Gonzalo Lira

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In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Lira and the second or maternal family name is López.
Gonzalo Lira
Lira in March 2022
Born
Gonzalo Ángel Quintilio Lira López

(1968-02-29)February 29, 1968
Burbank, California, U.S.
DiedJanuary 12, 2024(2024-01-12) (aged 55)
Ukraine
Nationality
Alma materDartmouth College[1]
Occupations
  • Novelist
  • Commentator

Gonzalo Ángel Quintilio Lira López ([ɣonˈsalo ˈaŋxel kinˈtiljo ˈlira ˈlopes], February 29, 1968 – January 12, 2024) was a Chilean-American novelist,[2] filmmaker,[3] commentator[4][5] and self-styled dating coach.[6] He was involved in the manosphere,[7] posting anti-feminist content under the name Coach Red Pill. As a resident of Kharkiv, Ukraine, he vlogged about the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and was described as spreading Russian disinformation and propaganda.[8][9]

In April 2022, Lira briefly disappeared and claimed to have been detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).[10][11] In May 2023 Lira was arrested and charged with producing and publishing material that attempted to justify the ongoing Russian invasion, which is illegal under Ukrainian law.[6][12] Lira was released on bail, but attempted to flee the country. He was arrested again for violating his bail conditions, and died of pneumonia in custody on January 12, 2024.[13]

Early life

Lira was born to Chilean parents in Burbank, California,[2] and grew up in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Santiago, Chile, among other places.[14] He graduated from Saint George's College, Santiago in 1985.[14] From 1985 until 1991, he worked as an English teacher and traveled in South America.[14] He entered Dartmouth College in 1991, graduating in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in history and philosophy.[1][14]

Career

Lira while filming Secuestro

After graduating, Lira moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career as a screenwriter. Unsuccessful, he turned to writing novels.[14] In 1997, Lira released a Spanish-language coming-of-age novel, Tomáh Errázurih.[15][14] Lira's first English-language novel, a spy thriller called Counterparts, was published in January 1998 by G. P. Putnam's Sons.[16][17] Lira received an advance of one million U.S. dollars for the novel and a follow-up,[1] upon which he was referred to by Qué Pasa magazine as the "highest paid Chilean writer in the world".[18]

In 1998, after moving to New York City, Lira wrote, produced, and directed a short comedy film, So Kinky.[14] He was also involved in the story creation of the 2000 video game Soldier of Fortune.[19] Lira published a second English-language book, another spy thriller titled Acrobat, in 2002, the movie rights to which were bought by Miramax.[20][21] In 2005, he filmed Secuestro in Chile, which came in second in the box office in Chile following its opening weekend.[22][23]

From 2010 to 2013, Lira published his thoughts on economics and other subjects on his blog, some of which were reposted by Business Insider,[3] though a majority of his articles have since been removed.[24] He also contributed to Zero Hedge, a far-right financial and geopolitics website.[4] During this period, Lira contacted Australian economist Steve Keen, proposing a collaborative project and suggesting that they start a paid subscription website. According to Keen, Gonzalo "overstated and over-promised what he could do".[8]

From 2017 onward, Lira was active on YouTube under the pseudonym Coach Red Pill (CRP), an allusion to Red Pill and Black Pill symbolism in the manosphere community. The content was misogynistic[9] and anti-feminist in nature, appealing to incels.[25] Lira posted videos with advice such as "never date a woman in her thirties" and argued that all women wanted was money, a house, and kids, as only child-rearing would biologically validate them.[8] In one video, he advised viewers living in Western democracies to move to "a poor, underdeveloped country" due to the former's supposed "totalitarian" deployment of COVID-19 vaccines.[26] In November 2021, Lira deleted most of his CRP content and began posting under his legal name.[23]

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Lira shifted the majority of his commentary to the war. Lira's content was heavily pro-Russian, praising Russian military actions and denying Russian attacks on civilians, as well as doxxing Western journalists.[4][27] His content, which has been described as Russian propaganda and disinformation,[9][28][29] was amplified on social media by Kremlin-linked accounts[30] and praised by Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.[31][32]

Lira lived in Kharkiv, and married a Ukrainian woman with whom he had two children, though the pair later separated.[8][33]

Arrest and prosecution

On April 15, 2022, friends and family of Lira said that they had lost touch with him, after which Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs began searching for his whereabouts.[34][35] Ukraine-based American journalist Sarah Ashton-Cirillo reported Lira's apparent capture by Ukrainian forces on April 18.[25] Lira became the subject of conspiracy theories surrounding his alleged murder,[31][36] but resurfaced alive on April 22, 2022, claiming that he had been detained by the SBU for the period he was missing.[11][37]

