To effectively address anti-Europeanism and its hidden conspiratorial tendencies—particularly those that carry antisemitic undertones—it is essential to focus on investigations, public education, and accountability within both political discourse and mass media. The following outlines some key actions that could be taken:
Investigative Efforts into Anti-Europeanism as Covert Antisemitism
- Monitor and Analyze Hate Speech and Propaganda: Government agencies, NGOs, and academic institutions should collaborate to monitor both online and offline platforms for hate speech and conspiratorial content that targets European integration, free movement, and financial cooperation. Special focus should be placed on identifying when these criticisms echo historical antisemitic tropes, such as the portrayal of elites controlling financial systems or the idea of a cosmopolitan plot against national sovereignty.
- Identify and Unmask Political Agendas: Investigations should target organizations, political movements, and think tanks that promote anti-Europeanism by spreading false narratives about elites or conspiracies related to the European Union’s free movement policies. Understanding the funding and political ties behind these movements will help reveal hidden agendas and global disinformation campaigns that undermine European unity.
- Investigate the Social and Economic Impact on Vulnerable Populations: Policymakers should conduct studies to understand how anti-European propaganda disproportionately harms poor and marginalized communities. Conspiracies that depict immigrants, EU workers, or multinational businesses as threats often lead to policies or attitudes that further marginalize the poor, depriving them of economic opportunities, employment, and social support. Understanding this relationship will help combat disinformation campaigns that pit struggling populations against each other.
Educational Campaigns to Dispel Conspiracies and Misrepresentations
- Public Awareness Campaigns: Governments, EU institutions, and civil society organizations must invest in large-scale public education campaigns that explain the benefits of European integration, including how the free movement of people, goods, and capital enhances economic growth for all citizens. Such campaigns should focus on countering the false notion that these policies only serve elites, emphasizing their role in lifting millions out of poverty across Europe.
- Teaching Media Literacy: Schools, universities, and community organizations should offer media literacy programs to help citizens critically analyze media content and recognise false narratives, including those targeting the European Union. These programs should teach individuals how to identify bias, fact-check claims, and detect when political or social critiques use coded antisemitism or xenophobia.
- Historical Context of Antisemitism: Educational initiatives must include historical lessons on the role of antisemitism in Europe and its modern manifestations. By understanding how past antisemitic conspiracies about Jews’ roles in commerce and politics are being recycled to target European integration, the public can become more aware of these covert strategies.
Legislative Actions and Accountability for Politicians and Media Outlets
- Hold Politicians Accountable for Hate Speech: Parliaments and legislative bodies should pass or enforce laws that hold politicians accountable for spreading false narratives or engaging in speech that incites hatred or xenophobia, including antisemitic rhetoric. Politicians who promote conspiracies about elites controlling European integration or immigration policies should face legal consequences for fostering division and hate.
- Strengthen Hate Speech Laws: Existing hate speech laws should be expanded to include covert forms of antisemitism and disinformation about European integration. Legal frameworks must define how seemingly innocuous phrases, such as “globalist elite” or attacks on “bureaucratic control” from Brussels, may mask deeper antisemitic or xenophobic sentiments.
- Regulation of Mass Media: Independent media watchdogs should be established or strengthened to monitor the dissemination of anti-European and antisemitic content in both mainstream and alternative media outlets. Media outlets that regularly spread disinformation, conspiracies, or covert hate speech should be subject to fines, public accountability measures, or even criminal liability if they deliberately incite violence or hatred.
- Criminal Accountability for Disinformation Campaigns: In cases where media organizations or political actors knowingly engage in disinformation campaigns that spread antisemitism or anti-Europeanism, there should be criminal liability. This could involve penalties for inciting violence, spreading hate speech, or creating an environment that fosters discrimination or attacks on vulnerable communities. Ensuring these cases are prosecuted would send a strong message that such behaviour is unacceptable.
The Role of Mass Media in Spreading Anti-Europeanism and Antisemitism
- Mass Media as a Vehicle for Conspiracy: Mass media has played a crucial role in the proliferation of anti-European and antisemitic narratives, both through traditional outlets and online platforms. Sensationalist reporting on immigration, economic downturns, and political decisions often stokes fears about elites or foreigners undermining national sovereignty. Politicians and pundits amplify these narratives, creating a feedback loop where the public consumes misinformation that shapes their views on the EU and European cooperation.
- Media’s Responsibility in Countering Hate Speech: The media industry must hold itself to a higher standard of reporting, with an emphasis on fact-checking and responsible journalism. Journalists should be trained to recognise and avoid amplifying false narratives that echo antisemitic or xenophobic sentiments, and editorial standards should include explicit policies against promoting hate speech or conspiracy theories.
- Social Media Platforms and Disinformation: Social media platforms must also take responsibility for the content they host. Algorithms that promote sensational content should be adjusted to prevent the viral spread of anti-Europeanism and antisemitism. Platforms should be transparent about their efforts to combat disinformation and should cooperate with governments and NGOs to remove harmful content and ban users or organizations that consistently violate terms of service related to hate speech.
