Part of a series on |
Antisemitism |
---|
Category |
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]
Public consciousness of Jews in China has a variety of historical influences. [8] : 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 US imperialism." [8] : 98
Generally, Chinese stereotypes of Jews are based in positive generalizations more than negative ones, according to academic Eric Reinder. [8] : 98–99 Jews are praised for valuing education like Chinese, although this is often also framed competitively. [8] : 99 Some mass market books associate Jews with wealth-building. [8] : 98–99 Some scholars write that philosemitic stereotypes in China can quickly turn antisemitic. [4] [9]
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. [10] 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] [11] [12]
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] [13]
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. [14]
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. [15] 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. [16] [17] [18]
Political blogger Sima Nan's Weibo channel spread the notion that Jews colluded with the Japanese to establish a Jewish homeland on Chinese territory during the Second Sino-Japanese War. [19] In September 2021, BYD appointed Lu Kewen, an online influencer known for spreading antisemitic tropes, as a spokesperson for the company. [15]
In 2023, articles that interpreted the Fugu Plan as an antisemitic conspiracy theory against China went viral on Chinese social media. [6] [20] 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. [21]
Antisemitic reactions to the 2023 Israel–Hamas war were widespread on Chinese state media and social media. [22] [23] [24] [25] Antisemitic comments were not removed from Chinese social media sites. [26] [27] [28] Sympathetic portrayals of Hamas have proliferated on Bilibili. [29] 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. [30] China Central Television (CCTV) falsely claimed that "Jews represent just 3% of the American population but control 70% of its wealth." [28] 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." [31]
In January 2024, CNN reported that antisemitic content was proliferating on Chinese social media. [32] 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. [33]
Antisemitism 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 the concept of anti-Judaism, which is distinct from antisemitism itself.
Antisemitism has increased greatly in the Arab world since the beginning of the 20th century, for several reasons: the dissolution and breakdown of the Ottoman Empire and traditional Islamic society; European influence, brought about by Western imperialism and Arab Christians; Nazi propaganda and relations between Nazi Germany and the Arab world; resentment over Jewish nationalism; the rise of Arab nationalism; and the widespread proliferation of anti-Jewish and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories.
The Community Security Trust (CST) is a British charity whose purpose is to provide safety, security, and advice to the Jewish community in the UK. It provides advice, training, representation and research.
Antisemitism at universities has been reported and supported since the medieval period and, more recently, resisted and studied. Antisemitism has been manifested in various policies and practices, such as restricting the admission of Jewish students by a Jewish quota, or ostracism, intimidation, or violence against Jewish students, as well as in the hiring, retention and treatment of Jewish faculty and staff. In some instances, universities have been accused of condoning the development of antisemitic cultures on campus.
Antisemitic tropes or antisemitic canards are "sensational reports, misrepresentations, or fabrications" that are defamatory towards Judaism as a religion or defamatory towards Jews as an ethnic or religious group. Since as early as the 2nd century, libels or allegations of Jewish guilt and cruelty emerged as a recurring motif along with antisemitic conspiracy theories.
Different opinions exist among historians regarding the extent of antisemitism in American history and how American antisemitism contrasted with its European counterpart. In contrast to the horrors of European history, John Higham states that in the United States "no decisive event, no deep crisis, no powerful social movement, no great individual is associated primarily with, or significant chiefly because of anti-Semitism." Accordingly, David A. Gerber concludes that antisemitism "has been a distinctly minor feature of the nation's historical development." Historian Britt Tevis argue that, "Handlin and Higham’s ideas remain influential, and many American Jewish historians continue to present antisemitism as largely insignificant, momentary, primarily social."
Antisemitism—prejudice, hatred of, or discrimination against Jews—has experienced a long history of expression since the days of ancient civilizations, with most of it having originated in the Christian and pre-Christian civilizations of Europe.
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.
Antisemitic incidents escalated worldwide in frequency and intensity during the Gaza War, and were widely considered to be a wave of reprisal attacks in response to the conflict.
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, bigotry and discrimination.
Antisemitism in Turkey refers to acts of hostility against Jews in the Republic of Turkey, as well as the promotion of antisemitic views and beliefs in Turkey.
Antisemitism in Russia is expressed in acts of hostility against Jews in Russia and the promotion of antisemitic views in the Russian Federation. This article covers the events since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Previous time periods are covered in the articles Antisemitism in the Russian Empire and Antisemitism in the Soviet Union.
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.
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, and provides education on antisemitism and publishes research.
Antisemitism is a growing problem in 21st-century Germany.
How to Fight Anti-Semitism is a 2019 book by journalist Bari Weiss that explores the history and current manifestations of antisemitism and attempts to provide strategies to oppose it. She identifies the main strains of antisemitism as left-wing, right-wing, and Islamic antisemitism, and tries to provide a history of each variety. Weiss said that the book discusses the "alarming rise of antisemitism in and in Europe" and will propose ways to address the problem.
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.
Europa: The Last Battle is a 2017 English-language Swedish ten-part neo-Nazi propaganda film directed, written and produced by Tobias Bratt, a Swedish far-right activist associated with the Nordic Resistance Movement, a European neo-Nazi movement. It promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories, including Holocaust denial, and has been promoted across multiple social media platforms.
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. Israeli Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer has stated that Israel is bracing to expect a large wave of Jews migrating to Israel due to the rising antisemitism around the world.
In the early 21st century, antisemitism was identified in social media platforms with up to 69 percent of Jews in the US having encountered antisemitism online according to the 2022 report released by "The State of Antisemitism in America". Jews have encountered antisemitism either as targets themselves or by being exposed to antisemitic content on their media page.
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.]