On May 1, 2023, Lira was arrested for violating Article 436-2 of Ukraine's criminal code, which prohibits justification of Russia's ongoing invasion of the country.[6][38] The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security noted Lira had also shared pro-Russian disinformation such as claiming the Bucha massacre was faked or that the Ukrainian government was a Neo-Nazi regime, and that Lira had shared video of himself insulting Ukrainian soldiers.[39] His arrest was reported by the SBU on May 5.[40][41] Lira was subsequently released on bail and placed under house arrest.[32] He returned to social media to claim to have been tortured while imprisoned, an allegation denied by the SBU.[32] Lira attempted to flee the country by crossing the Hungarian border on July 31 to claim political asylum, but was captured and arrested again for violating his bail conditions.[4][42]

In December 2023, Elon Musk, CEO of X (formerly Twitter), publicly inquired about Lira on his platform, in response to a post by media personality Tucker Carlson calling Lira a political prisoner.[43][44] The SBU responded that Lira had been detained in accordance with the law.[38] Musk's post was also labeled with a Community Note explaining the nature of Lira's charges, after which Musk claimed that the note had been "gamed by state actors".[45][46] In a Business Insider interview that month, Sarah Ashton-Cirillo, who had become a Ukrainian military spokeswoman, asserted that Lira had fabricated his torture accusations in an effort to gain sympathy.[44]

Death

On January 12, 2024, Gonzalo Lira Sr., Lira's father, reported that his son had died in a Ukrainian prison at the age of 55.[24][47] This was confirmed by the United States Department of State[48] and Chile's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[49][50] His cause of death was reported to be pneumonia.[13] Lira Sr. blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and United States President Joe Biden for causing his son's death.[51][52] Russian officials, including Maria Zakharova and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, echoed this claim,[53][54] as did some Western political figures.[55] Cathy Young of The Bulwark criticized anti-Ukraine commentators for spreading misinformation about Lira and exploiting his death, and also issued a call for transparency.[55]

Filmography

  • So Kinky (1998) — writer, director.
  • Secuestro (2005) aka Catalina's Kidnapping — co-writer, co-producer, director.