- Public Funding for Responsible Media: Governments and the EU should consider providing funding to support independent, responsible journalism that promotes factual reporting and counters disinformation. These funds could be used to support investigative journalism that exposes the political and economic interests behind anti-European propaganda, as well as to create platforms where citizens can access reliable information about European policies.
Legislative Measures and Treaties to Combat Anti-Europeanism, Antisemitism, and Preserve Social Peace
To confront the broader issue of Anti-Europeanism and antisemitic conspiratorial tendencies, the need for investigations and legal actions becomes crucial to safeguard European unity, human rights, and democratic values. Just as in cases of xenophobia and racial hatred, Anti-European rhetoric can be seen as a direct threat to peace and stability, as it fosters division and reinforces dangerous nationalist ideologies. Such rhetoric is often intertwined with antisemitic conspiracies, drawing on long-standing prejudices and false narratives that target not only Jewish communities but also the European Union as a political and cultural entity.
At the European level, the EU Framework Decision on Combating Racism and Xenophobia (2008) can serve as a legal foundation to investigate and address Anti-European sentiment when it intersects with xenophobia and hate speech. This legislation requires EU member states to criminalize incitement to hatred based on national origin or ethnicity. Anti-Europeanism, often fueled by false narratives of EU control, sovereignty loss, or demographic threat, falls under this scope, especially when linked to campaigns that demonize European nationals. In particular, political extremist parties that consistently use fear-mongering about the EU and European nationals to promote nationalism could be held accountable under such legislation.
International human rights law also provides a framework to address the harmful effects of Anti-Europeanism and antisemitic conspiracies. Under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 20 prohibits advocacy of national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to hostility, discrimination, or violence. This is particularly relevant for rhetoric that frames European nationals as a threat to national identity or sovereignty, often coupled with antisemitic conspiracy theories that accuse Europe of being controlled by elite groups or financial interests. The rhetoric of nationalist extremist parties, often directed against EU policies and portraying Europe as a monolithic, malevolent force, contributes to a divisive and hostile atmosphere. This rhetoric not only undermines the EU but also revives dangerous antisemitic stereotypes of global or European Jewish control, echoing past conspiracies that fueled historical atrocities.
Furthermore, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), while upholding freedom of expression in Article 10, also places limits on speech when it incites hatred or violence. Anti-European rhetoric, often closely tied to anti-immigrant, anti-refugee, and antisemitic discourse, can be subject to restrictions under this provision. Political leaders and public figures, particularly those from nationalist extremist parties, using such language, which has real-world consequences like hostility towards European nationals or Jewish communities, could be held liable for incitement to hatred or violence. Legal actions could therefore be justified, especially when this rhetoric normalizes harmful and extreme views.
The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which defines crimes against humanity, could also play a role in framing legal action against political nationalist extremist parties that promote Anti-Europeanism and antisemitic conspiracy theories. While promoting nationalism and Anti-Europeanism does not inherently constitute a crime against humanity, the spread of dangerous propaganda that leads to discriminatory policies or violence against specific groups—such as European nationals or Jewish communities—could eventually cross into violations of human rights on a large scale. If policies inspired by such rhetoric lead to mass expulsions, persecution, or systemic discrimination, those responsible for promoting these ideologies could face legal repercussions under international law.
The Council of Europe‘s Recommendation 97(20) on hate speech calls for legal measures against the dissemination of xenophobic and nationalistic ideologies that fuel hostility between nations or ethnic groups. Anti-European rhetoric, especially when it invokes antisemitic conspiracies, can deeply divide societies and lead to destabilizing nationalistic policies. Nationalist extremist parties across Europe, with their aggressive rhetoric against the European Union and portrayal of Europe as a threat to national identities, coupled with their indirect use of antisemitic tropes, provide a strong case for legal investigation under these provisions.
Toward Accountability and Truth in Public Discourse
The fight against anti-Europeanism, antisemitism, and the broader spread of conspiratorial misinformation requires a coordinated effort across multiple fronts. Governments, media outlets, and civil society must work together to expose the hidden agendas behind anti-European rhetoric and to hold those responsible for spreading falsehoods and hate accountable. Mass media and Social Media and Streaming Platforms, in particular, play a pivotal role in shaping public opinion, and must therefore be held to higher standards of responsibility. Both legal frameworks and ethical guidelines are essential in ensuring that media outlets do not become vehicles for disinformation, hate speech, or covert antisemitism. Politicians, too, must face consequences when they exploit these narratives for political gain. Propagation of Anti-Europeanism and the embedding of antisemitic conspiracies within this rhetoric pose significant risks to European unity, peace, and human rights. Political nationalist extremist parties that consistently promote divisive narratives should be held accountable under these legal frameworks to prevent further harm and ensure that extremist ideologies do not gain a foothold in European or global political discourse. By holding individuals and parties accountable for inciting hatred and xenophobia, we can take a stand against the spread of dangerous nationalist rhetoric that threatens to fracture societies and incite violence.
Remedies are in promoting education, egalitarian values, civil rights, tolerance, media literacy, and accountability, making it possible for civil societies to unmask conspiratorial tendencies that penalize the poor and marginalized, ensuring that the freedoms of movement, trade, and cooperation in Europe are recognized as forces for good.
