OPINION: Now the Jews will be accused of killing Yeezus
Alex Hearn, a director of Labour Against Antisemitism, on why the new religion of politics brings with it the oldest hatred.
Some people say that politics is the new religion. According to a YouGov poll in 2020, only a quarter of Britons believe in God. Across the western world religion is in decline, leaving a void that is arguably being filled by political doctrine. After all, most people still need a sense of belonging, alongside a belief in something greater than themselves.
This helps to explain why people in the Labour Party found it so difficult to confront antisemitism in their ranks. Their beliefs, social circles and even families were intrinsically linked to the Labour Party. They felt a misplaced sense of loyalty to protect immorality for the greater good of the party. Many who spoke out were socially isolated from their peers, friends and even family in some cases. They were treated like heretics.
Politics should mean discussing how resources and power should be assigned, not fighting like crusaders on a holy mission. Yet social media has polarised debate, stripping away nuance and leaving less room for common ground. Taking a position in a discussion can see you labelled as belonging to a political tribe, whether you identify with it or not.
Whichever political badge is being flaunted, people have rediscovered conspiracies about Jews as a tool to gain advantage over their opponents. This, combined with blind faith in the creed, means that many people will not bat an eyelid about antisemitism provided you identify with the correct badge.
For example, despite posting Holocaust denial to her 91k followers on social media, Palestine Action’s UK based activist Sarah Wilkinson has not been ostracised. Since an anti-Israel stance is often a marker of progressive politics and Palestine Action damage businesses with even tenuous links to Israel, her views are embraced uncritically as ‘progressive’.
Which brings me to Kanye West. His antisemitism was public knowledge from as early as 2013, but he was welcomed in progressive spaces because his politics were acceptable. After he switched to supporting Donald Trump, wore a white supremacist slogan and made antisemitic comments endorsed by Nazi saluting fascists, condemning Kanye West suddenly became a risk free activity for progressive accounts.
Antisemitism hasn’t risen because of one political camp but because people irrationally fantasise about what Jews get up to. It is not political, but it is often used as a political football.
Pointing out others’ antisemitism can even be used to whitewash one’s own transgressions. For example, comedian Chelsea Handler, who has 7.8 million followers, endorsed hate preacher Louis Farrakhan, who has called Jews ‘satanic’, ‘termites’ and ‘degenerate’ and described Adolf Hitler as a ‘great man.’ US politician Ilhan Omar has a track record of demonising fellow Democrats who are Jewish as being ‘far right’ and not ‘partners in justice’. Along with other high profile public figures, they have explicitly condemned Kanye West’s antisemitism without any trace of recognition that they have contributed to this toxic atmosphere or supported similar ideas.
On the other hand popular conservative commentators Ben Shapiro and Candace Owens, who have wholeheartedly denounced left-wing antisemitism, have tried to rationalise West’s comments. Conservative radio show presenter Jesse Kelly told his 555.3k followers that Jews were ‘equally terrible’ as Kanye West for objecting to his antisemitic comments.
Antisemitism hasn’t risen because of one political camp but because people irrationally fantasise about what Jews get up to. It is not political, but it is often used as a political football.
For example, MSNBC presenter Medhi Hasan responded to West’s comments by posting to his 1.2 million followers that the rise of antisemitism was down to ‘mainstreaming on the right’. However, Medhi Hasan didn’t once object to working for Al-Jazeera, who have given airtime to Holocaust denial and hosted a figure who used their platform to incite hate against Jews and even praise Hitler – Islamic Scholar Yusuf Al-Qaradawi.
In another incident, Democrat politician and Corbyn supporter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who appears to be distrusted by much of the US Jewish community, condemned West’s remarks and was subsequently attacked by Republican Senator Ted Cruz for hypocrisy. But Cruz had himself previously accused a Jewish former Mayor of owning the media and had defended a Nazi salute at a school board.
I find it hard to believe these people are sincere in their support for Jewish people suffering hate.
A Jewish joke has being doing the rounds that the Jews will be accused of killing Yeezus (Yeezus is a stage name of Kanye West). Given the capacity of social media to propagate conspiracy theory, was it even worth speaking out against his comments?
Whatever our actual political views, some people will force a hostile political identity onto Jews just to demonise us, just as their predecessors did with religious and racial identities. The new religion of politics brings with it the old hatred.
When Adidas finally dropped West, some claimed it proved his point about Jewish power. Mental health brand ambassador and ex-sportsman Torrey Smith told his 578k followers that West ‘offended a group of people with power and influence in every space’.
We cannot help that some people will always say bad things about Jews. We also cannot help that some people have used this incident to whitewash their own incitement, or that others have used it as an opportunity to attack their political opponents.
All we can do is fight our corner. A powerful man with more followers on social media than there are Jews in the world should not be free to spread antisemitism without consequences.
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