George Soros conspiracy theories: Difference between revisions

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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==

*{{cite journal |last1=Kragh |first1=Martin |last2=Andermo |first2=Erik |last3=Makashova |first3=Liliia |title=Conspiracy theories in Russian security thinking |journal=Journal of Strategic Studies |date=2020 |pages=1–35 |doi=10.1080/01402390.2020.1717954}}
*{{cite book |last1=Madisson |first1=Mari-Liis |last2=Ventsel |first2=Andreas |title=Strategic Conspiracy Narratives |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-02038-4 |chapter=Strategic Soros-themed conspiracy narratives in politics, marketing and alternative knowledge}}
*{{cite journal |last1=Plenta |first1=Peter |title=Conspiracy theories as a political instrument: utilization of anti-Soros narratives in Central Europe |journal=Contemporary Politics |date=2020 |volume=26 |issue=5 |pages=512–530 |doi=10.1080/13569775.2020.1781332}}
*{{cite book |last1=Pintilescu |first1=Corneliu |last2=Magyari |first2=Attila Kustán |title=Conspiracy Theories in Eastern Europe |date=2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-429-32607-3 |chapter=Soros conspiracy theories and the rise of populism in post-socialist Hungary and Romania}}
[[Category:Conspiracy theories involving Jews]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories involving Jews]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories involving Muslims]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories involving Muslims]]

Revision as of 10:58, 28 April 2022

Because of his Jewish identity, wealth, and philanthropy, Soros has been described as "the perfect code word" for conspiracy theories that unite antisemitism and Islamophobia. One prominent Soros-related conspiracy theory is that he is behind the European migrant crisis or importing migrants to European countries. The Hungarian government spent millions of dollars on a poster campaign demonizing Soros. According to anthropologist Ivan Kalmar, "Many of his most outspoken enemies inside and outside Hungary saw him as leading an international cabal that included other Jews such as the Rothschilds, as well as Freemasons and Illuminati."[1][2]

Soros's philanthropy and support for progressive causes has made him the object of many conspiracy theories, some of them originating from the political right.[3][4] Veronika Bondarenko, writing for Business Insider said that "For two decades, some have seen Soros as a kind of puppet master secretly controlling the global economy and politics."[5] The New York Times describes the allegations as moving "from the dark corners of the internet and talk radio" to "the very center of the political debate" by 2018.[6]

Soros has become a magnet for such theories, with opponents claiming that he is behind such diverse events as the 2017 Women's March, the fact-checking website Snopes, the gun-control activism engaged in by the survivors of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting,[7][8][9] the October 2018 immigrant caravans, and the protests against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.[6][10] President Donald Trump in a tweet also claimed Soros was backing the protests against Kavanaugh's nomination.[11]

Conservatives picked up on the thread in the late 2000s, spearheaded by Fox News. Bill O'Reilly gave an almost ten-minute monologue on Soros in 2007, calling him an "extremist" and claiming he was "off-the-charts dangerous".[8] Breitbart News, according to the London Times journalist David Aaronovitch, has regularly published articles blaming Soros for anything of which it disapproves.[12]

Soros's opposition to Brexit (in the United Kingdom) led to a front page on the British Conservative supporting newspaper The Daily Telegraph in February 2018, which was accused of antisemitism for claiming he was involved in a supposed "secret plot" for the country's voters to reverse their decision to leave the European Union.[13] While The Daily Telegraph did not mention Soros is Jewish, his opposition to Britain leaving the European Union had been reported elsewhere in less conspiratorial terms.[14] Stephen Pollard, editor of The Jewish Chronicle, said on Twitter: "The point is that language matters so much and this is exactly the language being used by antisemites here and abroad".[15][16] In October 2019, Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg accused Soros of being the "funder-in-chief" of the Remain campaign, and was subsequently accused of anti-semitism by opposition MPs.[17]

After being ousted from office in the wake of the Panama Papers scandal of 2016, Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson accused Soros of having bankrolled a conspiracy to remove him from power.[18][19] It was later pointed out that Soros himself had also been implicated in the Panama Papers, casting doubt on the prime minister's theory.[20]

Following a December 20, 1998 60 Minutes interview[21] in which Soros related his experiences when at the age of 13, the Nazis occupied his native Hungary,[22] right-wing figures such as Alex Jones, Dinesh D'Souza, Glenn Beck, Roseanne Barr,[23] James Woods, Ann Coulter,[22] Louie Gohmert,[21] Marjorie Taylor Greene,[24] and Donald Trump Jr.,[25] promulgated the false conspiracy theory, which has been described as anti-Semitic, that Soros was a Nazi collaborator who turned in other Jews and stole their property during the occupation.[26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]

