In Germany, online anti-Semitism is going mainstream, study finds
Professor Monika Schwsarz -Freisel
Marc Neugroschel writes in Times of Israel, “A long-awaited study by internationally renowned anti-Semitism expert Monika Schwarz-Friesel has found that the amount of German anti-Semitic content on the internet has grown massively in the last 10 years, permeates mainstream society, and is increasingly extreme. Released Wednesday, the research project studied 300,000 pieces of German internet content between 2014 and 2018, with a focus on social media.”
“During the first year of the study, slightly less than 23 percent of the content was classified as anti-Semitic. In 2017, this number had jumped to over 30%. A similar study conducted by Schwarz-Friesel in 2007 found only 7.5% of the internet content examined to be anti-Semitic, indicating an increase of more than 22% over the last decade.”
Private security man with ‘Aryan Brotherhood’ on his T-shirt opens the gate at the venue of the ‘Schild und Schwert’ (Shield and Sword) neo-Nazi festival, in the small eastern German town of Ostritz on April 20, 2018.(
“The latest results show not only a massive increase in the amount of anti-Semitic content found online, but also a radicalization in terms of the content’s quality. For example, anti-Semitic comments in response to news and other articles have not only grown in number, but have become more rabid.”…
“Anti-Semitism is ubiquitous in online communication,” says Schwarz-Friesel. ‘It has also increased and intensified in regard to Web 2.0, and hyperlinks to photos, texts, songs, and films.’
The study also found that much online anti-Semitism appears as stereotypes projected at the State of Israel. Schwarz-Friesel says that Israel-related anti-Semitism can be distinguished from legitimate criticism of Israel through several clearly defined and scientifically grounded concepts. She says there is little ground for oft-voiced concerns that any criticism of Israel can potentially be viewed as anti-Semitic.”
Pepe the Frog, an internet meme, has become a symbol of the alt-right.
“In fact, campaigns against anti-Semitism themselves on social media networks such as Facebook elicit massive amounts of anti-Jewish comments. Thirty-eight percent of comments posted in response to a 2014 German Facebook campaign entitled #Never Again Jew-Hatred were actually anti-Semitic. The study also found that much online anti-Semitism appears as stereotypes projected at the State of Israel. Schwarz-Friesel says that Israel-related anti-Semitism can be distinguished from legitimate criticism of Israel through several clearly defined and scientifically grounded concepts. She says there is little ground for oft-voiced concerns that any criticism of Israel can potentially be viewed as anti-Semitic.” (more…)