I’m not talking “death to the IDF” or whatever Zionists consider antisemitism, I’m talking actual antisemitism that uses Happy Merchants and 👃✡️🧃 emojis.
What’s even more disturbing is that a lot of these posts are getting well over 10,000 likes, including from people I actually know in real life. This obviously has a lot to do with the Israeli government and Zionists portraying Judaism and Zionism as the same thing, but there are a concerning amount of actual Nazis and Holocaust denial on the site as well hijacking the Palestinian struggle in order to spread actual bigotry against Jewish people.
It’s upsetting to me because I actually am Jewish, I want nothing to do with the Israeli apartheid regime and yet I’m automatically associated with it thanks to both Zionist and Neo Nazi propaganda. Antisemitism is very real and is an issue in online spaces.
Sorry for another long vent, but at this point I feel like this site is the only real safe haven for me online as an anti-Zionist Jew. I wish I could delete Instagram but unfortunately that isn’t possible for me at this time. I have already deleted everything else that isn’t Lemmy and I’m better off for it.
Isra*el is well aware that this is happening; the oppositional reactionary assumptions feed off each other. Without a thorough education, people will revert to simplistic, surface-level analysis of “Group A causes outcome 1”. When Europeans (and to a lesser extent people in MENA) blame “the Jews” for things, it strengthens the Isra*elis’ argument to diaspora Jews that they are the only safe haven. They benefit from antisemitism today just like they did in the 1930s.
The correct position is to say “Yes to Jews, No to Isra*el” and treat people’s class and political status as more important than their nationality, ethnicity, or religion. But this does not benefit anyone in power.