In October 2018, Soros was accused of funding a Central American migrant caravan heading toward America.[34][35][36] The theory that Soros was causing Central American migration at the southern US border apparently dates back to late March 2018, however.[37] The October 2018 strain of the theory has been described to combine anti-semitism, anti-immigrant sentiment and "the specter of powerful foreign agents controlling major world events in pursuit of a hidden agenda", connecting Soros and other wealthy individuals of Jewish faith or background to the October caravan.[37] Donald Trump was among those promoting the conspiracy theory.[38] Both Cesar Sayoc, the perpetrator of the October 2018 attempted bombings of prominent Democrats, and Robert Bowers, the perpetrator of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, referred to this conspiracy theory on social media before their crimes.[39][40]

In November 2018, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan denounced Soros while speaking about Turkey's political purges, saying: "The person who financed terrorists during the Gezi incidents is already in prison. And who is behind him? The famous Hungarian Jew Soros. This is a man who assigns people to divide nations and shatter them."[41]

In November 2019, attorney Joseph diGenova, who is known for promoting conspiracy theories about the Department of Justice and the FBI,[50] asserted on Fox News without evidence that Soros "controls a very large part of the career foreign service of the United States State Department" and "also controls the activities of FBI agents overseas who work for NGOs – work with NGOs. That was very evident in Ukraine."[51] Soros's Open Society Foundation described diGenova's claims as "beyond rhetorical ugliness, beyond fiction, beyond ludicrous" and requested that Fox News provide an on-air retraction of diGenova's claims, and stop providing diGenova with a platform.[52] Although the network never publicly announced it had banned him, diGenova has not appeared on Fox following the incident.[53] In September 2020, diGenova suggested that Fox News is also controlled by Soros.[53]

A study by Zignal Labs found that unsubstantiated claims of involvement by Soros were one of three dominant themes in misinformation and conspiracy theories around the 2020 George Floyd protests, alongside claims that Floyd's murder had been faked and claims of involvement by antifa groups.[54] The Anti-Defamation League estimated that over four days after Floyd's murder, negative Twitter messages about Soros increased from about 20,000 per day to about 500,000 per day.[55]

In July 2020, the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, after the border clashes with Armenia, stated that the 2018 Armenian revolution was "another provocation by Soros and his entourage", and called the government of the Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan the "agents of the Soros Foundation",[56] pointing out the COVID-19 pandemic-related aid to Armenia by the Soros Foundation.[57] Aliyev added that there were "no traces of the Soros Foundation in Azerbaijan", because it had had "cut off their legs" as they were "poisoning the minds of youth", turning them "against their state."[58][59] In October 2020, during the height of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war, Aliyev labelled Soros's activities a "destructive, movement, and a colonial movement." He also added that Soros "came to power in Armenia today, but failed."[60]

