Right is tolerating antisemitism as free speech. Republicans must put an end to it. | Opinion
Republicans, who have more or less stayed silent, should learn from their Democratic colleagues about the headache that allowing a small number of antisemites to exist within your coalition can bring.
Democrats have been on the receiving end of deserved criticism for a string of antisemitic actions, particularly as it relates to the widespread student protests against Israel.
Even so, Republicans have increasingly supported or platformed openly antisemitic personalities, which is equally troubling. People like Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan have had no problem giving space to antisemites and, in many cases, advancing antisemitic talking points themselves.
Republicans, who have more or less been silent on the matter, should learn from their Democratic colleagues about the headache that allowing a small number of antisemites to exist within your coalition can bring.
Ignoring this problem won't make it go away. Conservatives must forcefully expunge antisemitism from our movement. Allowing it to fester will inevitably lead to the same issues the left allowed to grow in and infect their messaging.
Antisemitism on the right is becoming worse
There was a point, such as the 2017 events in Charlottesville, Virginia, where antisemitic views and actions came from extreme alt-right groups and received widespread condemnation.
However, since then, voices on the right have become more casual with these ideas. Coinciding with the rise in isolationist movements on the American right, antisemitic voices have found an audience among those already holding anti-Israel viewpoints.
For a variety of reasons, Carlson, Owens and others have turned to outright antisemitism in their content over recent years. Both Owens and Carlson have had no problem platforming antisemites such as Andrew Tate, a devoted anti-Israel activist and outright antisemite, to name one.
Owens has smeared Judaism as a "pedophile-centric religion" and claimed Jews believe in "child sacrifice."
Carlson, on the other hand, has downplayed the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, against Israel and hosted guests questioning whether British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was the villain of World War II rather than Adolf Hitler.
Even historically moderate voices, such as Rogan, have become willing to platform voices that minimize the holocaust.
People seem to forget that before retaking the presidency, even Donald Trump hosted antisemites Kanye West and Nick Fuentes at the White House for dinner.
The pipeline of normal conservative to Israel skeptics to someone willing to platform antisemites is extremely worrying, particularly for the young people looking to right-wing thought leaders for insights.
Under the guise of free speech, the right is tolerating antisemitism
Dan McLaughlin wrote a sharp column last month highlighting the fact that what the right lacks in their antisemitism is organization. While the American left has rooted its antisemitism into academia through rhetoric and ideology, the American right lacks the institutional control necessary for this to have happened.
What has happened on the right, however, is that a branch of pundits has grown increasingly adventurous in questioning Israel and America’s support for the Middle East nation.
The natural response is that hosting someone isn’t an endorsement of their views. However, the boosting of hateful people in a setting that isn’t combative is inherently an endorsement. People are free to judge you for whom you make space for.
I’m as much of a free speech advocate as any, but free speech is a principle to hold against government infringement on speech ‒ not on tolerating disgusting views within your movement. Those who attach themselves to antisemites should be treated as if they are endorsing those viewpoints.
Dace Potas is an opinion columnist for Paste BN and a graduate of DePaul University with a degree in political science.