Coronavirus and the Plague of Antisemitism

CST Research Briefing

Antisemitism has often been compared to a virus, but really it acts like a parasite: because whenever there is a major crisis in the world, antisemites use it to spread their hatred for Jews. No matter how much genuine suffering there is, antisemites will always react to it by blaming Jews, and then find a way to spread their particular venom to others.

The COVID-19 pandemic that is currently gripping the entire world is no exception. One example is the phenomenon of coordinated antisemitic ‘zoombombing’, whereby racists and trolls invade virtual synagogue services and other meetings that are held on Zoom and other video conferencing sites to spread antisemitic abuse. Another is the explosion of antisemitic conspiracy theories that began to populate social media as soon as news emerged of a dangerous new virus spreading across the world. CST has tracked and recorded antisemitic posts on mainstream sites like Facebook and Twitter, and in more obscure corners of the internet where extremists gather, like 4Chan and Gab, all of which are consumed with the same hateful obsession: that the Jews must be behind this awful new menace, and that this crisis is the latest opportunity to spread their hatred.

Even when these theories do not start with the Jewish community antisemities jump at the opportunity to blame the Jews. For example, when the idea spread that 5G towers and networks were causing or spreading the new coronavirus, conspiracy theorists were quick to suggest that Jews either owned the telecommunication industry or were deliberately building towers in ‘non-Jewish’ areas. One UK user posted to Facebook: “Quick update there are no 5G Towers in Jewish areas I wonder why”.

These racist ideas have global reach, with posts and memes from the United States influencing extremist narratives in the United Kingdom, and anti-Chinese xenophobia merging with anti- Jewish conspiracy theories.

Read in full: Coronavirus and the Plague of Antisemitism