Neo-Nazi demonstrators take to the streets of Paris, a GB News presenter retweets antisemitic imageries, and a Polish author makes claim based on an antisemitic conspiracy theory.
In May’s media monitoring, we saw a Greek news platform spread the Great Replacement narrative whilst a Flemish portal published antisemitic rhetoric on the commemoration of WWII. Far right political party NATION in Belgium spread anti-Muslim and homophobic tropes, meanwhile in the UK, a news presenter retweeted antisemitic imagery. In France, Neo-Nazi activists took to the streets of Paris to spread hateful chants and in Poland, a well-known author published an antisemitic conspiracy narrative.
Greece - News platform claims Germany will become “Islamic” and blames “leftist globalists”
A recent headline published on the news platform pentapostagma.gr read ‘Germany will soon become an Islamic state! More and more babies are names Mohammed’. The article discusses the fact that Mohammed was the most popular boy name in Berlin in 2022, claiming that it is therefore, not hard to see the direction in which Germany is heading.
According to the article, Germany will soon have a large Muslim population and will ‘likely become an Islamic state’. The article also goes on to blame the ‘leftist globalists’ who allowed and permitted all Muslims into the country and it furthermore questions if the country will be able to control them, claiming that ‘Islam teaches obedience to the ruler, as long as it does not hinder the spread of Islam’.
The entire article explores the various areas within Germany where the name Mohammed has gained popularity, spreading the narrative of the Great Replacement through the promotion of an idea of a ‘takeover’ of the name. This article is based on prejudice and anti-Muslim rhetoric which only serves to create a divide and bias in society.
Belgium – news portal Doorbraak spreads harmful antisemitic narrative and comparisons
The commemoration of World War II in the Netherlands takes place on 4 and 5 May. On the first day, there is a ceremony to mourn the dead, especially the persecution of the Jewish people. On the second day, the liberation is celebrated. Last year, Thierry Baudet, an infamous party leader of a far right, conspiracy party co-opted the memorial as an opportunity to attack the vaccination policy of the Dutch government. He quite literally compared the vaccination policy to the slippery slopes that leads to extermination.
In this recent article posted by Doorbraak, Baudet was also quoted claiming ‘we know where this ends – the 1930s, the brown smoke, the departure of trains.’ This article condones and legitimises this narrative explicitly, by arguing that the right wing can rightfully interpret the Holocaust as they see fit and that this should not be a sole power of the left. Despite many politicians across the political spectrum taking up issue with this narrative, thereby undermining the democratic legitimacy of this statement, this article presents such ideas and narratives as though many people think this way. It is an extremely harmful and problematic rhetoric which if maintained, only serves to uphold antisemitism and discrimination in society.
Belgium – Far-right media outlet spreads anti-Muslim and homophobic tropes
The Belgian extreme-right political party Nation published on May 15 the anti-Muslim and homophobic article titled ‘When absurdity invites itself!' Spreading misinformation, the writer misused the content of a video where Muslim students were seen chanting ‘Allah Akbar’ during an LGBTQ+ action and was contextualised with the manipulative narrative that all Muslims are homophobic.
The writer stated, ‘There can be no coexistence between Muslim parties and the LGBT community’. Nation uses the Islamic religion to vilify Muslim students and portray them as a community that doesn't respect people's differences and sexual orientations. More than that, it uses offensive and sarcastic language, describing the Muslim and LGBTQ communities as being 'two irreconcilable ideologies’. 'Ah, the sweet scent of irony… You could almost sketch out of it! But enough joking. Behind this absurd scene hides a demagoguery that can no longer be ignored.’
The political party uses this incident as propaganda to cause division and vilify diversity by spreading the false narrative that Muslim communities do not respect differences and won't adapt to Western society's values. This rhetoric is problematic as it incites hate speech and violence against two vulnerable groups.
France – Neo-Nazi activists shouts racist chants in Paris
On the 9th of May, around 600 neo-Nazi activists held a demonstration in the centre of Paris to commemorate and pay tribute to the 29th anniversary of the passing of the far-right activist Sébastien Deyzieu. They were shouting racist slogans such as 'Europe, youth, revolution’ of the GUD (trade union defence group), a far-right organisation known for its violent actions.
The demonstrators used this event to spread hate speech and extremism in the streets of Paris. They were dressed in black, carried masks, held flags with the Celtic cross, and performed Nazi salutes. The demonstration was allowed by the police, on the basis that there was no ‘proven risk to public order’. This was a controversial decision as authorities have clamped down on protesters banging saucepans against the government, but allowed a neo-Nazi rally.
After the demonstration, a neo-Nazi concert was also held in a town near Versailles, in the Simone Veil municipal hall, named after the former Minister of Health, who was also a Holocaust survivor. Photos of the concert show people making the nazi salute.
UK – GB News presenter retweets antisemitic imagery
Neil Oliver, the GB News weekly opinion show presenter, retweeted an antisemitic anti-vax image depicting Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft as a Nazi experimenter. He commented: ‘Bill Gates: the textbook example of the danger posed by rich and powerful people utterly devoid of empathy or care for individual human life’.
This post is problematic as it illustrates the New World Order conspiracy narrative, which represents the antisemitic theory that wealthy Jewish men are controlling the world. This image featured Nazi, Satanic, and Illuminati illustrations. Ofcom revealed in May that that GB News broke broadcasting rules twice . The channel aired an anti-vax interview allowing the author Naomi Wolf to compare the Covid vaccination to Nazi Germany and use the words “mass murder” and bioweapons to destroy humankind. Spreading misinformation and anti-vax imagery is problematic because it causes fear in society and undermines the systematic persecution of millions of Jews, exposing them to hate speech and violence.
Poland – Well-known author spreads antisemitic conspiracy narrative on his website
Stanislaw Michalkiewicz is an author known for his long history of antisemitism who also has his own website, Michalkiewicz.pl, where he presents his political comments and articles.
In one of his recent articles, on Michalkiewicz.pl, Michalkiewicz makes an inappropriate claim based on an antisemitic conspiracy theory. According to his theory, the cultural policy of the Warsaw city mayor is being dictated by American Jews working together with Germans to accuse Poles of complicity in the Holocaust. In his article Michalkiewicz claims, 'It is relevant to point out that Mr Trzaskowski is not stupid and in May last year, so before the nomination of Ms Strzepka for the director of the Dramatic Theatre, he went to America and had personal meetings with very influential Jews, Ronald Lauder and Soros junior’. He also goes on to claim that ‘American Jews of the Holocaust industry currently coordinate the Jewish historical policy with the German historical policy’, claiming that it is therefore not surprising but rather obvious that Ms Strzepka was nominated as director by the Warsaw mayor.
The entire article spreads a harmful, false antisemitic conspiracy narrative which only serves to spread misinformation and hate.