References

  1. ^ Langer, Armin (2021). "The eternal George Soros: The rise of an antisemitic and Islamophobic conspiracy theory". Europe: Continent of Conspiracies. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-003-04864-0.
  2. ^ Kalmar, Ivan (2020). "Islamophobia and anti-antisemitism: the case of Hungary and the 'Soros plot'". Patterns of Prejudice. 54 (1–2): 182–198. doi:10.1080/0031322X.2019.1705014.
  3. ^ Soskis, Benjamin (December 5, 2017). "George Soros and the Demonization of Philanthropy". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  4. ^ Rachman, Gideon (September 18, 2017). "Soros hatred is a global sickness". Financial Times. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  5. ^ Bondarenko, Veronika (May 20, 2017). "George Soros is a favorite target of the right – here's how that happened". Business Insider. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference NYT20181031 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Rynbaum, Michael M. (February 20, 2018). "Right-Wing Media Uses Parkland Shooting as Conspiracy Fodder". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Brown, Jennings; Steinblatt, Jacob (March 30, 2017). "How George Soros Became The Right's Biggest Boogeyman". www.vocativ.com. Vocativ. Archived from the original on February 23, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  9. ^ Streitfeld, David (December 25, 2016). "For Fact Checking Website Snopes, a Bigger Role Brings More Attacks". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2016. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  10. ^ Rizzo, Salvador (October 5, 2018). "No, George Soros isn't paying Kavanaugh protesters". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  11. ^ Jamieson, Amber (October 6, 2018). "Trump's Lawyer Retweeted That 'Anti-Christ' George Soros Is Funding Anti-Kavanaugh Protests". Buzzfeed News. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  12. ^ Aaronovitch, David (March 2, 2017). "Extremists find their time has come at last". The Times. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  13. ^ Finkelstein, Daniel (February 14, 2018). "George Soros and the roots of antisemitism". The Times. Archived from the original on May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.(subscription required)
  14. ^ Behr, Rafael (February 8, 2018). "A secret plot to stop Brexit, or an antisemitic dog whistle?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  15. ^ Fisher, Lucy (February 8, 2018). "Brexiteers and alt-right unite against 'globalist' billionaire George Soros". The Guardian. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  16. ^ Lusher, Adam (February 8, 2018). "George Soros: The billionaire investor who became the favourite target of conspiracy theories and antisemitic hatred". The Independent. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  17. ^ "Jacob Rees-Mogg accused of antisemitism after George Soros comments". The Independent. October 4, 2019. Archived from the original on October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  18. ^ "Segir Panama-skjölin runnin undan rifjum Soros". RÚV. July 27, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  19. ^ "Sigmundur Davíð segir Panamaskjölin hafa verið sérstakt "hit-job"". Kjarninn. February 27, 2017. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  20. ^ "Kom Soros upp um sjálfan sig?". Kjarninn. July 26, 2016. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  21. ^ a b Sonmez, Felicia (December 6, 2018). "Rep. Louie Gohmert falsely says George Soros helped take property from fellow Jews". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  22. ^ a b Emery, David (February 4, 2018) [2016]. "Was George Soros an SS Officer or Nazi Collaborator During World War II?". Snopes. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  23. ^ Niraj Chokshi (May 29, 2018), "George Soros Smears Find New Life in Roseanne's Twitter Tantrum" Archived February 22, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times
  24. ^ Nadler, Ben (August 12, 2020). "Marjorie Taylor Greene wins GOP primary in Georgia, despite racist videos". The Times of Israel. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  25. ^ Manchester, Julia (May 29, 2018). "Trump Jr. retweets Roseanne's conspiracy theory about George Soros". The Hill. Archived from the original on June 1, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  26. ^ Mark E. Souder (September 29, 2006), "THE GUILT-FREE RECORD OF GEORGE SOROS" (Extensions of Remarks) Archived February 19, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, Congressional Record via Congress.gov
  27. ^ Mark E. Souder (September 29, 2006), "THE GUILT-FREE RECORD OF GEORGE SOROS" (Extensions of Remarks) Archived August 1, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, Congressional Record via Google Books
  28. ^ Avi Selk (May 30, 2018), "George Soros wasn't a Nazi, Roseanne Barr. He was a 14-year-old Jew who hid from them." Archived July 26, 2018, at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post [1] Archived December 4, 2019, at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ Sommer, Allison Kaplan (October 14, 2018). "From 'Satanic' to 'Anti-Christ': Pro-Trump Attacks on George Soros Intensify as Midterms Approach". Haaretz. Archived from the original on May 31, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
  30. ^ Steve Kroft (December 20, 1998), George Soros 1998 interview MP4 video ("confiscation" comment at 8:35), 60 Minutes via Archive.org
  31. ^ Smith, Allan (December 6, 2018). "Gohmert makes false claim in TV interview about Soros and Jews. Fox Business distances itself". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  32. ^ Lybrand, Holmes (May 30, 2018). "Fact Check: George Soros, the Thieving Nazi Sympathizer?". The Weekly Standard. Archived from the original on January 12, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  33. ^ Coaston, Jane (June 11, 2018). "George Soros is not a Nazi, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  34. ^ Qiu, Linda (October 20, 2018). "Did Democrats, or George Soros, Fund Migrant Caravan? Despite Republican Claims, No". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  35. ^ "Five myths about the Honduran caravan debunked". NBC News. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  36. ^ Danielle Wiener-Bronner. "Campbell Soup disavows Soros conspiracy theory tweeted by VP". CNN. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  37. ^ a b Joel Achenbach (October 28, 2018). "A conspiracy theory about George Soros and a migrant caravan inspired horror". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  38. ^ "Trump: "A Lot of People Say" George Soros Is Funding the Migrant Caravan". Vanity Fair. October 31, 2018. Archived from the original on September 14, 2020. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  39. ^ Jason Wilson (October 27, 2018). "Pittsburgh shooting extends wave of conspiracy-minded rightwing violence". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on October 28, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  40. ^ Kelly Weill (October 27, 2018). "Pittsburgh Synagogue Suspect Robert Bowers Hated Trump—for Not Hating Jews". Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 10, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
