ADL warns of economy-linked hate on Web

By · October 2, 2008

The U.S. financial crisis has led to increased anti-Jewish invective on the Internet, the Anti-Defamation League warned.

“Hundreds of anti-Semitic posts regarding Lehman Brothers and other institutions affected by the subprime mortgage crisis have been submitted to discussion boards dealing with finance, with many more arriving by the minute,” the ADL said in a statement Thursday. “The messages rail against Jews in general, with some charging that Jews control the government and finance as part of a ‘Jew world order’ and therefore are to blame for the economic turmoil.”

The ADL commended Internet service providers and discussion moderators for responding quickly to anti-Semitic posts, but noted that the frequency with which such posts appear makes policing Web sites difficult.

“We know from modern history that whenever there is a downturn in the global economy, there will be an upturn in the level of anti-Semitism and bigotry, and that is what we are seeing now,” said the ADL’s national director, Abraham Foxman.