A shortish guide to Twitter antisemites, neo-Nazis and their allies

[NB: The materials herein are freely available in the public domain, and this is produced as an educational resource for antiracists and antifascists.]

Imperfect

This is a very basic guide, with a short list of individuals on Twitter who express antisemitic ideas, promote people who do or generally feel comfortable with posh antisemitism.

Initially, it was composed in 2–3 minutes as an educational resource and is imperfect, but it should serve as a basic introduction.

These cranks vary in intensity from the odd neo-Nazi to a tin-foiler or two, and even a few odd British “Lefties”. Details of their revolting views can be found at A pickle jar of Twitter antisemites, neo-Nazis and their allies.

Tin foil, surprisingly common on social media.

Bigot, fool or neo-Nazi — Type

@TonyGosling — Tin-foil, kicked out of Greens for racism, big on conspiracies. Big. Makes David Icke seem rational. ✔
@evertonfc2 — Leftie antisemite, good at sneering at Jews. ✔
@BankersDidIt — Ingrained antisemite.
@MisGrace — Drunk neo-Nazi, with a supply of Red Bull. ✔
@AdnanSadiq01 — Persistent antisemite, believes in The Protocols, etc ✔
@alanmaddison20 — Never seen any antisemitism, ever, not even from neo-Nazis, or the other antisemites he chats with. Supposedly on the Left. ✔
@AlfieHeydrich — Jackbooted neo-Nazi, 14 words, the whole vile 88 stuff. ✔
@ianrmillard — One-time barrister, smart neo-Nazi, recruiter, does antisemitic outreach, popular on parts of the Left, occasionally. ✔
@kevinthickslice — Alt-Right, anti-everything, likes Hitler too. ✔
@palestininianpr — Utterly fixated antisemite.
@SidLabour — One-time teacher, mildly disdainful of Jews.
@MrTopple —  A Canary "journalist", was chummy with cream of Twitter's British antisemitic scene, conspiracies and plenty of anti-Jewish banter.
@AbbsWinston — Occasionally promotes neo-Nazi Veterans Today. Obsessed.
@SocialistVoice — UKIP voter, expelled from Labour for racism. Mild conspiracies. Knows most real hardcore antisemites on Twitter by name.
@DiligentTruth — Leftie antisemite.
@Gerdowning — Far, far Left, almost falling off the edge, expelled from Labour for racism. Thick to Olympic standards.


Shun and keep a list

The idea is that sensible people should not have exchanges or promote these racists and bigots, as it normalises racism in the long-term. Avoiding racists on Twitter is comparatively easy:

1.Scan timelines.
2.Keep a short list.
3.Shun these cranks and racists or anyone that endorses them.

Learning

Antisemitism is far more complex than many first think. Its history, for thousands of years, multiple layers, symbolism and imagery mean there is a lot to take in.

It is not just  about 1930's Nazis, or even their modern 1488 friends. We need to be prepared to think widely around this topic, as nasty as that is.

I recommend studying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s Working Definition of Antisemitism as a starter. A plain copy is here.

Next drop by the Community Security Trust’s blog on antisemitism.

The ADL has some excellent resources, their Hate Symbols Database should be read at length.

SPLC's Hatewatch is invaluable as are their profiles of hardcore racists.

Neo-Nazis at Charlottesville 2017.

Social media and types

There are more types of antisemitism and stream of antisemitic thinking than the French have cheeses.

Most of them are really smelly and obvious, but not all. Put very crudely there are five major forms of this racism which tend to be found on social media:

• neo-Nazism,
• conspiracy racism,
• extreme Islamism,
• genteel antisemitism
• and Stalinist thinking.

1. Most intelligent people can spot an obvious neo-Nazi form of antisemitism (the whole “1488” and ZOG stuff), but even neo-Nazis will soften their approach when on Twitter, etc. and pretend to be just radicals. They play off of certain topical issues. They will try turning any subject towards anti-Jewish racism, often in a semi-camouflaged form. They are not all knuckles scrapping idiots, they even have their own neofascist Wiki, Metapedia.

Best study Daily Stormer, Stormfront, VNN, IHR, Jew Watch, Occidental Observer, CODOH and White Genocide Project to understand their disgusting narratives, memes and talking points.  4chan's /pol/ board is a pit for the Alt-Right too.

