Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 3, 2026, 09 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 3, 2026, 09 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
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  Speaker 1: with a stark report from Spain detailing a worsening social
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  Speaker 1: climate for its Jewish community, according to a new report
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  Speaker 1: by the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain, or FCJE.
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  Speaker 1: And the Movement Against Intolerance, MCI, antisemitic incidents rose by 14.5%
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  Speaker 1: in 2025. The report documented 221 anti-Jewish hate crimes, up
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  Speaker 1: from 193 the previous year, as detailed by the Aljaminer.
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  Speaker 1: FCJE President David Obedia stated that Spanish Jews have been
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  Speaker 1: forced to attend communal spaces under heightened security measures since
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  Speaker 1: October 7, 2023, with children attending school under police protection.
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  Speaker 1: MCI President Esteban Ibarra called for antisemitism to receive the
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  Speaker 1: same institutional attention as other forms of discrimination. the report
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  Speaker 1: warns that antisemitism is becoming normalized across social, educational, cultural,
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  Speaker 1: and digital spaces, making Spain one of the most extreme
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  Speaker 1: cases of this trend in the Western world, with experts
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  Speaker 1: noting that anti-Zionist rhetoric has, in many instances, become state-promoted.
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  Speaker 1: In the United States, a significant political figure has directly
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  Speaker 1: confronted a prominent media personality. Senator Ted Cruz, speaking on
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  Speaker 1: the PBD podcast, called Tucker Carlson the single most dangerous
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  Speaker 1: demagogue in America. As reported by the article, Cruz warned
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  Speaker 1: that antisemitism on the right is a gateway to anti-Americanism,
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  Speaker 1: stating that Carlson, almost every show he does is attacking Israel,
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  Speaker 1: attacking Jews, and attacking Donald Trump. Cruz characterized this rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: not as conservative or American, and suggested it's teaching young
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  Speaker 1: conservatives to hate Israel, and eventually America. the Senator's remarks
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  Speaker 1: highlight a deep split within the Republican Party over Israel
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  Speaker 1: and ideological currents. From Australia, a concerning pattern of rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: has emerged in political discourse. An analysis published by the
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  Speaker 1: Nightly argues that the word Zionist is increasingly being used
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  Speaker 1: as a byword for Jew, reviving old antisemitic conspiracy theories
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  Speaker 1: about hidden influence and control. This trend was evident in
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  Speaker 1: the Australian Senate, where Greens Senator Nick McKim accused the
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  Speaker 1: Labour government of being captured by Zionist interests. When challenged,
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  Speaker 1: McKim told Senator James Patterson he was captured by Zionist
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  Speaker 1: interests too. While McKim later withdrew the personal remark, he
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  Speaker 1: insisted on the broader formulation. The article points out that
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  Speaker 1: the allegation of Jews exercising excessive or hidden influence is
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  Speaker 1: one of the oldest forms of antisemitism. Mehta also told
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  Speaker 1: a royal commission that it had changed its hate speech
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  Speaker 1: rules after identifying cases where Zionist was used as a
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  Speaker 1: proxy for Jews in conspiracy theories about control of governments
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  Speaker 1: and the media. In Florida, a combat sports event at
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  Speaker 1: the Kia Center became the scene of explicit anti-Semitic and
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  Speaker 1: racist displays. News 6 reported that fighter Paul Miller, known
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  Speaker 1: as Gypsy Crusader, made anti-Semitic remarks and gave Nazi salutes
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  Speaker 1: following his kickboxing victory. Videos also showed a fan unfurling
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  Speaker 1: a Nazi flag. The organizer of the event, Dual Arena,
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  Speaker 1: responded to criticism by posting, Your people have never lost
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  Speaker 1: with dignity, have they? Orlando Venues, which operates the Kia Center,
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  Speaker 1: condemned all forms of hate speech, but stated that as
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  Speaker 1: operators of public venues, they are bound by the First
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  Speaker 1: Amendment and cannot deny access based on political ideology, though
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  Speaker 1: they are reviewing policies. In New York, public criticism continues
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  Speaker 1: over the Met Gala's past consideration of honoring designer John Galliano.
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  Speaker 1: Several letters to the editor, published in the New York Post,
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  Speaker 1: condemned the idea of celebrating Gagliano, who was previously convicted
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitic hate speech. Correspondents like Alice Dolly and Betty
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  Speaker 1: Schwartz criticized Anna Wintour and Met Museum executives, with Schwartz
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  Speaker 1: stating Wintour's lack of moral clarity in choosing to celebrate
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  Speaker 1: Gagliano is unacceptable. The letters highlight the rise of antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: and describe the choice as an affront in a city
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  Speaker 1: with many Jewish patrons. Globally, online platforms continue to be
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  Speaker 1: exploited for antisemitic attacks. The Irish Independent reports that the
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  Speaker 1: global insurance giant AIG is investigating how the social media
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  Speaker 1: account of one of its senior Irish executives was hacked
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  Speaker 1: and used to spread extreme antisemitic slurs. Back in the
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  Speaker 1: United States, political commentator Laura Loomer has warned that Tucker
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  Speaker 1: Carlson is a political liability for Vice President J.D. Vance,
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  Speaker 1: Loomer criticized Vance for not issuing a forceful condemnation of Carlson,
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  Speaker 1: particularly after Vance's appearance at the Republican-Jewish coalition. Loomer quoted
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  Speaker 1: Carlson as stating that Jews have no ties to America
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  Speaker 1: and appropriate American identity like a stolen skin suit, and
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  Speaker 1: demanded Vance take a stronger position against Carlson's rhetoric. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: in Australia, there are calls for greater transparency regarding security assessments.
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner Virginia Bell is being urged to release a secret
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  Speaker 1: assessment of Australian Federal Police, or AFP, funding. According to
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  Speaker 1: reporting on the matter, this request comes amid a clear
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  Speaker 1: and growing threat of antisemitic terrorism, and follows an attack
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  Speaker 1: on December 14 last year. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with
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  Speaker 1: AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details
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  Speaker 1: with primary sources. Thank you.