February 2016 - MEDIA MONITORING HIGHLIGHTS
From Greek Orthodox extremists claiming the new ID cards to be “tools for Jews to enslave Greeks” to the Hungarian campaign against Soros as a scapegoat for the refugees crisis, these February highlights are an overview of the most significant results of our monitoring of traditional and new media in Belgium, France, Greece, Hungary, and the United Kingdom.
UK: Antisemitism exposed in British universities
Date: 15 February 2016
Description of the antisemitic content:
Alex Chalmers, co-chair of the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC), a student political organization, resigned from his position in mid-February, after witnessing antisemitism within OULC. On a Facebook post, Chalmers has claimed that a large proportion of members “have some kind of problem with Jews”.
“Whether it be members of the Executive throwing around the term 'Zio' (a term for Jews usually confined to websites run by the Ku Klux Klan) with casual abandon, senior members of the club expressing their 'solidarity' with Hamas and explicitly defending their tactics of indiscriminately murdering civilians, or a former Co-Chair claiming that 'most accusations of antisemitism are just the Zionists crying wolf’, a large proportion of both OULC and the student left in Oxford more generally have some kind of problem with Jews.” Alex Chalmers
The Labour has opened an inquiry into these antisemitism allegations at Oxford student club
Myth Debunked:
The accusations Alex Chalmers is referring to show, once again, the amalgamation between the words “Jewish” and “Zionist”, which are two distinct concepts. Zionism is a Jewish national-political movement founded in 1896 with the aim of re-establishing a Jewish homeland in the Holy Land. It has been a key element of Jewish religious life since the Jewish exile from the land two thousand years ago, and is embedded in Jewish prayer, ritual, literature and culture. If true, the statements of members of the clubs are diminishing the reality of antisemitism, stating that “most accusations of antisemitism are just the Zionists crying wolf”, whereas we see that today in Europe Jews can be attacked and murdered in the streets because they are Jewish. To name a few, it happened in Toulouse in March 2012, in Brussels in May 2014, in Paris in January 2015, and in Copenhagen in February 2015.
HUNGARY: Soros as a scapegoat for the refugee crisis and teachers’ protests
Date of publication: January and February 2016
Media Outlets: Titkolt Hirek, Függetlenség, Magyar Idők, 888, Pestisracok.hu, MNO, Demokrata.hu
Headlines:
“George Soros revealed his cards in public”
“If we can make an interview with George Soros”
“Soros Tours: Guide for homecoming Muslims”
“Soros strikes again”
“The organiser of the teachers’ demonstration was paid by George Soros and Gyula Horn”
“George Soros and his civil organisations stood behind the teacher demonstration”
“The élite which betrayed Europe”
Description of the antisemitic content:
In several blog posts and articles in right-wing news media outlets (some of which connected to the Hungarian government), there have been many outrageous and antisemitic claims regarding George Soros, a Hungarian-Jewish investor and business man. Soros is accused to be able to manipulate world politics and the global economy – a classic example of antisemitic stereotyping. Some unwarranted rumors also claim that Soros and his Open Society Foundations work to help terrorists into Europe and support immigrants with the goal of tearing down Europe’s borders and bring crime to the Union. Soros has also been accused of being behind the teachers’ protests against centralising the education system in Hungary. It is clear that Soros is being unjustly blamed and being used as a scapegoat for world events upsetting the extreme-right authors of these posts.
About the sources:
Titkolt Hírek is a news website connected to the extreme right. Függetlenség is an extreme right-wing blog. Magyar Idők is a mainstream news organisation whose policy and target audience is connected to the right and the government party. 888 is a Hungarian right-wing mainstream media outlet. PestiSrácok is a mainstream media outlet, connected with the government. MNO and Demokrata.hu are two right-wing news websites.
Myth Debunked:
The accusations against George Soros are based on the myth of Jewish conspiracy that sees Jews behind international politics and global economy decisions. The antisemitic stereotype of Jewish controlling of the world is one of the oldest myths about Jews. It was regularly used by Nazi propaganda. It is particularly worrying that this antisemitic stereotype is resurging in full strength today in the media.
GREECE: Anti-Jewish rallies against the new Citizens Card
Dates: 7 and 26 February 2016
Description of the antisemitic content:
Two rallies in Greece saw protesters gather to express their dissatisfaction against the new ID cards, which the Greek government is planning to introduce in the country, merely because they are made in Israel.
