Conspiracy theories blaming Jews for Europe's wildfires are spreading online, Cyberwell warns

A surge in antisemitic conspiracy theories targeting Jews for recent wildfires in Europe has been detected, according to NGO Cyberwell. The group has warned of this issue on X, formerly known as Twitter. The organization identified "nearly identical narratives" regarding wildfires in Norway, France, and Spain, noting this as a "recurring pattern of event-driven antisemitism."

These theories claim that Jewish people deliberately started or orchestrated the fires for political or financial reasons. Over 2 million views on X were recorded for the Norway wildfire conspiracy, while more than 69,100 users engaged with the Spain wildfire theory, according to Cyberwell's data. Antisemitic theories have also emerged following major events like the Los Angeles wildfires, Patagonia wildfires, White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting, and the hantavirus outbreak.

Cyberwell CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor explained that "the same scapegoating stories, once popular in Nazi propaganda during the Third Reich, now trend on every major social media platform after a crisis." The "Happy Merchant" caricature, which depicts a Jewish man greedily rubbing his hands together, is a well-known antisemitic image often featured in these false claims.

Montemayor stated that "any major event can become a vehicle for blaming Jews online," as these conspiracy theories recycle centuries-old myths and collective accusations against Jews.