Antisemitic Conspiracies about George Soros and Black Lives Matter Flood the Internet

In the wake of nationwide protests against systemic anti-Black racism and police brutality, conspiracy theories about Jewish philanthropist George Soros increased both in the United States and across the globe. 

George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police officers reignited the Black Lives Matter movement. Almost immediately after, social media exploded with conspiracy theories about the involvement of George Soros. The number of daily Twitter posts about Soros in late May increased twenty-fold, and nearly doubled on Facebook. 

Long a target of antisemitic hate and fear-mongering from right-wing extremists and Republican politicians and pundits alike, Soros was falsely accused of paying protestors, busing protestors into Minneapolis, and organizing the distribution of bricks to protestors.

Conservative groups also bought advertisements calling on authorities to “investigate George Soros for funding domestic terrorism and his decades-long corruption.” This is not the first time right-wing political actors have run advertisements demonizing Soros; this was a consistent theme during the midterm elections.

The conspiracy that a Jewish billionaire is secretly running a powerful Black-led movement for justice both invokes both the antisemitic idea of a Jewish puppeteer, and the anti-Black idea that Black are not capable of leading a global movement.