Neo-Nazi, far-right groups encourage followers to infect Jews and Muslims
The reports refer to different extremist groups in the UK, including far-right, far-left and Islamist extremists, all exploiting the public health crisis to promote hatred towards others.
By TOBIAS SIEGALGerman Neo-nazi(photo credit: REUTERS)Neo-Nazi groups and far-right extremists have been using the coronavirus pandemic to pursue their own ideological agendas and objectives, while encouraging their infected followers to "deliberately infect Jews and Muslims," according to a research the UK Commission for Countering Extremism published on Thursday."Since the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Commission for Countering Extremism has heard increasing reports of extremists exploiting the crisis to sow division and undermine the social fabric of our country," as stated in the report's introduction.The reports refer to different extremist groups in the UK, including far-right, far-left and Islamist extremists, all exploiting the public health crisis to promote hatred towards others.The research lists different conspiracy theories that have surrounded the spread of the coronavirus and supported the spread of hatred towards certain groups, primarily minorities.One conspiracy theory "suggest[s] the virus is part of a Jewish plot," while others target Muslims, claiming that by keeping mosques open, they "are spreading the virus as an attack on Western values," the report reads.Other popular conspiracy theories blame 5G technology and Bill Gates, believing he created the virus to reduce the world population.But perhaps the most alarming, are the reports of far-right activists and Neo-Nazi groups promoting anti-minority narratives by encouraging users to deliberately infect groups, including Jews.The report continues by emphasizing the role of social media platforms in spreading the conspiracy theories and the hate that they generate, noting that "despite efforts from social media companies, harmful content is still spreading on their platforms."The report ends by calling on the public to actively stand against the disinformation that is spreading across social media."Delivering events, campaigns and projects based on inclusion, shared values and community cohesion – both online, and where possible offline – are vital to help build resilience to extremism and to prevent extremists from gaining a foothold."
