The world is ruled by a group of rich Jewish men with no connection to Israel.
The conspiracy theory from the 19th century is now spreading again on social media.
The growing anti-Semitism, fueled by Hamas’ attack on Israel, is reaching new groups – and frightening Jews worldwide.
– It looks terrible right now, says Ulrika Knutsson, chairman of the Swedish Committee against Antisemitism.
Last week there was a storm around an influential Swedish podcast duo. They were accused of having indulged in anti-Semitic statements and spreading conspiracy theories which, among other things, claim that the world’s media are secretly controlled by Jews.
The duo later removed the episode and apologized for the statements.
But for many Jews the outcome came as no surprise. On social media in particular, Jew-hatred has gained new momentum since the war between Israel and Hamas began on October 7, when the terrorist group attacked Israel on several fronts.
– The waves follow the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and with the developments of the last month, from the Hamas terrorist attack to the war in Gaza, anti-Semitic expressions have increased almost all over the world on an almost unimaginable scale, says Ulrika Knutsson.
“The dams have released”
The opinion – and the concern – is shared by many other Jews in Sweden.
– The dams have released. In some circles, it feels like it is free to spout purely Jew-hating conspiracy theories, says Aron Verständig, chairman of the Jewish Central Council.
The arguments about bloodthirsty and power-mad Jews are not new, but can be traced back as far as the Middle Ages. However, the senders have changed.
– The difference today is that the senders can be described as belonging to left-wing extremism or are Islamists, says Aron Verständig.
Can have serious consequences for individuals
Conspiracy theories can start on a small scale on, for example, Tiktok – but the spread can become enormous and lead to serious consequences, not least for individuals.
Many Jews feel that there is sometimes a deliberate conflation between Jews and what the State of Israel does. An example of that is the protests at the synagogue in Malmö this weekend where Israeli flags were burned.
Aron Verständig calls for the parties on the left and pro-Palestinian organizations to take much greater responsibility and mark against this type of action.
– It is of course perfectly legitimate to protest against Israel, but to express this kind of anti-Semitism can never be okay, says Aron Verständig.