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Antisemitism in the People's Republic of China is a mostly 21st-century phenomenon and is complicated by the fact that there is little ground for antisemitism in China in historical sources. [1] [2] [3] In the 2020s, antisemitic conspiracy theories in China began to spread and intensify. [4] [5] [6] Some Chinese people believe in antisemitic tropes that Jews secretly rule the world. [7] [8]
Public consciousness of Jews in China has a variety of historical influences. [8] [9] : 98 Academic Eric Reinders of Emory University states that these include "Protestant missionaries, Jews as a model for Chinese immigrants, Japanese anti-Jewish articles circulated in China in the 1930s, the presence of European Jewish refugees in Shanghai, and the politics around Israel as a proxy of U.S. imperialism." [9] : 98
Reinders writes that Chinese stereotypes of Jews are based in positive generalizations more than negative ones. [9] : 98–99 Jews are praised for valuing education like Chinese, although this is often also framed competitively. [9] : 99 Some mass market books associate Jews with wealth-building. [9] : 98–99 Some scholars write that philosemitic stereotypes in China can quickly turn antisemitic. [4] [10] [11] According to Tuvia Gering of the Atlantic Council, anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have historically been a useful tool for the Chinese government against Western countries. [12]
Hongbing Song, a Chinese-American IT consultant and amateur historian, published the Currency Wars series, believing Jewish financiers controlled the international banking systems since the era of Napoleon. [13] Song also says in his book that the key functions of the Federal Reserve have been ultimately controlled by five private banks, including Citibank, all of which have maintained "close ties" with the Rothschild family, one Jewish group that led to the 1997 Asian financial crisis. The book became a bestseller and even has been read by some high ranking Chinese officials. [4] [14] [15]
According to the polls made by the Anti-Defamation League in 2014, roughly 20 percent of Chinese people have a negative attitude towards Jews, and the older people are, the more likely they are to have a negative perception of Jews. [7] [16] Since 2015, descendants of the Kaifeng Jews have come under government pressure and suspicion. [17]
During the 2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, state-owned newspaper Ta Kung Pao published antisemitic George Soros conspiracy theories, displaying Soros, a Jew, as a reptile in collusion with Jimmy Lai. [18]
The May 2021 events in Gaza precipitated Chinese state-run media invoking antisemitic tropes and sentiments, encouraged by top Chinese diplomats, and rehashed by well-known Chinese political commentators. [19] In particular, Israel's embassy in Beijing accused China Global Television Network (CGTN) of "blatant antisemitism" when it broadcast a program during the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, in which host Zheng Junfeng claimed that Jews were in control of global finances and that "powerful lobbies" of Jews were responsible for the U.S. government's support for Israel. [20] [21] [22]
Political blogger Sima Nan's Weibo channel spread the notion that Jews colluded with the Empire of Japan to establish a Jewish homeland on Chinese territory during the Second Sino-Japanese War in what has been termed the Fugu Plan. [23] In September 2021, BYD appointed Lu Kewen, an online influencer known for spreading antisemitic tropes, as a spokesperson for the company. [19]
In 2023, articles that interpreted the Fugu Plan as an antisemitic conspiracy theory against China went viral on Chinese social media. [6] [24] Following the discharge of radioactive water of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, conspiracy theories spread in China that the Tokyo Electric Power Company was financed by Jewish people. [25]
Antisemitic reactions to the Israel–Hamas war were widespread on Chinese state media and social media. [26] [27] [28] [29] Antisemitic comments were not removed from Chinese social media sites. [30] [31] [32] Sympathetic portrayals of Hamas have proliferated on Bilibili. [33] In a November 2023 interview with Voice of America, Israel's ambassador to China, Irit Ben-Abba, spoke about Sino-Israeli relations and antisemitism on the Chinese Internet, stating that "The antisemitic, anti-Israel discourse that we saw quite intensively in the last month has subsided", and arguing that China's relations with Israel have not changed. [34] China Central Television (CCTV) falsely claimed that "Jews represent just 3% of the American population but control 70% of its wealth." [32] In response to the 2024 pro-Palestinian protests on university campuses, former editor-in-chief of the Global Times Hu Xijin stated that the protests show that "Jewish political and business alliance's control over American public opinion has declined." [35]