Publications

  • Lira, Gonzalo (1997). Tomáh Errázurih (1 ed.). Santiago de Chile: Mondadori. ISBN 956-258-057-1. OCLC 38081261.
  • Lira, Gonzalo (1998). Counterparts. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. ISBN 0-399-14312-2. OCLC 37300650.
  • Lira, Gonzalo (2002). Acrobat (1 ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-28694-5. OCLC 48515857.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Baden, Denise (December 10, 1996). "El hombre del million de dolares" [The million dollar man]. El Mercurio. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-04-21. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  2. ^ a b Gomez Bravo, Andres (2002-07-12). "Gonzalo Lira: "Escribir no es ningún misterio"" [Gonzalo Lira: "Writing is no mystery"]. La Tercera. p. 45. Archived from the original on 21 April 2022. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  3. ^ a b Leonard, Andrew (2010-09-28). "The Dumbest Attack on Paul Krugman, Ever". Salon. Archived from the original on 2022-05-08. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  4. ^ a b c d Bowden, John (2023-12-12). "Meet the 'Putin propagandist' Tucker and Elon Musk want freed in Ukraine". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  5. ^ Thompson, Stuart A. (2022-10-25). "Russia's Unsupported 'Dirty Bomb' Claims Spread Through Right-Wing U.S. Media". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  6. ^ a b c Rosen, Evan (2023-05-06). "Misogynist dating coach Gonzalo Lira, aka Coach Red Pill, arrested in Ukraine for Russian propaganda". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on 2024-01-16. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  7. ^ Fogel, Benjamin (2023-03-10). "Andrew Tate Wants Everyone to Get in on the Grift". Jacobin. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  8. ^ a b c d Hay, Mark (2022-03-21). "How a Sleazy American Dating Coach Became a Pro-Putin Shill in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  9. ^ a b c Zadrozny, Brandy (June 8, 2022). "Russian Propaganda Efforts Aided by pro-Kremlin Content Creators, Research Finds". NBC News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
  10. ^ Pérez, Graciela (2022-04-19). "Periodista chileno está desaparecido en Ucrania: Cancillería informó que se "mantiene en contacto con las entidades pertinentes"" [Chilean journalist is missing in Ukraine: Foreign Ministry reported that it “maintains contact with the relevant entities”]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  11. ^ a b Hermosilla P., Diego (2022-04-25). "La historia del chileno que dice que lo secuestró el servicio secreto ucraniano" [The story of the Chilean who says he was kidnapped by the Ukrainian secret service]. Publimetro Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  12. ^ Davis, Julia (2023-05-05). "'Red Pill' Dating Coach Gonzalo Lira, Accused of Shilling for Putin, Is Arrested in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2023-05-07.
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  15. ^ Cárdenas, Elisa (1997-09-17). """Tomáh Errázurih", chileno arquetípico"" [""Tomáh Errázurih", archetypal Chilean"]. La Nación. p. 44.
  16. ^ Colford, Paul D. (17 October 1996). "Two for the Books: Novice Success Stories". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  17. ^ Counterparts by Gonzalo Lira. Kirkus Reviews. 1997-11-15.
  18. ^ Albornoz, Pamela (March 29, 1997). "El escritor chileno mejor pagado del mundo" [The highest paid Chilean writer in the world]. Qué Pasa. Archived from the original on 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
  19. ^ Biessman, Eric (2000-09-27). "Postmortem: Raven Software's Soldier of Fortune". Game Developer. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  20. ^ Anderson, Patrick (5 May 2002). "An Unstable Ex-mercenary, a CIA Mod Squad, an Unenlightened JAG Lawyer and Assorted Baddies". The Washington Post. ProQuest 409324723. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  21. ^ Rose, M.J. (2002-01-08). "Preview Copies Go Digital". WIRED. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  22. ^ Tepernam, Johnny (April 27, 2005). "Tras su primer fin de semana de exhibicion cinta chilena 'Secuestro' se ubico segunda en la taquilla" [After its first weekend of release, the Chilean film 'Secuestro' ranked second at the box office]. United Press International (in Spanish) (published 2005-04-26). Archived from the original on 2022-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-11 – via gale.com.
  23. ^ a b Fossa, Lissette (2022-04-20). "Qué se sabe de Gonzalo Lira y su misteriosa desaparición en Ucrania" [What is known about Gonzalo Lira and his mysterious disappearance in Ukraine]. INTERFERENCIA (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-04-20. Retrieved 2022-04-22.
  24. ^ a b "Pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira allegedly dies in Ukrainian detention center". The New Voice of Ukraine. 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  25. ^ a b Alday, John (2022-04-18). "Todo sobre Gonzalo Lira, el chileno del que se perdió contacto en Ucrania". Mala Espina (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  26. ^ Codrea, David (2022-03-18). "Conservative Sympathy for Russia in Ukraine War an Exercise in Cognitive Dissonance". Firearms News. Archived from the original on 2022-03-18. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
  27. ^ Kurianowicz, Tomasz (2023-12-10). "Amerikanischer Blogger in ukrainischer Haft: Elon Musk reagiert" [American blogger in Ukrainian custody: Elon Musk reacts]. Berliner Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  28. ^ Romero-Vicente, Ana (2022-09-22). "The 3F formula of disinformation entrepreneurs: make it Fast, Fake and Famous. Part 1". EU DisinfoLab. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
