(Jewish Group) Extremism report highlights spike in far-right antisemitism during pandemic
A Government report on extremism during the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted far-right activists’ calls to “infect Jews” as well as five different ways antisemites have blamed Jews for spreading the virus.
Researchers show how certain conspiracies have gained traction online, including the idea that the virus is fake and part of a Jewish plot to mislead the public, or that it is real and was deliberately created by Jews for malevolent purposes.
Other conspiracies identified by the Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE), which published its report on Thursday, include Jews being the “primary spreaders”.
Various organisations, including Tony Blair’s think-tank, have highlighted how far-right activists have incited others “to deliberately spread the virus to Jews,” with antisemitic narratives gaining traction within the UK and the US.
The report’s authors looked at the way in which extremists have sought to exploit the current pandemic, and said individuals such as David Icke played “a significant role in spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories linked to Covid-19”.
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