In January 2024, CNN reported that antisemitic content was proliferating on Chinese social media. [36] EU bureau chief of China Daily Chen Weihua responded that, according to CNN's logic, the United Nations and even the majority of the world's population were inciting anti-Semitism because they had all criticized Israel's actions in Gaza. [37]
Antisemitic tropes have also been spread online by the Ministry of Public Security's Spamouflage influence operation. [12] In October 2024, The Washington Post reported that Spamouflage targeted U.S. representative Barry Moore (R-AL) with accusations that he won his primary because of "the bloody Jewish consortium," as well as calling him a "Jewish dog", among other antisemitic tropes. Moore has been critical of the Chinese Communist Party, and has directed support for Taiwanese independence. Moore is not Jewish. [38]
Antisemitism or Jew-hatred is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against, Jews. This sentiment is a form of racism, and a person who harbours it is called an antisemite. Primarily, antisemitic tendencies may be motivated by negative sentiment towards Jews as a people or by negative sentiment towards Jews with regard to Judaism. In the former case, usually presented as racial antisemitism, a person's hostility is driven by the belief that Jews constitute a distinct race with inherent traits or characteristics that are repulsive or inferior to the preferred traits or characteristics within that person's society. In the latter case, known as religious antisemitism, a person's hostility is driven by their religion's perception of Jews and Judaism, typically encompassing doctrines of supersession that expect or demand Jews to turn away from Judaism and submit to the religion presenting itself as Judaism's successor faith—this is a common theme within the other Abrahamic religions. The development of racial and religious antisemitism has historically been encouraged by anti-Judaism, which is distinct from antisemitism itself.
New antisemitism is the concept that a new form of antisemitism developed in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, typically manifesting itself as anti-Zionism. The concept is included in some definitions of antisemitism, such as the working definition of antisemitism and the 3D test of antisemitism. The concept dates to the early 1970s.
The Community Security Trust (CST) is a British charity whose stated mission is to provide safety, security, and advice to the Jewish community in the UK. It provides advice, training, representation and research.
Antisemitic tropes, also known as antisemitic canards or antisemitic libels, are "sensational reports, misrepresentations or fabrications" about Jews as an ethnicity or Judaism as a religion.
The Judeo-Masonic conspiracy is an antisemitic and anti-Masonic conspiracy theory involving an alleged secret coalition of Jews and Freemasons. These theories are popular on the far-right, particularly in France, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Russia, Serbia, Eastern Europe, and Japan, with similar allegations still being published.
Historians continue to study and debate the extent of antisemitism in American history and how American antisemitism has similarities and distinctions with its European counterpart.
Antisemitism, the prejudice or discrimination against Jews, has had a long history since the ancient times. While antisemitism had already been prevalent in ancient Greece and Roman Empire, its institutionalization in European Christianity after the destruction of the ancient Jewish cultural center in Jerusalem caused two millennia of segregation, expulsions, persecutions, pogroms, genocides of Jews, which culminated in the 20th-century Holocaust in Nazi German-occupied European states, where 67% European Jews were murdered.
Antisemitism has long existed in the United States. Most Jewish community relations agencies in the United States draw distinctions between antisemitism, which is measured in terms of attitudes and behaviors, and the security and status of American Jews, which are both measured by the occurrence of specific incidents. FBI data shows that in every year since 1991, Jews were the most frequent victims of religiously motivated hate crimes. The number of hate crimes against Jews may be underreported, as in the case for many other targeted groups.
Antisemitism in Canada is the manifestation of hatred, hostility, harm, prejudice or discrimination against the Canadian Jewish people or Judaism as a religious, ethnic or racial group. Some of the first Jewish settlers in Canada arrived in Montreal in the 1760s, among them was Aaron Hart who is considered the father of Canadian Jewry. His son Ezekiel Hart experience one of the first well documented cases of antisemitism in Canada. Hart was repeatedly stopped from taking his seat in the Quebec legislature due to his Jewish faith, as members claimed he could not take the oath of office, which included the phrase "on the true faith of a Christian".
