Commentary | Viral Antisemitism: Conspiracy Theories in the COVID-19 Period
According to a report by Tel Aviv University, the first few months of 2020 saw a surge in antisemitic attacks the nature of which is not without historic precedent. Violence, vandalism, harassment, intimidation, bullying, etc. is becoming part of a new normal for Jewish people living across the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. Commenting on the rise of antisemitism Moshe Kantor, president of the European Jewish Congress, recently noted that “the language and imagery used clearly identifies a revival of the medieval ‘blood libels’ when Jews were accused of spreading disease, poisoning wells, or controlling economies.”
The health crisis and economic austerity induced by COVID-19 have become tools in the hands of far-right politicians throughout the United States and Europe to foment contempt and xenophobic sentiments towards Jewish people. Not only are these parties able to stir centuries-old antisemitic prejudice based on narratives claiming that Jewish people possess demonic powers; but on those that claim that the goal of those within the community is to outsmart non-Jews to seize wealth, power and - eventually – control of the world. They are able to further compound these with new conspiracy theories around the idea that Jewish people brought the plague onto the world. In this atmosphere of panic and crisis, these contemptuous ideas and beliefs are effortlessly shared and have been able to reach new audiences. A lot must be done to contain the ills of this new and seemingly invigorated antisemitism.
Old Prejudices, New Tropes
The birth of modern antisemitic “fake news”-conspiracy theories involving Jews- can be dated back to the texts of the ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion.’ The Protocols were concocted to legitimize Czarist Russia’s pogroms of 1903-1906. According to Czarist Russia, they detailed ‘the meeting minutes of Jewish leaders where they discussed their goal at global hegemony by corrupting the morality of Gentiles, controlling the press, and managing the world economy.’ The antisemitic hoax morphed into one of the greatest plots of all times, dubbing Jews as having mal intentions of global domination. Henry Ford, the founder of Ford Motors, supported the hoax and printed half a million copies of the book. It was also added to school curriculums during Nazi rule in Europe and, more recently, endorsed as ‘authentic’ by Gamal Abdel Nasser and Muammar al-Gaddafi.
While commenting on the rise in antisemitism over the last few years, Moshe Kantor, said that increased use of social media during the health crisis could facilitate the spread of conspiracy theories, “providing simplistic answers for the growing anxiety among the general public”. This new form of antisemitic rhetoric that, amongst other things, accuses Jewish people of spreading the coronavirus is concerning. Conspiracy theories that are laced with antisemitism are further animated by anxieties inflamed by the Covid-19 pandemic namely the geopolitical tussle between various groups, the idea that the pandemic was started intentionally, and that some groups will benefit economically as a result. Anxieties that map easily onto pre-established antisemitic tropes:
The blood libel canard: This conspiracy theory accuses Jews of starting or spreading plagues, such as the bubonic plague, in order to kill non-Jews. The Jews have always been perceived as the spreaders of diseases. Conspiracy theorists claim that COVID-19 is merely another plague started and spread by those of the Jewish faith.
Thirst for power canard: History testifies that the conspiracy tradition has always been dominated by the conventional idea of a Jewish plot to take control of the world. Accordingly, antisemites claim that Jews and Israelis are somehow manipulating world events to reap benefits for their own people.
Jews are ‘malicious,’ ‘cunning’ and ‘greedy’ canard: The idea that somehow, Jews are profiting from the spread of coronavirus in terms of the production of potential vaccines and Personal Protective Equipment in their pharmaceutical companies, invokes an age-old myth of Jewish greed. Many people have been therefore questioning the advances of Israel’s scientific research in making major breakthroughs in coming up with cures and vaccines to COVID-19.
Extremist Politics Go Digital
Easy access to the internet in the digital age brought the ability to communicate remotely, expand social circles, and share knowledge at unprecedented speeds. Unfortunately, the same technology that has made it easier to bring humanity closer together has also made the spreading of hate speech virtually effortless. Through social media, extremist politics and tropes born of antisemitic conspiracy are going viral, particularly amongst those in younger generations whose aptitude for critical thinking and distinction between evidence and ideology remains underdeveloped. Even in the classrooms, teachers often complain about the challenges they face while arguing against ‘fake news’ with children.
