Islamophobia Published in German, Hungarian, UK and Belgian Media, Antisemitism Published in a Greek Newspaper and a Polish Far-Right Commentator Making Islamophobic and Antisemitic Comments
In May’s media monitoring, we saw a German far-right blog use a public debate to make spurious Islamophobic accusations; a Hungarian newsite labelled the burkini as ‘Islamic fascism’; Islamophobic comments by a far-right politician broadcast on french media; a far-right, Polish commentator saying Jews deserve a new Holocaust and accused Muslims for dealing drugs; in the UK, a french footballer was accused of homophobia due to his Muslim faith; in Belgium, a Flemish news site spread the Great Replacement conspiracy narrative; and in Greece a far-right website used antisemitic narratives to boost sales.
Germany – Far-right blog exploits school dress code to vilify Muslims
The far-right, populist blog, Journalistenwatch, circulated anti-Muslim misinformation in an article on a Bavarian school whose head master recently enforced the institution’s dress code which has been in place since 2007. Some teachers responded with criticism, pointing out that students should not be told what to wear - students also condemned the dress code for its sexist rules. Journalistenwatch quoted the headmaster saying his school stands for a “cosmopolitan society” which takes all cultures into account, and spuriously leapt to the baseless accusation that “Sharia dress code” is being imposed.
While the issue of dress codes, especially those regulating women’s apparel, can be a topic of public debate, Journalistenwatch twisted the story to vilify Muslims for “not adapting to German values and culture.” The far-right blog falsely reported that the headmaster is “implementing Islamic sharia dress-code rules” as he was concerned teachers or other pupils might get distracted by crop tops and mini-skirts.
Far-right politicians also jumped on the bandwagon, “if you are an asylum seeker and enjoy the luxury of modern education in Germany… you have to tolerate our values and our culture”, Journalistenwatch reported AfD MP, Wolfgang Wiehle, using the incident as an opportunity to spread his anti-migrant hatred.
Hungary – Public Service News Outlets Labels Burkini “Islamic Fascism”
Hirado.hu, the official news site of the Hungarian public service broadcaster (MTVA), published an article repeatedly labelling the permission granted to wear the burkini as ‘Islamic fascism’. The burkini is a Muslim swimsuit for women that covers the whole body except the face.
The article referred to the recent authorization by the city council in Grenoble, France, allowing women to wear the burkini in state-run swimming pools. The news site included degrading insinuations about Muslim women’s personal hygiene, such as the burkini raising a health concern through chemical interactions with chlorine, as well as speculations that women wearing it can sneak in dirty underwear.
Hairado.hu quotes a French journalist, who described the law as a ‘setback for French women, especially Muslims’. But Hirado failed to give equal coverage to the fact that swimwear rules for women in Grenoble were liberalized in much broader sense, including allowing topless swimming.
Further, Hirado made a tortuous connection between the local organisation Alliance Citoyenne, which lobbied for the rule change, and the Jewish billionaire George Soros, an antisemitic dog-whistle. This is in line with the pro-government media’s agenda, which backs Viktor Orban’s government’s relentless attacks on Soros for funding liberal organisations and institutions in the country.
France - Zemmour compares Taliban rule to France in 30 years
The far-right politician and author Eric Zemmour returned to CNews, a TV channel that is often dubbed the “French Fox News”, to express his anti-Muslim views during an interview discussing the Taliban’s recent decision to force female, Afghan TV presenters to cover their faces.
The Taliban’s order prompted protests, such as the #FreeHerFace social media campaign which saw male, Afghan TV journalists posting selfies with their faces covered in solidarity with their colleagues. But Zemmour went as far as to compare the Taliban rule with France, saying that he would not be surprised if, in 30 years, the same situation will happen in France, with TV presenters forced to wear the veil.
To support these unfounded predictions, Zemmour claimed that 70 percent of French Muslims are in favour or not against the burkini in swimming pools – a statistics that was left without a source. Zemmour’s rhetoric echoes the Great Replacement conspiracy narrative, influencing audiences to believe that the Muslim community are a threat to “French national values” and culturally incompatible. Further, by inviting him as a guest, French media are complicit in spreading anti-Muslim conspiracy narratives.
