Vandals defaced Jewish gravestones with swastikas and anti-Semitic graffiti at a Jewish cemetery near Strasbourg in eastern France, 3 December 2019. Photo: AFP

Antisemitism rose dramatically in 2021 – “Right at the outset of the pandemic in 2020, conspiracy theories began to sprout around the world, blaming the Jews and Israel for spreading the virus”

27 April 2022 (BBC News) – The number of anti-Semitic incidents around the world dramatically increased last year, a study by Tel Aviv University has found. The report identifies the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, and Australia as among countries where there was a sharp rise. This was fuelled by radical left- and right-wing political […]

A body of a woman, who according to residents was executed by Russian army soldiers, lies on the street, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Bucha, in the region of Kyiv, Ukraine, 2 April 2022. Photo: Zohra Bensemra / REUTERS

Human Rights Watch report on atrocities in Russia-controlled areas of Ukraine: Summary executions, rape, and other grave abuses – “The cases we documented amount to unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians”

3 April 2022 (Warsaw) – Human Rights Watch has documented several cases of Russian military forces committing laws-of-war violations against civilians in occupied areas of the Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Kyiv regions of Ukraine. These include a case of repeated rape; two cases of summary execution, one of six men, the other of one man; and other cases of […]

Map showing no-contest elections, coups, and power grabs globally in 2021. Numbers indicate score declines for events in 2021, on a 100-point scale, in the 2022 edition of the “Freedom in the World” report. Coups were more common in 2021 than in any of the previous 10 years. Graphic: Freedom House

The global expansion of authoritarian rule – “The present threat to democracy is the product of 16 consecutive years of decline in global freedom”

By Sarah Repucci and Amy Slipowitz 24 February 2022 (Freedom House) – Global freedom faces a dire threat. Around the world, the enemies of liberal democracy—a form of self-government in which human rights are recognized and every individual is entitled to equal treatment under law—are accelerating their attacks. Authoritarian regimes have become more effective at […]

A trailer indicating support for anti-vax Freedom Convoy blocks the highway close to the Customs Inspection cubicles throughout a protest towards COVID-19 vaccine mandates on the Ambassador Bridge border crossing, in Windsor, Ontario, on 8 February 2022. The protestors, helping the Truckers Convoy in Ottawa, blocked visitors within the Canada certain lanes since the night of 8 February 2022. Roughly $323 million price of products cross the Windsor-Detroit border every day on the Ambassador Bridge, making it North America’s busiest worldwide border crossing. Photo: AFP

How a spy from the Ram Ranch Resistance infiltrated and seized anti-vax trucker chat rooms – “What they did in Windsor, blocking an international border, that to me is domestic terrorism”

By Claire Goforth 14 February 2022 (Daily Dot) – A member of a group that trolled trucker convoy protests by spamming them with a gay porn song infiltrated and took over a private chat protesters used to communicate and strategize. In recent weeks, truckers and people sympathetic to them have protested Canada’s requirements for truckers […]

Protesters carry swastikas and other flags at the truckers' anti-vaccine occupation in Ottawa, 29 January 2022. Photo: Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs / Twitter

Fearful Ottawa residents flee downtown as anti-vaccine mandate occupation drags on – Residents fed up with noise, racist harassment, and threats of violence – Police hate crimes hotline receives more than 200 calls – PM denounces “people waving swastikas”

By Kimberley Molina 8 February 2022 (CBC News) – As the disruptive protest in Ottawa drags into its second week, some residents of the downtown core say they’ve been living a nightmare, under siege and terrified to leave their homes — except to seek refuge away from the epicentre. For 10 days, downtown residents have been subjected to relentless honking, random fireworks and choking diesel fumes […]

Followers of Tennessee pastor and pro-Trump conspiracy theorist Greg Locke burn books on 2 February 2022. The books included Millennial staples like Harry Potter and Twilight. Photo: Tyler Salinas / Nashville Scene

COVID-19 mortality in U.S. exceeds 900,000 as Covid deaths surge in low-vaccination states – Tennessee has lowest vaccination rate and highest book-burning rate

By Nigel Chiwaya 4 February 2022 (NBC News) – More than 900,000 people have died in the United States from Covid-19 as of Friday, according to NBC News’ tally, and data shows that states with low vaccination rates have had the biggest share of deaths over the past six weeks. The country has recorded 100,000 […]

Far-right conspiracy theorist Ben Bergquam tweets from the National Butterfly Center on 30 January 2022, espousing the unfounded claim that the center participates in child sex trafficking. On 1 February 2022, the National Butterfly Center was forced to close indefinitely due to ongoing threats from QAnon and MAGA conspiracy theorists. Photo: Twitter

Ongoing threats from conspiracy theorists force National Butterfly Center to close – “Our staff should not suffer a loss of wages due to this unexpected business disruption caused by false and defamatory attacks directed by political operatives”

2 February 2022 (National Butterfly Center) – We regret to announce that the National Butterfly Center will be closed to the public—both members and visitors—for the immediate future. This difficult decision was made Tuesday evening, 1 February 2022, by the board of directors of the North American Butterfly Association, in the wake of recent events targeting the center. […]

Fake photo of rafts at the National Butterfly Center dock in Mission, Texas, composed and disseminated by Brian Kolfage as part of a QAnon/MAGA disinformation campaign. Kolfage was indicted in 2021 for fraud for his “We Build The Wall” fundraising scheme and had his Twitter account suspended for repeated violent threats. The National Butterfly Center was forced to close for the weekend of 28 January 2022 because of credible threats from QAnon/MAGA conspiracy theorists. Photo: National Butterfly Center

QAnon conspiracy theorists force National Butterfly Center to shut down for the weekend – “We simply cannot risk the safety and lives of our staff and visitors during this dangerous time”

By Shoshana Wodinsky 28 January 2022 (Gizmodo) – After spending years coming after furniture and pizza, QAnon followers are finally ruining life for butterflies and those who enjoy them. Far-right conspiracy theories have latched onto baseless claims that major Texas butterfly sanctuary is a hub for sex trafficking, leading to real-world threats against the sanctuary’s staff. On Thursday, […]

German language posts (top) and French language posts (bottom) containing antisemitic content, 1 January 2020 - 8 March 2021. German language posts are shown only for Telegram, because the numbers of antisemitic posts on Facebook and Twitter and were low and constant. In France, the huge increase in antisemitic posts during the pandemic occurred almost entirely on Twitter. Graphic: EU

World remembers Holocaust as antisemitism rises in pandemic – “The pandemic has acted like an accelerant”

By Vanessa Gera and Samuel Petrequin 27 January 2022 WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Survivors recalled their agony to a world they fear is forgetting, Israel’s parliamentary speaker wept in the German parliament and politicians warned of a resurgence of antisemitism on Thursday’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The day falls on the anniversary of the liberation […]

Armed Trump coup supporters surround the home of Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson on 5 December 2020, as part of an organized harassment and intimidation campaign planned by convicted felon Bernard Kerik and other Trump insurrectionists. Photo: Genevieve Peters / Facebook / CNN

Trump coup plan included harassment and intimidation campaign against election officials – “I’ll never forget the moment armed protestors gathered outside my home in the dark of night last December”

By Andrew Feinberg 4 January 2022 WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Independent) – Allies of former president Donald Trump planned a campaign of harassment and intimidation against election officials and “weak” Republicans that was to culminate in what would become the worst attack on the US Capitol since the Burning of Washington in 1814, according to new […]

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