  41. ^ "Soros foundation to close in Turkey after attack by Erdogan". Reuters. November 26, 2018. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  42. ^ Sheth, Sonam (April 11, 2018). "Former federal prosecutor Joseph DiGenova calls for Rosenstein's firing on Fox News after Trump tells people to tune in to the 'big show'". Business Insider. Archived from the original on April 12, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2018. DiGenova and his wife, Victoria Toensing, both used to work within the US Justice Department, but later made their reputations peddling conspiracy theories on TV about the DOJ and FBI.
  43. ^ Haberman, Maggie; Schmidt, Michael S. (March 19, 2018). "Trump Hires Lawyer Who Has Pushed Theory That Justice Dept. Framed the President". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  44. ^ Blake, Aaron (March 19, 2018). "Analysis | Trump just hired a deep-state conspiracy theorist as his lawyer. Here's what Joe DiGenova has said". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  45. ^ Sheth, Sonam (March 19, 2018). "Trump is reportedly set to hire a new lawyer who called Comey 'a dirty cop' and accused the FBI of trying to 'frame' Trump". Business Insider. Archived from the original on May 11, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  46. ^ "The bizarre conspiracy theories peddled by Donald Trump's new lawyer". The Independent. March 20, 2018. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
  47. ^ Hart, Benjamin. "Trump's Conspiracy Theory Lawyer Dropped From Team Before Starting". Daily Intelligencer. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018. DiGenova is known as a fierce defender of Trump who has used frequent guest appearances on Fox News to advance far-out conspiracy theories that the FBI is trying to frame the president.
  48. ^ Tibon, Amir (March 20, 2018). "Trump's New Lawyer: The Man Who Sent Jonathan Pollard to Jail". Haaretz. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018. Joseph diGenova has promoted conspiracy theories about a 'deep state' attempt to 'frame' Trump and his campaign for criminal activities
  49. ^ Breuninger, Kevin (March 27, 2018). "Here are the lawyers who quit or declined to represent Trump in the Mueller probe". CNBC. Archived from the original on August 18, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2018. DiGenova, a regular Fox News guest, had spouted conspiracy theories about the Mueller probe's motives against Trump.
  50. ^ [42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49]
  51. ^ "Lou Dobbs guest Joe diGenova says George Soros controls a large part of the State Department and activities of FBI agents". Media Matters for America. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  52. ^ Wemple, Eric (November 14, 2019). "Soros foundation requests banning of Joe diGenova from Fox News/Fox Business after anti-Semitic rant". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  53. ^ a b Baragona, Justin (September 23, 2020). "Former Fox News Regular Joe diGenova Claims Network Is Beholden to George Soros". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  54. ^ Alba, Davey (June 1, 2020). "Misinformation About George Floyd Protests Surges on Social Media". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  55. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 25, 2020. Retrieved June 22, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  56. ^ "Ilham Aliyev: 'Current government in Armenia are agents of Soros'". Azeri Daily. July 31, 2020. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  57. ^ "Open Society Foundations-Armenia provides over US $600,000 for the response to COVID-19". Open Society Foundations Armenia. July 20, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  58. ^ Mammadov, Sabuhi (August 6, 2020). "Biz heç vaxt işğal ilə barışmayacağıq" [We will never reconcile with the occupation] (PDF). Khalg Gazeti (in Azerbaijani). p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020 – via National Library of Azerbaijan.
  59. ^ ""Ermənistanın indiki rəhbərliyi Soros fondunun agentləridir" – İlham Əliyev" ["The current leadership of Armenia is an agent of the Soros Foundation," said Ilham Aliyev]. Ordu.az (in Azerbaijani). July 31, 2020. Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
  60. ^ Ozturk, Alparslan (October 16, 2020). "İlham Əliyev: "Soros Ermənistanda hakimiyyətə gəldi, amma iflasa uğradı"" [Ilham Aliyev: "Soros came to power in Armenia, but failed"]. Report Information Agency (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on January 2, 2021. Retrieved January 2, 2020.

Further reading

  • Kragh, Martin; Andermo, Erik; Makashova, Liliia (2020). "Conspiracy theories in Russian security thinking". Journal of Strategic Studies: 1–35. doi:10.1080/01402390.2020.1717954.
  • Madisson, Mari-Liis; Ventsel, Andreas (2020). "Strategic Soros-themed conspiracy narratives in politics, marketing and alternative knowledge". Strategic Conspiracy Narratives. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-02038-4.
  • Plenta, Peter (2020). "Conspiracy theories as a political instrument: utilization of anti-Soros narratives in Central Europe". Contemporary Politics. 26 (5): 512–530. doi:10.1080/13569775.2020.1781332.
  • Pintilescu, Corneliu; Magyari, Attila Kustán (2020). "Soros conspiracy theories and the rise of populism in post-socialist Hungary and Romania". Conspiracy Theories in Eastern Europe. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-32607-3.
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