Everyone from private citizens, public political figures, and religious leaders can be found taking part in spreading this hate. Rick Wiles, the Florida pastor, who once claimed that the impeachment of the US President Donald Trump was a ‘Jewish Coup,’ was reported to claim that the ‘spread of coronavirus in synagogues is a punishment of the Jewish people for opposing Jesus.’ In another case, white supremacist far-right American politician David Earnest Duke has been perpetually linking the global Jewish community to global economic instability through his tweets. Going so far as to allege that the virus is a bioweapon funded by the Holocaust survivor and philanthropist George Soros, Republican Party member Joanne Wright tweeted: "Doesn’t @BillGates finance research at the Wuhan lab where the Coronavirus was being created? Isn’t @georgesoros a good friend of Gates?" She finished her tweet off with the hashtag #DeepStateCabal. Furthermore, Paul Nehlen, another Republican claimed that Israel "unleashed a bioweapon" against China.
Coronavirus induced antisemitism extends beyond just tweets and posts on social media. So voracious is this rise in Coronavirus related antisemitism that in Ohio, a man protesting stay-at-home orders was found with a sign representing a rat along with a Star of David and Yarmulke and read “the real plague.” A man was also arrested on speculation of plotting a bomb attack on a Missouri hospital in the US. His plans also involved an attack on a mosque and a synagogue. Furthermore, the FBI in New York also warned that neo-Nazis and white supremacist groups are plotting to spread the virus among the Jews.
Al-Arabiya reported earlier that a cleric working at the Fatima Masumeh shrine in Iran, a Shia pilgrimage site, shouted to the crowd, “We are not followers of the World Health Organization. They are a bunch of infidels and Jews,” inferring that the lockdown is a Jewish scheme to obstruct Muslim religious observance.
Curing Two Viruses with One Antidote
The dire incidents outlined above come on the heels of yet another challenging year for Jewish people, and are capped by various difficulties posed by the contagion is inspired by the antisemitic expressions and must be addressed. The uptick in antisemitic cases along with coronavirus induced conspiracy theories has sparked fear and uncertainty among Jewish communities. Antisemitism during times of crisis is not a new phenomenon and are founded on the centuries-old canards. It is the duty of the State to safeguard its people and citizens from xenophobic and racist sentiments. In this case, the State’s main role in putting an end to these antisemitic conspiracy theories will lie very basically in limiting the damage of the virus.
It is crucial that states adequately address the psychological impact of the virus, in terms of the increase of anxiety, uncertainty, and powerlessness within society. This kind of fake news thrives where such psychological states prevail. As the basis of these conspiracy theories — the COVID-19 virus — is itself the root cause of psychological mindsets that better foster belief in such conspiracy theories, it must be the focus of a majority of interventions. Parallel to this must be the introduction of stern measures to prevent leaders from engaging in conspiratorial rhetoric themselves. Moreover, steps must be adopted to mitigate the psychological impact of poor public health infrastructures and economic tensions on society. Uneasiness and panic induced by socio-economic factors only add more fuel to conspiracy theories and make people more receptive to fake news.
In response to the spread of COVID-19, several tech companies are engaging in combating subversive disinformation and conspiracy theories. Social media corporations such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter have all put out new action plans to direct users to trustworthy medical sources (such as the World Health Organization and Center for Disease Control). Furthermore, Facebook and Twitter, through AI, have been attempting to delete posts by world leaders that contain controversial and contradictory virus-related news.
Unfortunately, these measures do very little to battle the intersection of fake news and hate. Despite efforts by corporations, sites like Facebook and WhatsApp continue to serve as breeding grounds for hateful disinformation and conspiracies about already-vilified communities. Media corporations must invest more in their AI research and find more suitable ways to tackle the spread of conspiracy theories that target and jeopardize the security of sections of society like Jewish communities.
There are organizations such as Anti-Defamation League, Yad Vashem, and The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy which are facilitating awareness and education about Antisemitism and conspiracy theories around the world. Governments should aid these organizations and assist them in carrying out their projects to combat antisemitism. Teaching about the Holocaust, Israel, and Antisemitism should weigh heavily in high school and university-level curricula. Without governmental support, educating people about hatred and xenophobia will continue to be extremely challenging.
Having said this, many political leaders have in the past expressed their intent to fight the prevailing evils of antisemitism. In the aftermath of an attack on a synagogue in Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that her government would “do everything possible to ensure that you (Jews) can live in safety.” The COVID-19 pandemic is yet another unfortunate reminder that work is still in progress and much needs to be done to secure the rights of the Jewish community.
Edited by: Cameron Vaské, Torge Bartscht, and Valerie Gatonye
All views expressed in this article are solely those of the author, and do not represent the views of The International Scholar or any other organization.
Photo credit:
Demonstration gegen rechten Terror und Antisemitismus by Rasande Tyskar, Flickr,
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