Poland – Far-right journalist with thousands of subscribers accuses Muslims to be drug dealers and Jews to deserve a new Holocaust
The far-right publicist, Rafal Ziemkiewicz, made vile, anti-Muslim remarks during an interview on the right-wing TV Republika on 20 May. While commenting on recent news events, such as the planned takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk and the popularity of TikTok, Ziemkiewicz blamed Muslims as a group for intentionally spreading drugs amongst white people. He said: “Muslims don’t use hashish cause Allah forbids it, they cut heads for that, but they eagerly sell it to the whites.”
The video containing these racialised, hateful stereotypes has been watched by more than 200,000 people. Just a few days later, on his YouTube channel, Ziemkiewicz insinuated the existence of an alleged international conspiracy of greedy Jews and, using other virulent antisemitic slurs, threatened new pogroms or even a new Holocaust. These comments were made in relation to the ongoing discussions about Holocaust-era property restitution in Poland.
This broadcast reached over 112,000 views on YouTube. In October 2021, Ziemkiewicz was denied entry to the UK “due to [his] conduct and views which are at odds with British values and likely to cause offence.”
UK – PSG Football Player Caught in Media Storm with Accusations of Homophobia Due to his Muslim Faith
In mid-May, the Paris Saint Germain player, Idrissa Gueye, became the centre of a media storm in France after his absence from a match where the team’s shirts featured the rainbow flag in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
The Senegalese player, who said he did not participate for “health reasons,” also skipped the corresponding match in 2021 “for personal reasons.” Gueye’s absence was interpreted as motivated by homophobia and he was asked to clarify his positions, which he did not. The midfielder was targeted with hateful messages on social media, although he never expressed any anti-LGBTQ+ positions.
The case was spotlighted in two articles in the UK, where Gueye’s refusal to play with the rainbow colours was explained as due to his religion and coming from a country with severe laws against same-sex relations. The Independent and Talksport.com provided no deeper context, treating insinuations from French social media as fact.
The incident highlights how faith can contribute to an assumption of homophobia. While homotransphobia should always be condemned, similar conclusions and accusations might have not been made if the player was not a black, Muslim person. This case shows that, due to anti-Muslim racism, some principles are applied more severely to different groups of people.
Belgium - Flemish News Site Spreads the Great Replacement Conspiracy Narrative
In the article, "Dutch politics shocked by broadcast with Filip Dewinter," the Flemish-language news site, Doorbraak, reported on the angered reaction by some Belgian politicians to the broadcasting of an interview where a leading member of Vlaams Belang party, Filip Dewinter expressed anti-Muslim remarks.
The interview, aired by the Dutch television channel NPO 2, included the Flemish nationalist politician’s claims on the “Great Replacement” of “native Europeans” (white, Christian populations being replaced by Muslim migrants). When reporting on the case, the Doorbraak journalist sided with Dewinter and mocked as “insane” those who consider it to be a false conspiracy narrative. He stated that people are “denying a reality that hundreds of thousands of voters now live in: sharia-dominated no-go zones, with bulging asylum seekers' centres, […] and Mohammed as the most common boy's name.”
This article spreads misinformation and fuels hatred against Muslims and migrants. The Great Replacement conspiracy narrative often comes hand in hand with a call for people to defend their country, values or white race, at any cost, including resorting to violence. This belief has motivated white supremacists to kill people in Hanau, Germany; Christchurch, New Zealand; and El Paso, Texas.
Greece – Far-Right Tabloid Uses Antisemitic Narratives to Boost Sales
Makeleio, a fringe, far-right publication known for its extremely antisemitic, anti-Muslim and sensationalist coverage, has accused Jews of ‘’buying off Greece’’ through real estate deals and investments in hotel infrastructure.
The front-page article, published on 23rd May, also included several accusations concerning the influence of Turkey’s president Erdogan and “Albanian communists” in Greek political corruption. The clickbait headline, which alludes to an “invasion” of Jews in the country, is not followed by any evidence backing the claims that Jewish businesspeople are controlling Greek estates, or about Turkish and Albanian infiltration of Greek political elites. Claiming to be “sole defender against Greek’s corrupted elites”, in the same article, Makeleio called for its readers to financially support the newspaper.
On the same front page, the promotional text alongside a picture of Adolf Hitler reads, “77 years after the end. Part 3 The biography of a world class murderer.” In 2020, Makeleio sparked international outrage after comparing Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla with the Nazi Joseph Mengele.
