Using Local Lockdowns To Spread Anti-Muslim Views, and Linking A Hijab Wearing Food Blogger To 9/11

6 Oct

In September’s monitoring, we saw Hungarian media blame Muslims for turning Sweden into a lawless land, a French journalist drawing a connection between a food blogger and the 9/11 attacks, and a UK far-right site using local lockdown restrictions to spread hate against Muslims.

Germany – Compact Magazin Makes Sensationalist Claims about Politician Allegedly Pandering to Muslim Voters

Online platform Compact Magazin published an article criticizing a local politician for allegedly pandering to Muslim voters. We have covered Compact Magazin in the past for their sensationalist media coverage, particularly around Muslims, and this article is another example of their ongoing editorial stance. As is common among German far-right media blogs, the article perpetuates the narrative that addressing issues related to Muslim citizens shows how German politicians are apparently submissive to an increasing Islamic influence. [JU1] This article attempts to stir up outrage among readers by framing these perceived “concessions” as advantageous for the mayoral candidate. The insinuation here is that the politician is selling out his country for a few votes. The article states: “Andreas Lipp, SPD candidate for mayor in Kerpen, goes a step further and, in view of waning support for the former workers’ party, makes far-reaching concessions to Muslims to win their voters’ favour: ‘You are our future’.” The article also employs the ‘great replacement’ trope, and concludes the article in a sensationalist manner: “All that is missing is the promise to introduce the Sharia - the complete declaration of surrender - in Kerpen; after all, this is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, the federal state with the highest percentage of Muslims, which the people sometimes call "North Rhine-Islamistan"...”

Greece - Mainstream News Platform Repeatedly Hosts Anti-Muslim and Xenophobic Figure

Mainstream news website in.gr posted an article by Andreas Andrianopoulos titled “Who is a refugee?” this month. Andrianopoulos has written several alarming pieces for in.gr over the past few months, and Get The Trolls Out’s Greek partner Karpos have complained to the platform for hosting him, as he regularly claims that Islam is inherently violent and a threat to European population with its ongoing expansion. Unfortunately, September saw another article published by Andrianopoulos, who used the tragic incident in Lesbos this month (where a refugee camp was burnt to the ground, leaving thousands of asylum seekers homeless for several days) to further his xenophobic and anti-Muslim ideas. In the article, Andrianopoulos claims: “Due to high birth-rate, soon the Muslims will exceed Christians in Europe,” a direct reference to the ‘great replacement’ trope. He then continues by making claims based on conspiracy theories, without any facts to back these up: “You can't deal with the refugee issue using sentimental verbalism. Realism and logic is needed. Why only Muslims come? Why mostly young? Why the big influxes started when the Islamic State appeared? Who sponsors the migration of "unaccompanied" minors -and why? Some answers are required...” Furthermore, Andrianopoulos makes several fake news claims throughout the article, using these to further his xenophobic narrative.

Belgium – Doorbraak Seeks to Normalise Hate Speech

Online platform Doorbraak published a piece about Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, titled “The Hate Speech of Ursula”. The article was in response to her yearly State of the Union address to the European Commision, in which she referred to tackling racism and hate speech, amongst other topics. Doorbraak writer Johan Sanctorum commented: “‘Racism’ is the keyword: any criticism of the open borders policy, the multicultural ideology and certainly Islam can be placed under the heading ‘racism’”. In her State of the Union address, von der Leyen also referred to the antisemitic Aalst Carnival, which according to Sanctorum is uncalled for because he feels that this festival is the epitome of diversity, completely disregarding the very real antisemitic elements. Overall, the piece seeks to normalise hate under the guise of free speech.

UK – Politicalite Uses Local Lockdown Restriction to Spread Hate Against Muslims

Self-proclaimed right-wing news outlet Politicalite ran a piece this month titled: “PUBS SHUT… MOSQUES OPEN! Locals BLAST Covid Pub Closures As PACKED Mosques Stay Open.” The article is about a local COVID-19 lockdown in the British city of Bolton, in response to a rise in cases. As part of the lockdown, social venue like pubs have had to close; however, religious buildings have been allowed to stay open. The article claims that: “residents blamed the towns many Mosques for the outbreak and asked why the Government failed to close those establishments” and further states, without any evidence, that: “the towns many Muslim Ghettos have failed to follow social distancing rules with packed families living under one roof.” Not only does the article use inflammatory language towards Muslims, but its headline is a clear case of cherry-picking. Yes, mosques were allowed to stay open during the lockdown, but as were churches, synagogues and other religious buildings. Why was this not covered in the article?

Belgium - Radio Host Reinforces Anti-Muslim Stereotypes on the Headscarf and Criminality

Twice this month, Fabrice Grosfilley, a journalist at BX1+ (a public radio station in Brussels), has reproduced anti-Muslim prejudicial views during the programme he was hosting. In a discussion about a new provision that allows the individual to wear religious symbols in the public administration of Molenbeek, Brussels, he asked insinuating questions that reinforced negative perceptions of the Muslim headscarf. He asked a guest to confirm that some Muslim women wear the headscarf as an act of submission. Then, he postulated that there is a “danger” that, by wearing the headscarf, a woman could “introduce a kind of connivance” with other Muslims who would then call her “my sister”. In doing so, he is hinting that veiled Muslim women working in public administration would unprofessionally favour people with the same faith and background. The following day, he did not challenge a Brussels chief of police who, while speaking on the programme, accused Muslims and Black people of having more criminal records than white people, which prevents them from being police officers, thus contributing to the imbalance in the police. The radio host should have clarified that this statement is false, that it conveys an inaccurate and stereotypical image of Muslims and Black people, and should have challenged him to provide data to support his assertion.

France - Le Figaro Journalist Draws Connection Between 9/11 and a Video of a Food Blogger Wearing the Hijab

For the beginning of the new academic year, French network BFMTV produced and tweeted a video where Imane Boune, a 21-year-old food blogger, offered tips on cheap recipes for students on a tight budget. Judith Waintraub, journalist at the right-wing newspaper Le Figaro, retweeted it with the words: “11 September”. The fact that the blogger was wearing a hijab and that the video was posted on the 11th of September, was enough for the journalist to draw a connection with the 9/11 attacks by the Islamist terrorist group Al-Qaeda. In doing so, Judith Waintraub equated the headscarf, and the religion of about 5 million people in France, to terrorism. This incident makes it clear how, 19 years after the Twin Towers attack, Muslim communities are still suffering its consequences in the shape of stereotypes, stigmas, and discrimination.

Hungary – Local Papers Depict Sweden as a Lawless Land, Blaming Muslim Migrants

Baon and Veol, two pro-government local papers from the counties of Bács-Kiskún and Veszprém, have published two articles with a clear anti-Muslim bias. When reporting on the riots prompted by the burning of the Quran in Malmo by Stram Kurs, a Danish far-right group, the two online platforms focused almost exclusively on the damage caused by the protests. On Baon, under the provocative title “The religion of peace”, the piece reported: “tensions between Swedes and Muslims are constantly rising, and followers of Islam would already set fire to anyone who burns the Quran.” Veol pushed it further, depicting Sweden as a lawless and dangerous country due to the presence of Muslim migrants: “These clans came to Sweden solely for the purpose of organizing crime. They are working to gain power, are violent and want to make money”. Both pieces also normalised the burning of the Quran and the anti-Muslim demonstrations.

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