Videos of both rallies in Thessaloniki on 7 February 2016 and Thessaloniki on 26 February 2016 show speakers, banners and books denouncing how Jews are plotting to enslave Greece, and humanity in general, through the new Citizen Card, social security numbers and other cards, which are considered the instrument of the Antichrist. Greek and Byzantine flags were raised alongside religious banners. One of the posters said “No to the citizen card. There is only one enemy: International Zionism.” Books and pamphlets promoting antisemitic stereotypes of Jews were also on sale.
During these demonstrations, Greek Orthodox extremists and ultra-right nationalists claimed that Israel is plotting to enslave non-Jews and destroy humanity as well as the Greek Orthodox religion. Abbot Metodius, our February Troll of the Month, threatened Jews saying that a “Greek Hitler” might rise and that Jewish people should be careful. These claims are evidently unwarranted and presume the worst about the Jewish people (as well as the state of Israel) purely because of their religious identity.
“They will impose on us one religion, one constitution, one flag, one language, and they will turn us into slaves of the Jews for the rest of our lives. My dear brothers, if Jews complain that Hitler killed them, they should be aware this time, in case a Greek Hitler appears. They should be very careful indeed, because we don't need their money!” Methodius, Abbot of Esfigmenou Monastery [video].
“Boutaris [Thessaloniki's mayor] is a Jewish antichrist”, Anastasios Theodoridis.
“If Jews are complaining that Hitler came and killed them, they should careful this time, because a Greek Hitler might come. They should be extremely careful! Because we don’t need their money!” Methodius, Abbot of Esfigmenou Monastery [video].
Link: Videos and photos can be found at Hellas Orthodoxy BlogSpot. For a more balanced reporting, see the blog of the journalist Sofia Christoforidou.
About the authors:
The rallies were organised by both Greek Orthodox zealots and Golden Dawn members. Methodius is the Abbot of Esfigmenou Monastery in Mount Athos, northern Greece. This monastery embodies the Greek Orthodox fundamentalism and has been in a bitter dispute with the Istanbul-based Ecumenical Patriarch, spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians. The Patriarchate and the rest of the Orthodox Christian Churches consider them as heretics. The monastery has strong relations with Greek ultra-right nationalistic movements, which also attended the demonstrations. Among them was Ilias Panagiotaros, MP and prominent member of Golden Dawn.
Myth Debunked:
The sole threat of a new Greek Hitler is an outrageous statement as Council Decision 2003/335/JHA of 8 May 2003 requires all member states of the European Union to investigate and prosecute all acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. Genocide within European borders would be almost impossible to occur again in the present day without any serious repercussions against the perpetrators. The claim that Jews want to impose their religion and cultural way of life on others is also false: Judaism has no objective to convert other people to its faith. Lastly, the future enslavement of the world‘s citizens by the Jews is also an unwarranted belief that comes from an old myth that Jews represent evil.
FRANCE: Brauman’s false claims on the kippah
Date of publication: 16 January 2016
Description of the antisemitic content:
Rony Brauman, former president of Doctors without Borders, has implied that wearing the kippah symbolises one’s allegiance to the Israeli State. Brauman said this during an interview with Europe1 regarding the attack to a teacher wearing a kippah by a 15 year old student in Marseille in January 2016. Brauman’s comment is misleading and not true as the Jewish religion is separate from the actions of the state of Israel.
“There is now a double meaning that is attached to wearing the kippah. Political affiliation is said, a sign of fidelity to the State of Israel - why not after all - but also, and this is more problematic, a sign of allegiance to the policy of the State of Israel.” Rony Brauman
About the author:
Rony Brauman is medical doctor and former president of Médecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders). He is currently director of HCRI (Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute) at University of Manchester, Associate Professor at L'Institut d'Études Politiques (Paris), and Director of Research at the MSF Foundation also in Paris.
Myth Debunked:
The kippah does not symbolize any connection to the state of Israel, but rather, symbolises a religious belief deriving from Judaism. Wearing a kippah is believed to represent the recognition that there is Someone above, God, who is watching everybody’s actions. While the Jewish identity has cultural, ethnic, religious, political, family and personal implications, religious practices themselves are separate from the politics of the state of Israel.
