Resurfacing Hate: Repackaged Antisemitic Tropes in Today's Media
In the age of new media, conspiracy theories have taken on a new guise, shedding their image of being shared only by fringe individuals wearing tinfoil hats. Now, they proliferate rapidly across social media platforms, masquerading as credible news. Simultaneously, the rise of accessible media production has eroded the once-held prestige of traditional journalism. The days have passed when printing presses and loyal readerships were necessities for credibility. Today, trust in media platforms can depend solely on the agreeability of their content. “don’t trust everything you read online” is what the parents of the media-exposed generation told their children, but still very few realised the need to arm the whole of civil society against misinformation.
This shift is significant. While traditional news outlets persist, they find themselves defending their established position against a tide of sensationalism and speculation. Meanwhile, lesser-known platforms peddle narratives that resonate with popular sentiment rather than relying on journalistic standards. Understanding this landscape is crucial for a healthy democracy. When truth seeking gives way to attention seeking, it risks succumbing to our most potent emotional triggers: fear, disgust, and anger. This article delves into the fringes of the media, exploring what those outside traditional news circles are consuming. Only by understanding these dynamics can we safeguard the foundational institution of our freedom from the dangers of misinformation.
These emotions are at the heart of discrimination. Fear for someone sells, because we can be led to believe acting on it will lead to safety. Disgust for someone sells, because we will be led to believe that we are better than others. And anger at someone sells, because it leads us to believe we are vindicated in our emotions and actions. Now that Europe is closer to war than in a long time, these emotions sprawl, and there is one group particularly impacted by this: the Jewish communities, particularly those in the diaspora.
Frontnieuws: a look at antisemitic rhetoric and how it is being spread.
Frontnieuws is a Dutch news outlet which produces nearly 70 articles a week, translated into 7 languages.
In the month of April, one news outlet stands out in its emotive writing and harmful antisemitic tropes: Frontnieuws. The outlet has a conspiratorial bend, posting about conspiracies regarding the dangers of COVID-19, the alleged plot and truth of the Great Replacement and the soundness of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The platform produces nearly 70 articles a week, translated into 7 languages. It also operates in a network of alternative news media that share the same stories by the same authors, which frequently end up in Facebook groups or Twitter threads. As a result of the Hamas attack and the consecutive Israeli response, old tropes resurge which fuel antisemitism.
Understanding the mechanisms through which this rhetoric fuels antisemitism does not only serve to combat it, but also to help everyone become mindful of how our own speech can contribute to these effects. In particular, pertinent tropes on Frontnieuws are the conflation of Jewry as an ethnicity and religion with Israel as a state and with Zionism, the conspiracy of a powerful Jewish elite, and lastly the reversal of the victim-abuser relationship.
Exploring the intersection of religion, politics, and identity in Israel
The actions of the Netanyahu government have sparked debate and division across Europe, reigniting discussions about the legitimacy of Zionism and its more extreme manifestations. This discourse often spills over into the treatment of Jewish people as a homogeneous entity, collectively held responsible for Israel's government actions. Even in the diaspora, Jews find themselves targeted for the policies of the Israeli government.
This phenomenon can be attributed, in part, to the blurred lines between religious, civil, political, and ethnic identities in Israel. As a self-proclaimed "Jewish State," Israel intertwines religion and state power, complicating critiques of the government without veering into religious discrimination. This trend also fuels anti-Muslim hatred, as discussions about theocracy in Iran and the monarchy in Morocco often devolve into broad generalisations about entire religious groups.
It is crucial to recognise that Zionism encompasses a spectrum of interpretations and goals, from advocating for a Jewish homeland within existing borders to supporting a two-state solution. Actions from coalition governments, like that led by Netanyahu, cannot be seen as fully representative of the entire Israeli public opinion. The actions of a government should not be conflated with the beliefs of its citizens, especially in a country where around 25% of the population is not Jewish.
However, these nuances are often lost in heated discussions, where insults like "Zionist" are weaponised to demonise entire groups. Media platforms may use the term "Zionist" as a gateway to perpetuate age-old conspiracy theories, further exacerbating tensions and perpetuating harmful stereotypes. It is imperative to engage in nuanced discussions that separate legitimate criticism from harmful generalisations, lest we perpetuate antisemitism and undermine the diversity and complexity of Jewish identity. Take a look at the following quotations from Frontnieuws:
“The Zionist corporate and alternative media consistently report only one view of these protests, the Zionist view, using their well-funded propaganda media to convince Americans that all these protests are about attacks on the Jewish people.”
“Well, according to the Zionists, Jews who do not support Zionism are also “anti-Semitic”.” (original quotation marks)
“Among younger people there is now a very, very large majority who are in favour of Palestine and even support the Palestinian resistance. And this frightens the Zionists.”
“But the United States government is still in the hands of Zionist billionaires who also own the media.”
“The American media are largely owned by right-wing or neoliberal Jewish Zionist billionaires.”
“But the media are still in the hands of Zionist propagandists, and so they use these terrorist slander terms, which apparently means anyone who doesn't like genocide and is an anti-Semite, which is the same thing again: anyone who doesn't like genocide must be an anti-Semite.”
“Now the true nature of Israel and Zionism is abundantly clear, [...]. Israel is a nation of extreme hatred and violence, led by murderous war criminals who act daily from a deeply evil intention to achieve the genocidal extermination of the Palestinian people.”
Challenging misinformation and fostering understanding
Zionism has become for the conspiracy theorists a synecdoche and a dog-whistle for antisemitism. The interchangeable use of "Zionist" with "Jewish" reveals a disturbing trend wherein age-old antisemitic tropes are enabled and repackaged under the guise of political discourse. Replacing every instance of ‘Zionist’ with ‘Jewish’ would yield textbook antisemitic conspiracy theories. It is also the absence of mentioning what the real aspirations of these ‘Zionists’ are, and who they are (and who they are not) that give it an air of ambiguity, a covert society, and secret agendas.
The inflationary and indiscriminate use of the word Zionism and demonisation of the whole of Israel stokes fear and hatred towards the Jewish people. This is problematic for Israeli’s, but more so of the minority Jewish communities in the diaspora who receive the brunt of this discrimination. Finally, the more these concepts are inflated and conflated, the more they contaminate the word Zionism with negative connotations. And without properly nuanced discussions about Zionism, people may be led to believe there is no legitimacy to the state of Israel – no right for Jewish people for a state of their own and self-determination.
The propagation of conspiracy narratives and antisemitism within the media landscape is unacceptable. While the media holds immense power to shape public opinion and discourse, it also bears a significant responsibility to uphold ethical standards and promote factual accuracy. It is imperative that both Jewish and Muslim communities feel safe within Europe, free from scapegoating and discrimination for the actions of any government or state. Any narrative that fuels division or targets specific religious or ethnic groups undermines social cohesion and diversity. Therefore, it is necessary for the media to actively combat misinformation, bigotry, and xenophobia, striving to foster an environment where all individuals are treated equally and with respect.