On social media they tend to have a particular lexicon, symbolism and range of themes, including but not limited to: "The Goyim Know" "Goyim", "chosen people", "ZOG", "Talmudic", "neocon", ((())), etc

Hint: neo-Nazi speak for “Jew” is “Zionist”.

2. Next is conspiracy beliefs. The most consolidated form of these ideas portray Jews as the ultimate villains, although they might use the terms “Zionists”, “Rothschilds”, “Globalists”, “NWO”, "USS Liberty", "dancing Israelis", etc

For example, a popular conspiracy belief is that the 9/11 tragedy was executed by “Mossad” or somehow "dancing Israelis" were involved, depending on your mood.

Conspiracy theories are the gateway drug into hardcore antisemitism. Find them and hardcore views along with antisemitism will never be far away. The fake Protocols of the Elders of Zion is the intellectual glue in and around this arena.
Regrettably, such views are increasingly popular on the Left.

3. Extreme Islamists hate Jews, for existing and whilst much of their patter seems religious it is festooned with racist conspiracy notions and the odd bit of neo-Nazi thinking. ISIS is, but one example.

4. Genteel antisemitism is one of the most pernicious forms of racism in modern Western societies because it is neither crude nor vulgar, as we tend to expect antisemitic ideas to be. The strongest strain of this particular ailment is the denial of antisemitism. The denial of racism, when it comes to Jews.

Unless a piece of racism is carried boldly on the shoulders of an abusive, sweary, tattooed neo-Nazi then it is mostly rejected or defined so narrowly as to be without use. It is rather prevalent on parts of the British Left.

For example, in much the same way it would be exceedingly difficult to convince a hard-line member of UKIP that anti-French sentiment or xenophobia is a bad idea then it is gruelling trying to persuade someone enamoured of genteel antisemitism, when the target of that racism is Jews.

They won’t tend to grasp the issue, unless the racism is of the neo-Nazi form, and even then maybe not.

5. Finally, a historically significant although thankfully diminishing form of antisemitism is that characterised by Stalinist thinking.

It is, largely, the product of long-term antisemitic beliefs in Russia. Indeed, the very term pogrom is Russian.

Stalinist antisemitism came to the fore during the so-called "Doctors' plot", but was plain enough during the Night of the Murdered Poets. It was not confined just to the USSR "anti-Zionist" antisemitism was seen during the 1952 Slansky trial in Czechoslovakia too.

More worryingly, these influences did not die out when Stalin shuffled off his mortal coil, as evidenced by the "anti-Zionist" campaigns of the late 1960s in Eastern Europe.

It is characterised by excessive denunciations, false equivalents,  wordplay and the use of euphemisms, although you rarely hear the term "rootless cosmopolitan" much nowadays.

Itzik Feffer (murdered 1952), Solomon Mikhoels (killed by Stalin in 1947) talking with Paul Robeson.

As a contemporary political feature it can be found outside the traditional Stalinist Left, primarily amongst modern Leninist grouplets, their acolytes and parts of the "New Left".

Many of its ideas have been surprisingly influential on post-1968 Trotskyists and their allies. Often found in conjunction with conspiracy antisemitism on social media.

Elsewhere worth a read is the witty, That’s Funny You Don’t Look Anti-Semitic - An anti-racist analysis of left anti-semitism by Steve Cohen.

Cross-fertilisation of ideas

Outside of a specialist lab nothing in society is hermetically sealed and certainly not the exchange of ideas.

Some points of views, especially vile ones, have a surprisingly long shelf life and cross fertilise with others. These particular racist notions have an existence of their very own. Such half-truths and downright lies percolate around society for decades, if not hundreds of years.

The result is that antisemitism, particularly on social media, can be imbued with any of the above streams of antisemitic thinking.

The ghastly permutations of antisemitism are as varied as humans themselves. Mostly ugly and vile, but some come dressed up to seem inviting, therein lies the danger: we must be aware of their sly manifestations as well as their most conspicuous ones.

One example, the post-WW2 Stalinist fabrication about supposed Jewish collaboration with the Nazis.