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith, is a New York-based international non-governmental organization that was founded to combat antisemitism, as well as other forms of bigotry and discrimination. ADL is also known for its pro-Israel advocacy. Its current CEO is Jonathan Greenblatt. ADL headquarters are located in Murray Hill, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The ADL has 25 regional offices in the United States including a Government Relations Office in Washington, D.C., as well as an office in Israel and staff in Europe. In its 2019 annual information Form 990, ADL reported total revenues of $92 million, the vast majority from contributions and grants. Its total operating revenue is reported at $80.9 million.
Antisemitism in contemporary Hungary principally takes the form of negative stereotypes relating to Jews, although historically it manifested itself more violently. Studies show antisemitism has become more prevalent since the fall of Communism, particularly among the younger generations. Surveys performed from 2009 and beyond have consistently found high levels of antisemitic feelings amongst the general population.
British Jews have experienced antisemitism – discrimination and persecution as Jews – since a Jewish community was first established in England in 1070. They experienced a series of massacres in the Medieval period, which culminated in their expulsion from England in 1290. They were readmitted by Oliver Cromwell in 1655. By the 1800s, an increasing toleration of religious minorities gradually helped to eliminate legal restrictions on public employment and political representation. However, Jewish financiers were seen by some as holding disproportionate influence on British government policy, particularly concerning the British Empire and foreign affairs.
Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) is a British non-governmental organisation established in August 2014 by members of the Anglo-Jewish community. It conducts litigation, runs awareness-raising campaigns, organises rallies and petitions, provides education on antisemitism and publishes research.
Belgium is a European country with a Jewish population of approximately 35,000 out of a total population of about 11.4 million. It is among the countries experiencing an increase in both antisemitic attitudes and in physical attacks on Jews.
Antisemitism is a growing problem in 21st-century Germany.
Zionist antisemitism or antisemitic Zionism refers to a phenomenon in which antisemites express support for Zionism and the State of Israel. In some cases, this support may be promoted for explicitly antisemitic reasons. Historically, this type of antisemitism has been most notable among Christian Zionists, who may perpetrate religious antisemitism while being outspoken in their support for Jewish sovereignty in Israel due to their interpretation of Christian eschatology. Similarly, people who identify with the political far-right, particularly in Europe and the United States, may support the Zionist movement because they seek to expel Jews from their country and see Zionism as the least complicated method of achieving this goal and satisfying their racial antisemitism.
The Nexus Project is an American non-profit organization dedicated to combating antisemitism through education, advocacy, and policy implementation. It focuses on promoting effective government action against antisemitism while fostering unity and inclusion. It opposes the use of accusations of antisemitism as political tools to stifle criticism of Israel. The Nexus Project consists of two main components: the Nexus Leadership Project and the Nexus Task Force.
Following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 and the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war, there has been a surge of antisemitism around the world.
Antisemitism on social media can manifest in various forms such as emojis, GIFs, memes, comments, and reactions to content. Studies have categorized antisemitic discourse into different types: hate speech, calls for violence, dehumanization, conspiracy theories and Holocaust denial.
Chinese antisemitism can largely be characterized as an inversion of previous philosemitic stereotypes that become negative and threatening when they no longer contribute to a desired narrative of Chinese global superiority and centrality.
The Fugu Plan never came to fruition, but the antisemitic and ultranationalist political blogger Yu Li (who blogs under the name Sima Nan) has shared the story with his nearly 3 million followers. In a 20-minute-long antisemitic rant, he says the Fugu Plan is evidence that the Jews colluded with the Japanese to establish a Jewish homeland on Chinese territory — a conspiracy that fits a nationalist narrative that China is constantly under attack by foreign powers.
中国日报欧盟分社社长陈卫华随后回怼，按照CNN的逻辑，联合国甚至全世界大多数人都在煽动"反犹太主义"，因为他们都批评了以色列在加沙的暴行。[Chen Weihua, head of China Daily's European Union bureau, then responded that, according to CNN's logic, the United Nations and even the majority of the world's population were inciting "anti-Semitism" because they all criticized Israel's atrocities in Gaza.]
