clear: the USA. The completely bankrupt debtor empire needs a war to distract from its precarious situaiton and wipe outits debts. That is not proof - but a plausible suspicion. The recent disappearance of a Malaysian flight and the appearance of wreckage and strewn bodies on "separatist soil" works in favor of the war interests of the US. I smells like a provocation and a False-Flag attack that has been planned for a long time. With 80 children and 20 Americans (sic!) on board the plane was perfectly chosen in order to draw the US and global opinion into the conflict.)

(By the way, the same publication accused the US of shooting down Malaysian Airline Flight MH370 during a missile test launch that went astray.)

Recently I have been reading another anti-American "news" site - Hintergrund - which often reads like a German version of Russia Today.  The author Wolfgang Bittner, commenting on Russia's activity in the Ukraine, has a hysterical rant about Obama, NATO the United States, etc:

Barack Obama, der einstige Hoffnungsträger, entwickelt sich mehr und mehr zu einer Ausgeburt des Schreckens für die ganze Welt. Waren die Bush-Präsidenten schon furchtbar, scheint er sie inzwischen zu übertreffen. Er wird uns am 4. Juni vor einem amerikanischen Kampfjet auf polnischem Territorium präsentiert und warnt Russland vor einer militärischen Intervention gegen westliche Staaten, für die es jedoch keinerlei Anzeichen gibt.

(Barack Obama, at onetime the hope for the world, has turned more and more into a monster of horror for the entire world.  While the Bush presidencies were awful, he has now surpassed them.  On June 4 he stood before a US fighter jet on Polish terrority and warns Russia against military intervention against western nation, for which there are zero indications.)

Are these minority views in Germany?  Yes, but a vocal minority which each day grows louder.

In the next days and weeks, as further evidence is presented to the world concerning Russia's involvement in the MH17 tragedy, these folks will simply see this as further proof that the United States brought down the plane.

Comments

[koogleschreiber]

Hilfe! Die Russen kommen(tieren)!

Hundreds of German speaking Russians are flooding the comment sections and blogs of the German mass media. I wonder how many of these commenters have a Russian IP.

[Bascha]

I do fully agree with previous comment. German media (as well as media in other countries) are full of Russians - and it is not important if they are paid for their comments (they work as trolls in that case) or not. This is something typical for them - to leave the country but stay proud and "patriotic" so they are in reality "propaganda army" of Kremlin. Their "urapatriotism" is awful, their reactions are also awful since they are not able to use their own minds. They love to be led by strong leader. Doesnt matter if he is right or he is dictator. The problem is that they are spread all over the world and they will fight to death with you that THEY ARE RIGHT and that rest of the world wants to destroy their federation. And the truth is that the world would like to ignore them and let them do what they want - until due to imperial desires of their president die hundreds of people and wars start. This is tragedy that Russian person is not able (or only in rare cases) of any self-reflection and introspection. "Russian soul" is only myth

[Zyme]

I would assume that millions of genuine Germans emigrating from Russia to Germany after 1990 do have an influence here.

Imagine a majority in the country not trusting both America and Russia, seeing especially the US as the driver for war in the world and then being fed pro-Russian-views by these people.

It could be the crucial factor that makes the majority swing in favor of Russia.