It was taken up by the Far Right in the 1970s and 1980s, used to make bogus comparisons and, in part, help to rehabilitate National Socialism. Later on it found its way to the Extreme Left, then into mainstream discourse, as shown by Ken Livingstone’s outbursts.

Livingstone is not a neo-Nazi yet the promotion of those ideas are found on neo-Nazi central, Stormfront and the fount of all-things in Holocaust denial, the IHR. **

The danger lies in the fact that ideas with a long antisemitic heritage can be taken up by others, polished and popularised, unknowingly, or used to score political points, and in the end aid the spread of antisemitic thinking.

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[**That link to Institute for Historical Review, founded by neo-Nazi Willis Carto, was retweeted on Twitter by members of the Left, claiming that it supported Livingstone's argument.

Again, Lefties were approvingly promoting a link to a neo-Nazi site to besmirch the name of Jews using the words of Mark Weber, one-time neo-Nazi.]

Willis Carto supporting another neo-Nazi, Ernst Zundel. Note banner in background.

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Evidence

Samples of their racism, in all of its varying degrees, is shown at the Anti-Nazis United WordPress blog, more to come.

A pickle jar of Twitter antisemites, neo-Nazis and their allies.

Useful

The ‘Alt-Right’ Explained in 7 Must-Know Terms.

These are the new symbols of hate.

Hate Groups.

Engage's archive on antisemitism.

The multipolar spin: how fascists operationalize left-wing resentment

Dear Guardian letters, Facebook and carpet slipper antisemitism

Dear Guardian letters,

In the days of purely print media I had always wanted to write you, as a one-time passionate Guardian reader.

Fortunately nowadays everyone with access to the Internet can dispatch you a quick email.

I would like to focus on six points and please forgive the slight sarcasm:

1. I can't help notice the speed at which any letter downplaying concerns for antisemitism is published in the Guardian.

2. I recall your senior editors making a point many years ago when the Guardian's comments boxes were littered with antisemitism, that they would take that form of racism seriously. Is that still the case?

3.  Increasingly in Britain we are seeing many in the middle classes taking up that peculiar 1930s ailment, as the Guardian has regularly reported.

4. Would it be possible for senior Guardian people to comment on why your Facebook page becomes littered with carpet slipper antisemitism?

5. Does the Guardian have any plans to ever vigorously clamp down on genteel antisemitism when left as comments on its pages?

6. Finally, I have enjoyed the Guardian’s critical coverage of America’s Alt-Right, nevertheless I wish you would show 10% of that focus on polite antisemitism in Britain too.

I remain, your disappointed reader,

ANU

PS: Evidence of polite racism under Guardian posts can be found on its Facebook page and the rancid comments that were left.

Gary Spedding on Left antisemitism

Spedding on the Left

Gary Spedding has written an interesting article on antisemitism.

I disagree with parts of it, but he calls for better education in tackling antisemitism and highlights social media's promotion of racism towards Jews, which is to be welcomed.

However, he argues that the problem is not big:

"Additionally, the real number of leftists with real anti-Jewish beliefs is tiny."

Spedding identifies the figure of about 5% of people who hold probably strong antisemitic views.

"According to the Institute for Jewish Policy Research report (the largest-ever study of antisemitism in Britain), the Left is "no more anti-Semitic than the general population"  and of the general population, only 5% can be considered "hard" and "softer" anti-Semites."

This form of argumentation has been doing the rounds for the last few years.

Essentially, it seeks to say that the British Left is no worse than the general population, in terms of nasty racist views towards Jews. It is another form of downplaying of antisemitism, albeit more sophisticated than most.

Leaving aside the issue of low-expectation or how socialists and social democrats should have absolutely no truck with any form of racism, therein lies the question of mathematics.

The numbers

Spedding does not apply this approach, in any meaningful way, to the biggest party on the Left, the Labour Party.

The FT stated in August 2017:

"Membership of the party has soared from about 200,000 in the wake of the 2015 general election to about 550,000 today ..."

Therefore 5% of that is about 27,500.

Yet let us suppose for the sake of the argument, that conservatively that such a figure is only 2.4%, as the author of the Institute for Jewish Policy Research report suggests.

Meaning there could be approximately 13,200 Labour Party members with strange antisemitic ideas undulating around their heads.

A few in every CLP.

That is not tiny.