  29. ^ Kellermann, Florian (2024-01-23). "Gonzalo Lira: Prorussischer US-Blogger in ukrainischem Gefängnis gestorben" [Gonzalo Lira: Pro-Russian US blogger dies in Ukrainian prison]. Deutschlandfunk (in German). Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  30. ^ Bodnar, Joseph; Kohlenberg, Nathan; Schafer, Bret; Soula, Etienne (2022-06-22). "Hamilton Monthly Report: May 2022". Alliance For Securing Democracy. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  31. ^ a b Young, Cathy (2022-04-29). "The Redpill Grifter Who Became an Anti-Ukraine Propagandist". The Bulwark. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  32. ^ a b c Shashkova, Maryna (2023-12-13). "EXPLAINED: Why Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk are Big Fans of Gonzalo Lira". KyivPost. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  33. ^ Sideris, Felicia (2023-12-12). "Ukraine : un Américain est-il réellement emprisonné depuis cinq ans "pour avoir critiqué Zelensky"?" [Ukraine: has an American really been imprisoned for five years "for criticizing Zelensky"?]. TF1 (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  34. ^ Núñez, Vladimir (2022-04-18). "Chileno que informaba sobre la guerra en Ucrania está desaparecido: esto escribió en caso de quedar inubicable" [Chilean who reported on the war in Ukraine is missing: this is what he wrote in case he became untraceable]. Meganoticias (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  35. ^ "Cancillería: Familiares de chileno en Ucrania no tienen noticias de él desde el 15 de abril" [Foreign Ministry: Relatives of Chilean in Ukraine have not heard from him since April 15]. CNN Chile (in Spanish). 2022-04-18. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  36. ^ Bradbury, Shelly (2022-11-29). "Woman sues Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann for defamation over false murder claim". The Denver Post. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  37. ^ Iversen, Kim (2022-04-25). "Kim Iversen: DISAPPEARED journalist, Gonzalo Lira, captured by Ukrainian forces found ALIVE". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  38. ^ a b Shcherbak, Alla (2023-12-10). "SBU responds to Musk's comments on arrest of pro-Russian blogger Lira". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  39. ^ "Що не так з проросійським блогером Гонсало Лірою, за якого вступились Карлсон і Маск" [What is wrong with the pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira, for whom Carlson and Musk intervened]. Ukrinform. 11 December 2023. Archived from the original on 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  40. ^ Borysenko, Ivan (2023-05-05). "Pro-Russian blogger Gonzalo Lira detained in Kharkiv". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  41. ^ "Ucrania confirma arresto de chileno Gonzalo Lira por justificar invasión rusa" [Ukraine confirms arrest of Chilean Gonzalo Lira for justifying Russian invasion]. Swissinfo (EFE) (in Spanish). 2023-05-06. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  42. ^ Miasyshchev, Oleksandr; Skibitska, Yuliana (15 December 2023). "Elon Musk asks Biden to save "American journalist" Gonzalo Lira, who was detained by the SBU. In fact, he is a pro-Russian propagandist, sexist, conspiracy theorist and favorite of Maria Zakharova'". babel.ua. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  43. ^ Shcherbak, Alla (2023-12-10). "Musk seeks explanation from Zelenskyy over pro-Russian blogger detention". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  44. ^ a b Shoaib, Alia (2023-12-17). "Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk have rallied behind an American 'red pill' dating coach turned Russian propagandist detained in Ukraine". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-12.
  45. ^ "Elon Musk fact-checked on X by his own system - but claims it has been 'gamed by state actors'". Sky News. 2023-12-11. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  46. ^ Dorn, Sara (2023-12-10). "Elon Musk Celebrates Alex Jones X Return In Chat—Joined By Controversial Figures Andrew Tate, Mike Flynn, More". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  47. ^ Orlov, Alexander (2024-01-12). "В украинском СИЗО умер американский блогер Гонсало Лира. Его обвиняли в оправдании российской агрессии" [American blogger Gonzalo Lira died in a Ukrainian pre-trial detention center. He was accused of justifying Russian aggression]. Vot Tak (Belsat). Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  48. ^ Quinn, Allison (2024-01-17). "U.S. Finally Confirms American Dating Coach-Turned-Kremlin Shill Died in Ukraine". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  49. ^ Gómez S., Rodrigo (13 January 2024). "Cancillería confirma la muerte de periodista chileno Gonzalo Lira, quien estuvo preso en Ucrania" [Foreign Ministry confirms the death of Chilean journalist Gonzalo Lira, who was imprisoned in Ukraine]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  50. ^ "Gonzalo Lira: Cancillería confirma muerte de periodista chileno en Ucrania" [Gonzalo Lira: Foreign Ministry confirms death of Chilean journalist in Ukraine]. 24horas (TVN) (in Spanish). 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  51. ^ "Denuncian la muerte del periodista chileno-estadounidense Gonzalo Lira en Ucrania" [Denoucement of the death of Chilean-American journalist Gonzalo Lira in Ukraine] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 2024-01-13. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
  52. ^ Rubio, Paz (2024-01-13). "Quién era Gonzalo Lira, el reportero chileno-estadounidense que falleció tras ser arrestado en Ucrania" [Who was Gonzalo Lira, the Chilean-American reporter who died after being arrested in Ukraine]. La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-01-17.
  53. ^ "Захарова обвинила США в гибели блогера Лиры" [Zakharova blamed the US for the death of blogger Lira]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  54. ^ "Киеву позволяют пытать даже американцев, заявил Лавров" [Kyiv is allowed to torture even Americans, Lavrov said]. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 2024-01-18. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  55. ^ a b Young, Cathy (2024-01-16). "Anti-Ukraine Chorus Seeks to Exploit an American's Death". plus.thebulwark.com. Retrieved 2024-01-16.
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External links

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