Research & Analysis

March 26, 2020 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, white supremacists have increased their efforts to promulgate conspiracy theories blaming the coronavirus on Jews, Asians, and immigrants, and expressing their hope that the virus will target minority groups. The vast majority of this coronavirus-related on-the-ground activity has consisted of posting offensive propaganda fliers and holding demonstrations. In one case, however, a white supremacist was shot and killed by the FBI…

March 25, 2020 As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, examples of those seeking a scapegoat for the virus continue to proliferate. As ADL and other groups have explored, there have been numerous cases of xenophobia in the US related to the virus, particularly attacks against Asian individuals and groups. Internationally, there have also been many attempts to link COVID-19 to Israel, Zionists and Jews, with some people baselessly claiming the virus is part of a…

March 19, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 A new report from ADL finds that as the coronavirus continues to surge globally, antisemitic, xenophobic, and hateful messages and conspiracy theories surrounding the pandemic are proliferating rapidly online. Lawmakers were condemned for repeatedly referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus”, a term deemed by many as bigoted and scientifically inaccurate. And the thought-leader behind the violent neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division…

March 17, 2020 As the coronavirus continues to surge globally, antisemitic, xenophobic, and hateful messages and conspiracy theories are proliferating rapidly online. These messages spread hate and misinformation, making it more difficult to access accurate information while elevating fear and anxiety. While some of these messages are new, many are simply old tropes repackaged for a modern pandemic. The coronavirus is a tool for Jews to expand their global influence Many antisemitic conspiracy…

March 17, 2020 On February 5, 2020, Jefferson County, Alabama deputies arrested Preston Cheyenne Johnson, a white supremacist from Addison, Alabama, for the murder of police officer Nick O’Rear of Kimberly, Alabama. Johnson is accused of killing officer O’Rear while fleeing from police. The police chase began when an officer in Warrior, Alabama started pursuing an erratic driver. According to testimony given during a March 5 preliminary hearing, Johnson, who was inside the…

March 16, 2020 Introduction Online platforms have enabled white supremacist groups to tap into a global community, amplifying their racist views and connecting them with like-minded individuals. While online activities help unify far-flung adherents, real-world connections outside these virtual platforms indicate a true commitment to their cause. Increasingly, this real-world action is taking place on an international stage. American white supremacists are traveling abroad to…

March 13, 2020 THE WEEK’S BIG 3 A guide to contemporary antisemitism was released this week by ADL and disseminated to political candidates running for national office. At a rally for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, a white supremacist unfurled a Nazi flag and performed a Nazi salute before being escorted off the premises. And a host on Fox News conjured up an antisemitic trope in his description of Michael Bloomberg as a “puppet master” controlling fellow…

March 10, 2020 “Finally! Science has discovered a cure for the most insidious disease of our time…Jewishness.” Shortly after posting this to Telegram, referring to a news report that three Israelis had been quarantined as possible carriers of the coronavirus, the same poster wrote, “3 down, 5,999,997 to go!” As the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus surges globally, extremists continue to use the virus  to advance their bigotry and antisemitism…