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Godwin\u2019s Law posits that any online argument, if it continues long enough, will\u00a0inevitably invoke a comparison to Hitler<\/a>.<\/p>\n Perhaps there should be an updated version: If you examine any given conspiracy theory, even seemingly innocuous ones, it won\u2019t be long until you find coded and explicit antisemitism.<\/p>\n Some cases are obvious. Remember how far-right U.S. congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene embraced the\u00a0\u201cJewish space lasers<\/a>\u201d theory after the California wildfires in 2018?<\/p>\n Other conspiracy theories, such as those that claim\u00a09\/11 was an inside job<\/a>, require a little more deciphering.<\/p>\n More recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin spread an outlandish conspiracy theory to justify his military invasion of Ukraine. Nothing less than the\u00a0de-nazification of Ukraine<\/a>\u00a0was required, Putin bizarrely claimed, while neglecting the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is Jewish\u00a0and lost family members in the Holocaust<\/a>.<\/p>\n One of the longest lasting conspiracy theories \u2014 even though it has been repeatedly proven false \u2014 is the narrative of a Jewish world conspiracy presented in\u00a0The Protocols of the Elders of Zion.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n British historian\u00a0Richard Evans<\/a>\u00a0will explore the longevity of the Protocols and how they are seen within the framework of Nazi ideology, in Toronto on Nov. 2,\u00a0opening Holocaust Education Week 2022<\/a>.<\/p>\n Evans\u2019s book\u00a0The Hitler Conspiracies<\/em><\/a>\u00a0is an important reminder of the perennial fascination with and longevity of the inherently antisemitic conspiracy theory that historian\u00a0Norman Cohn famously described as a \u201cwarrant for genocide.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n As Yehuda Bauer, honorary chair of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, stated, \u201ca half truth is worse than a full lie.\u201d<\/p>\n Myths and disinformation about the Holocaust<\/a>\u00a0continue to permeate social media and increasingly, political discourse, even while the\u00a0Holocaust is one<\/a>\u00a0of the\u00a0most thoroughly documented events<\/a>\u00a0in history.<\/p>\n Whether intentional or not, disinformation breathes new life into old, often violence-inducing antisemitic narratives. The power of distortion and misinformation is its seemingly immutable ability to defy the historical truth.<\/p>\n Dangerous narratives found in the\u00a0Protocols<\/em>\u00a0continue to inform attempts to deny and distort the Holocaust. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum calls it the\u00a0most notorious and widely distributed antisemitic publication of modern times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Born out of fear and hatred, Holocaust conspiracy theories have enormous longevity and regain traction in times of uncertainty and societal unease.<\/p>\n As\u00a0distortion and disinformation attempts to erode our belief<\/a>\u00a0in the historical record and cast aspersions on Jews, it simultaneously nourishes conspiracy theories that encourage extreme nationalism, and not infrequently antisemitism.<\/p>\n Antisemitism is inherently conspiratorial. In the 20th century, it became\u00a0deeply enmeshed in western antidemocratic and fascist politics<\/a>.<\/p>\n Visions of shadowy Jewish cabals pulling the strings behind world events and orchestrating disasters, both macro and personal, continue to hold sway in our political imagination.<\/p>\n Holocaust distortion disrespects victims & threatens societies.<\/p>\n We can all help #ProtectTheFacts<\/a> & ensure the Holocaust is not excused, minimised or misrepresented.<\/p>\n New report analyses Holocaust denial & distortion on social media: https:\/\/t.co\/J1036wLZPL<\/a> via @UNESCO<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/aQWauN14I5<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 United Nations (@UN) July 13, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nLongevity of antisemitic conspiracy theory<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Distortion, misinformation<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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